Continue to explore the Surf Coast backyard as locals to talk about the places they love the most. But, it’s not just the places that inspire them, but also the events at these places.
Lorne on the Surf Coast is home to stunning forests, sandy beaches, art galleries and the Lorne Sculpture Biennale.
“It’s the mood and the delightful and happy atmosphere that I’m looking forward to seeing return to town with the Lorne Sculpture Biennale 2022,” said event co-founder and artist Graeme Wilkie OAM, a Lorne local for the past four decades.
He says the March 2022 event is aptly themed ‘Spirit of Place’ and asks commissioned artists to be inspired by Lorne’s narrative, past and present.
While many couldn’t leave their ‘place’ during COVID restrictions, and may have yearned for places as beautiful as Lorne and the Surf Coast Shire, the return of the event will offer visitors a celebratory atmosphere.
“We’re looking forward to pulling together the new model for the Lorne Sculpture Biennale after such a tough few years with lockdowns and postponements,” said Graeme. “The Surf Coast arts scene is vibrant, alive and with an array of practitioners of every calibre.”
He says the arts is an important part of the fabric of any healthy, well-balanced community and that creative thinkers improve wellbeing and fulfillment for everyone.
“Lorne Sculpture Biennale’s contribution is inclusive of community,” said Graeme, “but, far beyond that, it will enhance and engage any visitor with storytelling about Lorne.”
Graeme is also arts coordinator at Lorne’s Qdos, a curated art space, cafe, event space, and with a selection of luxury treehouse accommodation options.
”Qdos is one of the few places in the forest here that’s commercially operated,” said Graeme. “You can have a glass of wine or a meal and when a visitor comes to Qdos, if they go away feeling moved, we’ve succeeded.”
Other events around the region that are iconic to the places they are held include the return of the Rip Curl Bells Beach Pro surfing event, the Powercor Lorne Pier to Pub ocean swim and the Surf Coast Century, a 100km run through the most picturesque parts of the shire.
There’s also a return to community markets, such as the twilight market on the Anglesea foreshore or the Cowrie and Nightjar markets in Torquay, as well as music events returning, including the beloved Aireys Inlet Open Mic Festival.
Find out more on these great events at Surf Coast Events.
The nearby Great Otway National Park, the clear ocean waters and the varied accommodation and restaurant offerings make an extended visit to the Lorne Sculpture Biennale, and other events in the Surf Coast this summer, something that will benefit your own wellbeing, while also supporting local businesses to bounce back.
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Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the Great Ocean Road region the Wadawurrung, Eastern Maar & Gunditjmara. We pay our respects to their Elders, past, present and emerging. We recognise and respect their unique cultural heritage and the connection to their traditional lands. We commit to building genuine and lasting partnerships that recognise, embrace and support the spirit of reconciliation, working towards self-determination, equity of outcomes and an equal voice for Australia’s first people.
