Originally taking up residence alongside piers to assist docking boats, bollards can now be found in almost any public space. This useful landscaping element is a secure post or barrier, typically made from concrete or steel. Most bollards are used to create a protective architectural perimeter by marking boundaries and serving as a visual guide for traffic. Keep reading to learn about the unique bollards at the Geelong Trail Walk.
The Purpose Of Bollards
A bollard is sturdy, durable, and visible to all. These structures are selectively placed, allowing them to fulfil their purpose of protection. These structures also manage to prevent vehicles from accidentally driving into a pedestrian area by acting as a barrier. Businesses are held accountable for injury and damage from low-impact crashes, which is why bollards are a necessity for store owners too. Security bollards from StreetScape can help keep you and your business safe.
Bollards can be used for a number of different purposes including:
• security or protection
• guidance or demarcation of spaces
• preserving historical areas
• offering safety
• decoration or art
The structures are typically associated with steel or stone posts that direct traffic flow or prevent vehicles from parking on someone’s lawn. However, in recent history, they have become a focal point for artists and the designs range from commemorating someone to creatively decorating public spaces. The Geelong Bollard Trail Walk located in Victoria, Australia is one of the most well-known bollard sites, famous for having over 100 uniquely painted bollard structures and adding a playful cheekiness to the waterfront precinct.
The Geelong Bollards Trail Walk:
Made from old timber pylons and the demolished Yarra Street pier, the remarkable Geelong bollards are considered works of art and are a much-loved trail walk attraction. Over 100 colourful characters cover the 3- kilometre walk from Limeburners Point, along Corio Bay, and all the way to Rippleside Park. 48 different sites and 103 bollards are featured along the trail walk.
Visitors of the Geelong trail are treated with a treasure hunt for the painted figures, allowing an appreciation of both the trail’s history and the artist’s quirky sense of humour. There are also plenty of restaurants, cafes, bars, and other tourist attractions to see en route to keep the whole family entertained.
The History of the Geelong Bollard Walk: Jan Mitchell
Local artist Jan Mitchell was given the opportunity to revitalise the Geelong Waterfront by painting its bollards in 1994, after proposing the idea to the Geelong Commissioners. Born in Melbourne Australia, Jan freelanced in illustration and design before developing a successful career in limited-edition fine art printing. She created her first bollard series in 1990 in Barwon Heads as part of an “Artists in Schools” project. It was designed to encourage children to walk to school with a trail made of bollards to guide them and lead the way.
The Geelong Waterfront bollard project took 5 years to complete, being fully finished in 1999. They were commissioned in 2002 by the City of Greater Geelong as part of a public art project and in 2006, Jan Mitchell received an Order of Australia Medal for her contribution to the Geelong Waterfront transformation. Her artworks have remained a popular attraction for the past 20 years.
Mitchell passed away in 2008, and in 2009 a commemorative exhibit was held at the Geelong Wool Museum to pay tribute to her vision, craftsmanship, and the mesmerising boardwalk. The exhibit took visitors on a journey through the history behind each bollard, how they were made and how they helped give the city its new identity.
How the Geelong Bollards Were Made:
Each bollard was made on the Waterfront in a large wool store located near the Cunningham Pier. The timber for each bollard was chosen from Australian red ironbark and turpentine hardwood. Most of the wooden pylons were recovered from the Yarra Street Pier which burnt down in the 1980s and had to be removed.
Pieter Roos, a carver and prop maker, first carved and sculpted the pieces of wood to create the bollard shape. Afterward, Jan Mitchell and John Starr, her assistant, hand painted them using the trompe l’oeil (a three-dimensional illusion) method.
Industrial materials were then used to create the additional ornaments and fixtures which decorated the figures. Much research went into the design of each piece resulting in the looks, clothing, artefacts, and highlights of the artworks representing Geelong’s history. The ambitious works of art were designed to be interactive and tactile, standing over 2 metres tall.
The Geelong Bollard Designs:
The famous bollards display a number of Geelong characteristics and cultures. The famous figures display the following and much more:
• A bathing tableau
• Early Geelong footballers
• Policemen
• Nuns
• Salvation army woman
• Sunday school group
• Father and son fishing
• Firemen
• Nancy Natty Knickers
• Barwon heads
The Geelong Baywalk bollard artworks also represent different eras in the city’s history, each with its own unique story to tell. The Bathing Tableau features four Geelong icons. The first bollard on the trail depicts Gordon Scholes, who was the Mayor of Geelong when the Western Beach Sea Bathing Company was established in 1872 and is one of the oldest swimming clubs in Australia.
The second bollard portrays Nipper Trezise, who was a member of the Australian swim team in 1956 and the third is Jeff Kennett, who was the premier of Victoria from 1992 to 1999. The fourth and final bollard depicts a young Sir Hubert Opperman who was a well-known Australian racing cyclist and politician.
The well-known Geelong Football Club, which was famous for its Australian Rules football talent, is one of the oldest football clubs in the world, having been established in July 1859. A bollard of a Geelong footballer holding a football is displayed, showing the colours of the early Geelong Cats with a black and white striped football jersey. Geelong is famous for its Australian Rules football culture and the Transvaal Square, which was originally a practice ground, was used to display the football player’s bollard, serving as a reminder of the history and culture of football.
A fireman bollard is one of the most well-known and popular bollards in Geelong, inspiring artists, and designers around the world. It represents an era in Geelong’s history and the individual people who shaped the city.
In 1869, a clipper ship carrying wool and tallow was struck by lightning and caught on fire. The town’s private firefighters joined forces to put out the fire and from this unified action, established a public fire department. The five firefighters who perished in the Linton bushfires in 1998 are honoured with this bollard.
The Bathing Beauties Bollards were put up to signify the days when beauty pageants were held at Eastern Beach. The four pieces of art which are placed on the beach sand feature four women wearing vintage bathing suits, smiling happily. Although beauty pageants are frowned upon today, people enjoyed the beauty pageants at the time, thus the bathing suit pieces are representative of the era and the bathing beauties who were involved.
A Nancy Natty Knickers bollard was designed to represent Geelong’s engineering heritage which began nearby in Western Foundry in 1869. The foundry manufactured velocipedes. The active lady bollard, who was designed to wear breeches and cycle on a velocipede, is symbolic of the females who defied society in the latter 1800s by wearing trousers. These female breeches were known as “Nancy Knickers”, hence where the name Nancy Natty Knickers came from.
Further afield and along Geelong Road, near the school crossing, the Barwon Heads can be found. A number of different characters feature in the Barwon Heads, including a troop of soldiers. These soldiers, which were painted by Jan Mitchell, can be found on the main road of The Bellarine Peninsula in Barwon Heads. The soldiers were constructed and painted before the Geelong Baywalk project and served as the inspiration behind it.
A special feature on some of the Geelong artworks is the recurring rabbit paintings. They are often found lurking near the painted character’s feet and denote the introduction of rabbits to Australia. In 1859, 10 pairs of rabbits were brought through the port of Geelong for sports purposes. While the overpopulation of rabbits in the area pose a problem today, the painted rabbits serve as a fun feature that children who travel the Geelong Boardwalk are able to spot and keep count of.
Bollards and StreetScape:
StreetScape is a landscaping element manufacturer based in Cape Town. Offering country-wide delivery services, StreetScape can supply anyone in South Africa with affordable and high-quality landscaping elements.
From sidewalks to your back garden, we at StreetScape produce landscaping elements to make urban spaces and residential areas more functional, inviting, and beautiful. StreetScape ensures longevity, high quality, and durability by using high-grade materials to produce our landscaping elements.
We blend unique designs without costing you more, adding value to urban spaces while being affordable for a wide range of budgets. Our products offered include:
• Bins
• Outdoor Seating
• Kerbs/ coping
• Tree elements, such as guards and element rings
• Bollards
StreetScape offers a number of different bollard designs made from sturdy concrete or strong steel, catering to your needs and lasting a lifetime. Our materials are durable and of good quality, providing you with the best possible barrier between your business or home and any busy street. The structures come in different shapes and sizes, including a sphere shape and a rectangular post.
The styles of the permanent structures range from the typical concrete Bloc 220 and Dome, to the Round 150 Flat Top in bright yellow, or the decorative design of the Newton bollard. A bollard can be both aesthetically pleasing and practical!
Our website has a bollard catalogue available for you to choose your desired shape and style. We also list the features of the bollard including its height above ground, weight, diameter, total length, and the materials used to create it. If you are looking for a trusted partner to provide elements for your landscaping project, StreetScape is here for you.
We provide a personalised service to bring your landscaping vision into reality and our landscaping elements are produced to meet your unique project requirements. Our team has many years of experience in manufacturing landscaping elements.
Our skills and knowledge are used to ensure that every landscaping element we produce meets our high standards and perfectly suits your needs. Contact us for high-quality, affordable bollards and other landscaping elements through our website, WhatsApp, or telephone.