Western Downs Regional Council has a vision to be home to a public art program and collection with a reputation for quality, variety, and impact.
Public art helps make our spaces more vibrant and active, and improves their liveability and amenity. It helps us celebrate our unique cultures and histories as well as attracting visitors and activity to the region.
Here are some pieces from the region’s expanding collection.
Future Vision
Chris Calcutt, 2023
Hand-cut Cor-Ten steel, stainless steel and acrylic sculpture | 2500mm x 1000mm
Location: Andersen Park, Dalby
The Dalby Welcoming Committee approached Calcutt to create this free-standing sculpture that blends Corten and stainless steel with accents of transparent coloured acrylic and mirrored surfaces.
The elements interact dynamically with light, casting reflections and refractions that shift with the viewer’s perspective. Its geometric shapes symbolise the welcoming and joyous lanterns of the Dalby Delicious & Delightful Festival. Its flowing lines that form the spine echo those of Myall Creek which plays a vital role in connecting Dalby with the surrounding landscape and communities.
Together, the sculpture reflects often overlooked yet essential foundations for a thriving future: a deep respect for the natural environment, community resilience, inclusive spirit, and enduring connectedness.
About the Artist
Chris Calcutt is a qualified alloy and steel welder and accredited with the Queensland Department of Transport as a shipbuilder. These skills form the basis of his practice as a sculptor. He has 20 years’ experience as a stainless–steel artist and managed the Harbour Gallery at the Hervey Bay Marina. Calcutt takes his inspiration from either ocean, its wrecks and fables, or from a part of history, legend, or a specific point in time on land. Utilising and recycling stainless steel, titanium, glass and acrylics the outcome is spectacular. He has received numerous commissions from private, State and Local Governments with over 30 Public Art Installations in both Queensland and Western Australia.
How Ya Goin'?
Regina Hyland, 2024
Location: Tara Lagoon Parklands
“How Ya Goin” depicts a Cockatoo and Galah catching up for a chat among the gum leaves.
In the background there is an epic sunset celebrating the Tara township as the beginning of Queensland’s Sunset Way Tourist Drive.
Tara is home to a prolific array of Australian plant and animal species, and its people hold them dear.
As the main focus of the artwork, the artist has used these iconic birds as a familiar and well-loved symbol to carry a deeper message.
With an aim to celebrate community connectedness and support resilience in rural and remote areas, the artwork is a gentle, yet playful, reminder to check in on your mates.
Remote living has many challenges and this work champions the grit of rural Australians coming together for collective success and, at times, survival.
About the Artist
Regina Hyland is an Australian artist living and working on the Western Downs, Queensland. Painting dominates her arts practice; her work is imbued with themes exploring flor and fauna iconic to the place she calls home.
Stacks On
Fred Beel, 2025
Series of six hand-cut steel sculptures | 1500mm x 1000mm
Location: Lake Broadwater Recreation Reserve, Nandi
As a collection, the works entitled Stacks On, encapsulate a dual narrative – one of fun experimentation and one of imminent collapse, mirroring the precarious balance of our environment. It captures the playful thrill of building up, like a child stacking blocks. When too much is added, the tower could topple, much like our fragile environment can buckle under unsustainable pressure.
The title also celebrates the idea that different perspectives can elevate our vision. The animals standing on each other’s shoulders gain a broader, more insightful view of the world. Each animal contributes its unique perspective, yet only when they interconnect is a new vantage point achieved; one that sees further than any single view could allow. This metaphor reminds us that care, kindness, collaboration and balance are essential in all pursuits.
About the Artist
Fred Beel is an award-winning artists/sculptor whose career has spanned Australia. With a background in precision engineering, Fred specialises in metal sculptures that move and respond to their environment. He also works in wood, concrete and found objects. Fred’s work is elegant and sophisticated, but there is often an underlying socio-political commentary, highlighting key issues that are relevant to a contemporary audience.