opinios

It's funny how you usually only see the best of Melbourne when interstate visitors come to stay. Yesterday I took some friends up to the William Rickett's Sanctuary, opposite Churinga Cafe on the Mount Dandenong Tourist Road. I had been to the sanctuary a couple of years ago when my parents were in town, but the power a place like this has radiates strongly, and the peace of mind it can bring is easily forgotten.

If you haven't visited the sanctuary, you should. Mr Rickett was an eccentric but gifted sculptor who, over a period of sixty years, produced a variety of life-like and haunting clay statues of Aboriginal people. The faces and bodies of his indigenous subjects are placed strategically throughout the idyllic rainforest typical of the beautiful Dandenong Ranges, giving his work the ultimate frame: contemplative old men with piercing eyes and flowing beards sit precariously on mossy obelisks; groups of gorgeous smiling children grin cheekily, their smiles captured perfectly while the rest of their body melds seamlessly into the hillside.

Despite being outdoors, the uniqueness of this setting means that the weather does not prevent its beauty from being appreciated - it could be cold and drizzly, or shining with bright sunlight - the huge green ferns and thousand year old eucalyptus block out most of the light, creating an atmosphere of melancholy and introspection. The respect the artist had for his country's original inhabitants is evident in his pieces, and contributes to create a sanctuary in the true sense of the word; a place where one can lose hours being fascinated by the detail of the wrinkles in a hand, the majesty of a pose; a place where time seems to stop and one is humbled. Thoughts drift to the enormous amount of time and effort that had been put in it, the passion the man must have had and - dare I say it - its place in the confused evolving process that is known as reconciliation.

I must admit on occasion the unashamed and somewhat egoistical placement of the artist himself in his work did slightly tarnish the experience (one pose in particular likened himself to Jesus on a crucifix). The religious messages and scrawled writings accompanying some pieces also often made little sense, bordering between prophetic and insane. This criticism aside however, there is no question that this place possesses spiritual power that is heartfelt when visiting it.

Take a drive and be inspired.