MEGAFAUNA SCULPTURES AT AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL BOTANIC GARDENS

Natureworks created a range of exciting megafauna sculptures for events at the botanic gardens in Canberra. The aim was to help visitors understand about our native flora by taking them back to times when giant creatures co-existed with plants that still exist today.

Megafauna literally means large animals, and the megafauna sculptures depicted extinct animals that were impressively large.

The first event – MEGAFauna: Once there were giants! – showcased giant replicas of animals that became extinct thousands of years ago. The following year’s event, MEGAFauna: Myths & Legends, explored the habitats that they existed in, looked at changes in the environments, and compared palaeontology with Dreamtime stories.

The megafauna sculptures included Phascolonus (wombat-like creatures the size of hippos), Dromornis (flightless birds that weighed twice as much as modern emus), Megalania (an enormous goanna the size of a small dinosaur), plus many more megafauna creatures.

Bringing First Nations stories to life

The botanic gardens hosted MEGAFauna After Dark events, where people could explore the megafauna sculptures at night. To add to the experience, a First Nations storyteller told stories of the Gurulidj (Bunyip). The animal behind these tales could well be the Diprotodon Optatum, which is believed to be the largest marsupial that ever lived.

The Diprotodon is often depicted in Indigenous rock art and stories say it lurked in billabongs, swamps and creeks before heading to the land at night to prowl for women and children to eat. Luckily, the children who visited the display seemed intrigued rather than scared of the Diprotodon sculpture – and there weren’t any reports of visitors being eaten by hungry animals.

Megalania, a giant lizard that roamed during the Pleistocene period, has also been seen in cave art. It ate snakes, reptiles and birds and was 5–7 metres long, weighing 600-1000 kg. Fossil deposits have been discovered, but no complete skeletons.

The display also featured a giant python, Wonambi Naracoortensis, named after the Rainbow serpent from the Aboriginal Dreamtime.

Understanding where these giant animals lived, how they behaved and what they ate helps us to appreciate the role of our native flora. For millennia, plants and trees have been providing food, shelter and an ecosystem to support diverse lifeforms – from the smallest organism to enormous animals such as dinosaurs and other animals. Megafauna sculptures such as those Natureworks created for the botanic gardens have an important role to play – educating people about biodiversity and the importance of preserving our natural heritage.

"Many of the plants that co-evolved and/or were eaten by the megafauna still exist and those plants only makes sense with megafauna to help tell their stories."

Megan Donaldson, Australian National Botanic Gardens

Project details

Client | Australian National Botanic Garden

Project | MEGAfauna sculpture trail

Date | 2021