McClelland Sculpture Park & Gallery is a great way to experience art with little ones as most of the artwork is outdoors in the gardens surrounding the Gallery.

When:  Tuesday – Sunday 10am – 5pm.  Click here for public holidays.

Where:  390 McClelland Drive LANGWARRIN, click here for map.

Cost:  FREE

McClelland Gallery and Sculpture Park

Review

The new Peninsula Link has made getting to McClelland Gallery a much easier proposition (if you have a car).  Once located on the back streets of Langwarrin it was easy to take a wrong turn and end up in Hastings (or was that just me?).  Now as you travel along the new freeway you come across a series of massive sculptures on the side of the road and these are easy landmarks to alert you to the fact that you need to take the next exit to get to the gallery.

There are over 100 permanent works on display in the Sculpture Park as well as the works featured in the biennial McClelland Sculpture Survey & Award (next one runs late 2014 – early 2015).  If you’re not sure which direction to take into the gardens (there are a couple of paths to choose from) head inside the Gallery and the helpful staff will suggest a route.  We usually just choose a path and start exploring – there is literally something around every corner!  The paths are fairly pram friendly although expect some muddy puddles if it’s been raining.  Many of the sculptures are interactive and able to be touched and explored – there are some with ‘do not touch’ signs but these are the exception.

Because there is so much to see and lots of garden to explore this excursion is a perfect picnic destination.  There is an onsite cafe if you have come without supplies – but you are welcome to load up the picnic basket and enjoy the grounds.

The Gallery space has three indoor exhibition spaces and these are relatively small spaces (in comparison to a large city gallery) so it’s easy to make visits suit shorter attention spans.  The cafe is located off to the side of the Gallery.