Discover the intriguing and quirky shaped creatures made of trees and shrubs by visiting Railton, the Town of Topiary. Follow the Topiary Trail to find over 100 topiary creatures that will delight people of all ages. Start at Cement Australia on your way into town from Latrobe with the Cement Australia Logo and finish with the Dragon and Wizard before you continue on to Sheffield, The Town of Murals.
How the art of Topiary came about in Railton:
In early 1999, local residents and business owners Stephan Rand (Bluey) and Neil Hurley were discussing a desire to bring tourism to Railton. They reminisced about the old topiary shapes that used to be on the side of the road on trips to Hobart and how as children it was the highlight of the lengthy journey, from that the "Town of Topiary" was born. The idea of filling the town with the unusual shapes and characters of topiary. Neil planted Railton's first character topiary at his shop "Looking Glass Cottage" - A horse and farmer working a plough - a living monument to the pioneering farmers of the area. The next topiaries followed soon after - "Ned Kelly" in Dowbiggin Street and Bluey's "crocodile" outside the service station "Railton Motor and Tyre".
Use the map below to help you find uniquely Australian animals such as Kangaroos, Emus, Kookaburras, Wombats, and Koalas, or perhaps something that was only native to Tasmania; a Tasmanian Tiger.
With so many amazing creatures and works of art to discover, how many will you find?
