State Goverment reveals Thomas Dambo’s Giants of Mandurah exhibition a towering success for Peel region
Mandurah has experienced giant success, thanks to some towering residents.
The State Government has revealed the Giants of Mandurah exhibition attracted more than 86,000 visitors and $64 million in spending in the Peel region in its first year.
Danish artist Thomas Dambo’s five much-loved creations, which are crafted from recycled wooden materials, landed in Mandurah in November 2022 and quickly made themselves at home.
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The 86,000 visitors who journeyed to find the giants within the first 12 months spent nearly a combined 350,000 nights in local accommodation — staying an average of four nights — and delivering big economic benefits to local tourism and hospitality businesses.
Mandurah’s visitor centre also recorded a 300 per cent increase in tourism numbers from July 2022 to June 2023.
The exhibition has also garnered awards, winning gold for best sculpture park or trail at the Australian Street Art Awards in March, and organiser FORM taking out gold at the WA Tourism Awards in the major festivals and events category.
Despite an overwhelmingly positive response, the giants have been subjected to vandalism, including the Coodanup foreshore sculpture which was burnt down just weeks after being unveiled.
Artist Thomas Dambo at the launch of Giants of Mandurah in November 2022. Credit: Iain Gillespie/The West Australian
Dambo later created a replacement giant named Yaburgurt Cirkelstone, named after the Bindjareb community’s respected elder and Pinjarra Massacre survivor Yaburgurt (George) Winjan.
Police also last year appealed for help to find the offender who spray painted the Halls Head sculpture.
The sculptures were closed at various times during May for maintenance works and are back to looking their best.
It was confirmed in November the Giants would be staying for at least another three years.
Tourism Minister Rita Saffioti said the visitor spending was a “fantastic result for our Peel region”.
“Securing Australian-exclusive content is a key pillar of the WA Government’s events strategy and is a proven way to attract out-of-State visitors,” she said.
“Giants of Mandurah has delivered a valuable boost to local accommodation, hospitality and tourism industries and will continue to delight visitors as the installation continues for the foreseeable future.”
Culture and the Arts Minister and Mandurah MLA David Templeman said the Giants provided “a valuable opportunity to showcase the area’s thriving hospitality and arts and culture scene via a free, family-focused event that appeals to all ages”.
“There is still time to visit this wonderful exhibition by world-renowned artist Thomas Dambo, so if you are yet to see the Giants of Mandurah, I encourage you to go out and experience its magic,” he said.