September 27-29, 2023
Mandurah sits on the coast around 80km South of Perth, accessible these days very quickly by motorway standard roads all the way.
The Giants of Mandurah are 6 Giant figures constructed from timber including recycled pallets from the magical world of internationally renowned artist Thomas Dambo.
The Giants are here only for a 12 month period from November 2022 to November this year (2023) and the whole experience is published as an adventure trail originally requiring the collection or print of a guide to the locations and to collect clues to the “hidden” giant – this from the guide
“And there are six old hidden giants in the bush and on the bay
And each of their voices is crucial for the harmony to play
They used to sing the song together – the old hidden giants
But one got lost, then six turned five and now the song is silent
So go find those hidden giants, and help restore the order
’Cause a giant needs its company, like fire needs its water
There’s one in Perth, four in Mandurah, and one hidden far apart”
These short image galleries take you along the access to each one, which varies from a return walk of 550m to 3.6km; our total walking for the day was a little over 11km:
Little Lui: Located in the Marlee Reserve with a circular walking triail from the Black Swan Lake parking area, a loop of around 3.2km
Vivi Cirklestone – Located on the Coodanup Foreshore and only a maximum 550m return walk
Santi Ikto is located at halls Head, about a 1.2km return walk from the parking area and sitting atop a hill
Seba’s Song, the last of the four listed giants is perched on the breakwater at Wannanup, another return walk of around 1.3km
The 6th and “Hidden” Giant is at Lake Clifton, along a 3.6km return walk from the Thrombolites. Pictured first the thrombolites look like rocks but are in fact growing organisms
The Hidden Giant Jyttes Hytte, hugging a tree deep in the bush
The final giant, actually #5, is in the grounds of the Subiaco Arts Centre in the Perth suburb of Subiaco. We took the train to Subiaco and walked to the Arts Centre then continued on to Kings Park (see blog post). Arriving at the giant a playgroup was being read the story of the Gruffalo sitting around the giant as backdrop.
