An upgraded road bridge at Doncaster Road is one step closer with the locally significant Sentinel moving to a new home after almost 25 years, as construction crews ramp up work on the Eastern Freeway Upgrades.
The iconic Sentinel art sculpture is being permanently relocated from the outbound Doncaster Road exit on the Eastern, to a new site to be determined in consultation with the City of Manningham.
Created by internationally renowned artist and local resident Inge King AM (1915-2016) to become an icon of the City of Manningham, Sentinel stands at approximately 13 metres high and weighs 12 tonnes.
Casting a watchful eye over the area, its curved shapes symbolise the two creeks of the municipality - the Mullum Mullum and the Koonung. They enclose the blue oval form representing the City of Manningham.
In order to support works and pave the way for future freeway widening, Sentinel must be permanently relocated. Crews moved the sculpture during October of 2024.
As part of a carefully coordinated and staged approach, the sculpture will initially be relocated to a temporary storage facility while Eastern Freeway Upgrades step up and will be unveiled at its new location when works at the Doncaster interchange are complete.
The Sentinel sculpture's future resting place will be determined in conjunction with the City of Manningham so it can continue to enjoyed by many people for years to come.
The Eastern Freeway Upgrades will transform travel – providing a seamless connection with the new North East Link tunnels and linking Melbourne’s east with the M80 Ring Road.
The first major upgrade of the Eastern Freeway since the 1990s, the project will reduce travel time, take trucks off local roads and create better connections for the community to access local shops, public transport, schools and open spaces.
The Eastern Freeway Upgrades will deliver new express lanes, new traffic management technology and Melbourne’s first dedicated busway - changes that will slash travel times and improve public transport in Melbourne’s east.
As we overhaul the Eastern Freeway, the project will build new and upgraded walking and cycling paths, bridges and underpasses, upgrade Koonung Creek Reserve, revitalise wetlands and waterways and plant new trees and plants.
For more information about this project, please visit our Eastern Freeway Upgrades webpage.