Resilience and Recovery through Art: Wooroloo Bushfire Art Trail 

The devastating Wooroloo Bushfire which started around midday on 1 February 2021, in Wooroloo, and quickly spread to Gidgegannup and surrounding areas The fire destroyed 86 homes, 2 fire trucks, countless outbuildings and scorched 27,000 acres of land all the way Bullsbrook.

The Wooroloo Bush Fire Art Trail was established to honour the resilience of those affected by the Wooroloo bush fire and the recovery of the community and landscape.

Inspired by the inaugural Australian Rustic Farm Art Awards, held at the Gidgegannup Agricultural Show in 2022, the Trail

features seven of the 38 artworks featured at the awards. 

The Wooroloo Bushfire Art Trail is proudly sponsored by Shire of Mundaring, City of Swan and the Bendigo Community Bank Mundaring. 

Explore the trail 

The Art Trail guides you through key locations connected to the Wooroloo bushfires, telling a story of recovery and community effort. It begins at the Community Bank site in Mundaring, which played an important role in raising funds through the Community Enterprise Foundation for those impacted by the fires.

The trail continues to Wooroloo Hall, a central gathering place that hosted pop-up morning teas after the fires and became home to the Wooroloo Connect group, which now supports local events and meetings.

Next is the Wooroloo Jump Track, built during the recovery phase as a symbol of rebuilding. The trail then moves to the Gidgegannup CWA building, where members provided key support to fire-affected residents.

At the Gidgegannup Recreation Club, which served as the Wooroloo Bushfire Recovery Centre, the fifth artwork reflects the strength of the community. The sixth stop, Bells Lookout, marks the fire’s path through Walyunga National Park towards Bullsbrook. The final piece, at the Bullsbrook Community Centre, acknowledges the efforts of firefighters in protecting the town.

Each location along the trail highlights a chapter in the recovery journey, showcasing the community’s resilience.

MAP GOES HERE

The Artwork

Squawky Hollow

Artist Name:  Leigh Shersby
Artwork:      Squawky Hollow
Artwork Location:    Bendigo Bank 
Materials Used:     Recycled scrap metal, tool and machinery parts.
Year Made:     2024

  

Leigh Shersby Sculptures is located in Wundowie in the Shire of Northam Western Australia, handcrafting individual artworks made from scrap metal and various recycled parts.                                                 

My artwork is inspired by my passion and admiration for our unique Australian native fauna & flora. Wildlife and habitat conservation is close to my heart therefore it was an instinctive process that my sculpture ‘Squawky Hollow’ would represent a perspective that reflects the challenges faced by nature in relation to devastating bushfires. In the southwest of Western Australia there are three species of threatened black cockatoos: Baudin’s cockatoo (Zanda baudinii), Carnaby’s cockatoo (Zanda latirostris) and forest red-tailed black cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus banksii naso).These majestic birds nest in the natural hollows of mature Eucalyptus trees which take more than 120 years to develop hollows that are a suitable size. When bushfires or tree clearing decimate the natural habitat of the land these birds lose vital food sources and mature tree havens which are essential to facilitate breeding, nesting and population growth. For these vulnerable and threatened bird species to rise out of the ashes they need our attention, consideration and help. The Black Cockatoos are the spirit of our sky and forests and their future is in our hands if we dare to care enough to make a difference to ensure their survival in an ever changing and challenging environment.

A Little Magic

Artist Name:  Darryn Walker
Artwork:      A little Magic 
Artwork Location:    Wooroloo Jump Track
Materials Used:    

Old galvanised chain, mild steal square tube.  The term for the way the structure is held up is tensegrity.
Year Made:     2022

The chain bike is to represent the fire taking the glamour away from everything and down to its bare skeleton for all to see while non-welded chain holding everything together represents a bit of magic from all the sprouting greenery that came to life just after the fire; ready for the rebuild of everything.

Life Finds A Way

Artist Name:  Brett Chrimes (Mr Lugs Designs)
Artwork:      Life Finds a Way
Artwork Location:   

Gidgegannup CWA
Materials Used:    

Recycled metals
Year Made:     2022

After the devastating bushfire of 2021, it was astounding to see how versatile nature can be, so Life finds a way was created.