An eye-catching and quirky new public sculpture has been installed to enhance the new Bonbeach Station precinct after level crossing removal works.
On Friday 18 March 2022, the bird was carefully placed next to the Nepean Highway near the northern pedestrian ramp to the city-bound station platform.
The sculpture is the creation of artists James and Eleanor Avery who were on-site to oversee the exact positioning and installation of the suburb’s newest landmark.
Inspired by the birdlife of the nearby Edithvale Wetlands – with a pop culture twist – the sculpture references many of the things that make Bonbeach a unique and beautiful place to live.
The quiff on the bird’s head references waves, a rolled-up beach towel, and periwinkle shells found in Aboriginal shell middens on nearby clifftops. Shell middens are concentrations of shells, containing evidence of past Indigenous activity. The black and white colours of the quiff were chosen because of the striped swim caps of the nearby Bonbeach Life Saving Club and the blue colouring of the bird reflects the sea and the beach boxes that line the bay.
Bonbeach residents Graham and Lindy were among the first people to see the sculpture. 'It looks excellent, really stands out, and no doubt others will like it too,' said Graham.
Until the middle of the year, our crews will continue adding the finishing touches to the 3 new station precincts at Edithvale, Chelsea and Bonbeach after the removal of 5 dangerous and congested level crossings – including Melbourne’s 50th – and the creation of 4 new road bridges above the lowered Frankston Line.
A further 2 unique public artworks will later be installed at Edithvale and Chelsea. The finishing works also include planting more than 800 trees and 85,000 shrubs, groundcovers and grasses across the station precincts and opening new walking and cycling paths to create more than 11km of new shared use paths between Edithvale and Frankston.
The Victorian Government is investing $4 billion in the Frankston Line to consign 20 level crossings to history and build 13 new stations by 2025, with a total of 85 dangerous and congested level crossings being removed across Melbourne by 2025. 58 level crossings are already gone for good.
