Eyre Park turtle sculpture unveiled to raise awareness of Albany’s oblong long-neck turtles and their habitat

A turtle statue, chair and educational sign have been unveiled at Eyre Park, aimed at raising awareness of the native long-neck turtle, also known as the oblong turtle, that lives in and around the area.

The project was created by Keep Albany Beautiful to help inform the community about the turtles that inhabit Eyre Park and surrounds.

Organisers had noted many people were unaware of their presence and were sometimes confused when spotting them crossing nearby roads.

The installation, officially unveiled on Friday, is the result of a collaboration between Keep Albany Beautiful, the City of Albany and the Great Southern Development Commission with support from a State Government grant that helped fund the project.

Local artist Jake Bertola designed and created the turtle sculpture which has already become a popular feature in the park since its installation in May.

Member of Keep Albany Beautiful, Francine Seymour said the artwork has made the area more unique and educational.

“It’s intended to function as both a unique piece of art and an environmental educational tool in Eyre Park,” she said.

“The turtles live and nest in Eyre Park and go up into the gardens around the park so this is a way . . . the community can share the space and thrive and adapt in that area through education and awareness.

“It’s about making the public space an area where people can learn as well as connecting with the environment.”

Ms Seymour said the artwork has been installed since May and has had a positive effect on the community.

“We’ve had the turtle their since May and seeing the faces of people as they walk by is beautiful to see and heartwarming and kids love it — its the right height where they sit on it and I saw two kids put their bikes around it to protect it,” she said.

“It’s made it a more vibrant and unique space and its become like a landmark now.”

Ms Seymour said the unveiling ceremony was special as it thanked all the people who have been involved in the project.

“It was a gorgeous ceremony and everyone there was connected to it in some way and it was lovely the way everyone responded to it,” she said.

“We had the turtle trackers there as well . . . so it was great to see that everyone could find out more about the turtles and educate themselves with it.”

Geraldine Ennis, a member of Keep Albany Beautiful, said the turtles tend to lay their eggs at Eyre Park and the information will be great for the public to understand more about the turtles.

“At certain times of the year the turtles leave Lake Seppings and go and lay their eggs (in Eyre Park) and when the eggs hatch the little turtles are making their way back to Lake Seppings so we thought its on the path which means kids . . . or families walking can see and understand about what the project was about,” she said.

“We hope people will enjoy for quite a few years.”