Grey skies lashed by the crowns of a wind-whipped corpse of dreary green eucalypts. Silver sun bleached giants stark, standing sentinel above the plateaus rolling grasslands. A circle of stones, the cold touch of bronze embraced in the green velvet of antiquity; place of power.
The Heart of Tasmania (Credit: Chon Hosokawa)
On the traverse across the highland of Tasmania’s central plateau - blink and you'll miss it. These standing stones of the steppes are dedicated "to those who share in the love and care of the Highlands of Tasmania, from the past to the future", gifted to the locality by sculptor Stephen Walker (1927-2014). A circle of 14 standing stones each with a bronze sculpture depicting natural and historically significant representations of Tasmanian curiosities.
The work of Stephen Walker can be found dotted around Hobart when you visit, particularly around Salamanca Square and the waterfront, but in my opinion the Steppes sculptures are a much more complete experience. Not a commission or some sort of contrived display of civics, but a love letter written in stone and bronze on the highland grazing pastures of Tasmania’s central plateau.
Chon Hosokawa – Travel Advisor
Tasmanian Travel & Information Centre