The Lismore Rainforest Botanic Gardens will be buzzing with excitement as the inaugural 2026 (Re)Create Sculpture Exhibition opens on Sunday, 20 September. Spring brings new growth and it’s time to awaken the senses and enjoy the outdoors.
With over 30 entrants, including kindergarten, high school and tertiary students as well as professional artists, the lush gardens are the perfect backdrop for a wide variety of ingeniously creative sculptures, all made with natural, recycled or found objects.
Visitors are welcome to bring a picnic to enjoy in the many calm and picturesque corners of the Eucalypt Forest, the Sensory Garden, the Useful Plants Garden or the Rainforest Walk. A very popular meandering path leads to the stone labyrinth at the top of the Hoop Pine Forest Walk. Mirroring the design of the floor of the Cathedral in Chartres, in France, the tranquil spot is reached after passing flourishing ferny glades in the understory of the forest.
The Pat Offord Prize of $1,000 has been bequeathed to the Friends. Pat was the curator of the Gardens from its beginnings in the 1990’s to 2020, when she moved to Sydney. The second prize of $500 has been kindly donated by the Firewheel Native Nursery, in Dorroughby, which works closely with the Friends in sharing propagation and germination tips, seed collection and Big Scrub rainforest conservation.
The People’s Choice Prize will be presented at the closing of the exhibition on 18 October, so support our local artists by casting your vote. Many artists took up the offer of free vouchers from the Lismore City Council Waste Facility’s Revolve Shop to find those special pieces to inspire or complete their works. Staff from the shop will be selecting the Revolve Reward prize winner.
Hoping to increase awareness of the important role the Gardens play in rainforest conservation, research, education, heritage and recreation for the public, the Friends of the Lismore Botanic Gardens have been planning an exhibition for some years. The volunteer group which manages and maintains the Gardens, the Friends are supported with a Memorandum of Understanding by Lismore City Council. Once part of the waste facility, the land was given to the Friends to regenerate and is now a beautiful young rainforest, featuring endemic plants from within two hundred kilometres of Lismore.
Bookings for guided walks are welcome from groups of 10 to 15 people. Email [email protected].
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