Visit Lake Ballard in Australia
An Unusual and Uniquely Australian Sightseeing Experience
© Rod Quin
Sep 7, 2008
Inside Australia is a permanent art installation featuring 51 human form sculptures scattered across the 10 square kilometre (4 sq. mi.) surface of Lake Ballard, a shallow, salt lake in the outback of Western Australia. Because the lake's surface is a muddy crust, visitors can walk through the exhibit examining the sculptures in detail.
The installation was created by British artist Antony Gormley in 2003 to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the Perth International Arts Festival. Gormley created the sculptures by making laser scans of the inhabitants of the nearby town of Menzies.
From the laser scans Gormley produced a series of images which were used to produce polystyrene moulds. The moulds retained the original life-size height of the subjects, but reduced the body volume and horizontal dimension by two thirds.
The sculptures were cast using an alloy of stainless steel mixed with minerals found in the rocks around Lake Ballard, and then carbonized. With the colour and texture of volcanic rock, the installed sculptures stand in stark and beautiful contrast to the shimmering white of the lake and the bright blue backdrop of the outback sky.
Visitors to the installation cannot avoid leaving lines of footprints in the surface of the lake as they wander from form to form. These footprints then become an integral part of the changing artwork, as the sculptor intended.
Useful Information about Lake Ballard
- Temperatures at Lake Ballard in summer and other times of the year can often rise above 40 degrees C (104 degrees F).
- Visitors to Lake Ballard should always explore the lake with another person and carry plenty of water.
- Suitable footwear, sun protection and insect repellent are needed if visiting during the day.
- The best time to visit Lake Ballard is early morning or late afternoon. As well as being cooler at these times, the light adds an ethereal quality to the sculptures.
- 2 hrs is needed to walk around the installation.
Directions to Lake Ballard
- Lake Ballard is located 50 km (31 mi.) from Menzies on an unsealed road.
- Menzies is located 130 km (81 mi.) from Kalgoorlie which is 600 km (374 mi.) east of Perth.
- Kalgoorlie can be reached by daily flights from Perth of 1 hr 20 min duration.
- A daily train service called the Prospector operates between Perth and Kalgoorlie. The journey takes about 6 hrs. Trains leave Perth at 7.15 am daily with afternoon services available, Mon, Fri and Sun.
- Hire cars are readily available in Kalgoorlie.
- A number of tour companies offer afternoon and evening visits to Lake Ballard from Kalgoorlie.
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