Broken Hill hosts giant LEGO garden

By:Emma Davis | July-3-2012

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LEGO celebrates its 50th anniversary with a display of giant pine trees and flower clumps in outback NSW.

Fifteen flower clumps crop up in Broken Hill to celebrate 50 years of the LEGO in Australia. (Credit: LEGO Australia and NZ)

Open Gallery

Broken Hill hosts giant LEGO garden

Open Gallery

A LIFE-SIZED LEGO Forest has been constructed in Broken Hill to commemorate 50 years of the construction toy in Australia. Fifteen LEGO trees and 15 flower sets have been set up in Living Desert State Park, a 2400ha reserve nestled within the Barrier Ranges. The trees stand at a towering 4m high, and all 30 pieces are more than 66 times larger than their original counterparts.

Broken Hill, the logical place for LEGO bricks?

LEGO Australia and New Zealand director of marketing Caroline Squire said Broken Hill was chosen as the forest location because it was a perfect fit with the LEGO brand. "Broken Hill is as iconic to Australia as LEGO is to children, so naturally it was the perfect setting for our forest," says Caroline. "The red dirt is an ideal landscape to show off our sculptures."

The trees and flower sets are made from a combination of medium-density fibreboard and metal, exact replicas specially created by a company in Melbourne.

The LEGO Forest made its way to Broken Hill after the town's council proposed the idea to LEGO Australia and New Zealand.

Broken Hill mayor Wincen Coy says residents have welcomed the display, describing it as a vibrant addition to the desert landscape. "I was out there this morning and there were cars coming and going, not just residents but plenty of tourists as well," says Wincen.

"It will give people a great experience, they say they're going to the Living Desert and then to see this amazing set up, I think people will be blown away."

Bigger than life LEGO in Broken Hill

The LEGO sculptures first appeared in Sydney's Martin Place in April. "It ended up becoming a bit of a rainforest actually, there was so much rain," says Caroline. "But even in the downpours it was phenomenal to see people coming out of the train station and taking time to look at the structures. We could just see the surprise on their faces."

The forest is part of LEGO Australia's nine month Festival of Play; a celebration of the iconic brick since its arrival in the country 50 years ago. Though the festival is still far from its end, there are no immediate plans to move it to another location after its time in Broken Hill.

"[The trees] were only built as temporary structures so there are no plans for another location yet, but keep your eyes peeled because you never know what could happen," Caroline says.

The display will run from July 2-12. To find out more, visit the LEGO Festival website.

Australia’s first state is home to some of the country’s most beautiful treasures. The Great Dividing Range, like a gigantic backbone, supports snowfields to the south and majestic rainforests to the north, and separates the red sandhills from the picturesque surf beaches of the Pacific.