Kevtoberfest#24 Mitta Mitta
After our scenic drive through the Alpine National Park, we arrived at the tiny township of Mitta Mitta, home to 31 permanent residents. When Glen asked the manager if there was free Wi-Fi for our phones he laughed and said, “You’ll be lucky to get a TV channel let alone any phone reception.” It was going to be a quiet night.
With a couple of free hours before the sun set, we went for a walk beside the Mitta Mitta River. In the shallows, the water bubbled over the rocky riverbed while on the broad bends the surface was calmer, mirroring the evergreen eucalypts and bare-branched poplars on the river bank.
Kookaburras perched high in a gum tree greeted us, their raucous laugh breaking the silence.
Just as we were thinking Mitta Mitta must be the sleepiest town in Australia we came across some evidence which proved us wrong. Spaced along the grassy path were sculptures, all composed of bits and pieces, discarded scrap metal and household items past their use-by date. The plaque accompanying each piece told us these were all previous entrants in the Bushcraft Sculpture competition at the Mighty Mitta Muster.
We discovered we’d come to Mitta Mitta at the wrong time of year. Every March, the muster attracts thousands of visitors to the little town. Typical country events include a rodeo, wood chop, tug of war and whip cracking, along with craft stalls, horse and dog competitions, athletics and a fun run.
Next time we go to Mitta Mitta, we might need to book ahead!
Join Jo for more Monday Walks
Oooohhh I like Suzie’s bad hair day! 😉
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We did too, specially as it was made by a 10 year old.
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Love, love, love the sculptures especially Man’s Best Friend. There’s always a silver lining isn’t there? 🙂
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That one is so clever. The river walk was very pretty in the late afternoon light.
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What a surprise to have stumbled upon these quirky sculptures. It’s great the town comes to life for this festival every March. I bet if you had come then, you’d have had a whole different experience. I love the quieter discoveries myself, though. 🙂
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It was lovely to stay there and we did have some neighbours in the caravan park. It would be much busier in March.
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What creative sculptures! It was a small town with a big surprise.
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It really was. We didn’t expect to find them down by the river. Aren’t they fun.
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It’s always fun to chance upon something like this in your travels.
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We thought so too, and it was great to see all this old stuff given a new purpose. I liked that the sculptors donated their work so it would always be on display.
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Love the serenity of the river. The kookaburra is always welcome as we don’t have them. Sculptures are fun and a pleasant surprise. We love road trips and are certainly enjoying yours.
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You should google kookaburras and find a video of their laugh. It’s quite unique. They actually use it as a warning to other birds to stay away. This trip in on the home run now. Glad you’re still enjoying it.
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I never mind to have a place to myself, Carol. Love the first piece of sculpture and I’m a sucker for a kookaburra. 🙂 🙂 Thanks darlin! Won’t be online much after today.
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It was so peaceful down on the river. There was one other family with a little girl who was having the time of her life wading in the shallows. The water was freezing but she didn’t seem to mind. Have a wonderful holiday.
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Thanks Carol. At the airport xx
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Reminded me of the very odd sculptures we noticed when driving through Western Australia. Seems tin / metal sculptures are very popular in Oz.
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Maybe we just have lots of old corrugated iron lying around! We saw giant flowers in Nundle made of rusted iron. They were up against a corrugated iron shed wall and looked fantastic.
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What a cute little bird…It must be really difficult to get a spot in that small community, maybe it’s good you came during a quiet part of the year!
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You might be right about that!
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Now that sounds like my kind of town! One weekend of bustling fun and lovely solitude for the rest of the year. The sculptures are innovative and fun and the river, serene. Great shot of the perky kookaburra!
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It would be very busy on that weekend but lots of fun I suspect. Mr ET took the kookaburra shot. I’ll tell him you liked it.
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I’d welcome any one of those creative works into my front yard!
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They’re so funky and fun.
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Love the kookaburras. Am reminded of a song “kookaburra sits in the old gum tree… merry merry king of the bush is he…!” Something we used to sing as kids. Love the sculptures as I generally prefer to see sculptures outside in nature than inside in a museum.
Peta
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Denzil once mentioned singing that song as a child too. It’s an Australian icon. I can’t see any of these sculptures being in a museum. They are definitely rustic.
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Wow just over 30 residents! I don’t think I’ve ever visited a town that small before! The March events sound very charming.
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The muster does sound like fun.
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I think Man’s Best Friend must have been a worthy winner, it’s brilliant!
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It’s very clever. I really liked Susie’s Bad Hair Day too. That little boy has some talent.
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Yes, I liked that int too!
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That one …
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Did you do that comment on your phone? It must be related to my phone, which changes my words all the time. 🙂
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On iPad which also has a mind of its own! I should read more carefully before sending.
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Guess those folks know what to do when the reception is bad: go out and create art! Great find!
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They certainly wouldn’t be whiling away their time watching the television, that’s for sure!
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Mitta Mitta is gorgeous. I’ve actually been to a muster there and the whole area comes alive. It’s fabulous. Love those sculptures! 🙂
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It sounds like it would be so much fun.
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Absolutely. There’s also an Indian glamping safari getaway there which is just amazing.
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Well, I didn’t see that when we were there.
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It’s tucked away in the hills.
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It sounds a bit more glamorous than the campground. 😁
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It is indeed. Might do a write up on it one day soon. 🙂
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I’d like to read that.
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If I write it I’ll tag you in
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Adorable statues! I love the pup and Suzy’s bad hair day. It looks like a gorgeous place.
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It was a pretty little place to stay for a night.
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The statues remind me of ones our Bed and Breakfast friend, Jack Pizura made. I’ll have to do a photo shoot there.
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How lovely. As an art friend, I appreciated Your photos presenting art. I love this kid of art, because it is really creative. If You do not mind, I show some photos from 2010:
Art made from plates, chains and bolts
Thank You for this interesting and inspiring post and its gorgeous photos.
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Hi Matti, I’m glad you enjoyed this post so much. Your post is very interesting too.
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Gosh I must have driven so close to this place on several occasions and still doesn’t ring any bells – there must be a great satisfaction in finding out such a quirky fact about this sleepy little town!
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It was so tiny Rachel. Blink and you would miss it!
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The fact that otherwise the town was very tranquil, makes the scrap sculptures even more delightful. Fun your capture of the kookaburra.
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They were a lovely surprise along the river, completely unexpected.
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It seems like a not so sleepy town if you manage to come at the right time! What fun to find these sculptures from re-purposed parts.
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It would be very busy over muster weekend. Very slow the rest of the year.
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The creators of the sculptures have great imaginations! I think Mitta Mitta sounds like an interesting place when you consider that it normally has only 30 residents. 🙂
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We thought they were very clever creations. There’s not much to Mitta Mitta, but it is quite pretty along the river.
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Your photos are lovely – it looks very peaceful.
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It was very quiet.
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Pingback: Jo’s Monday walk : An adventure with Gilly | restlessjo
These sculptures are truly amazing and I really enjoyed your pictures. This place seems worth visiting and exploring. Is it possible to go for a swim in the Mitta Mitta River?
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I’m sure you could swim in the river, but it’s not very deep in that part and the water would be very cold because it’s snow melt. It might be a bit warmer in summer.
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