A Random History of South Australia Through Its Most Iconic Statues

To celebrate SA History Festival, Hub takes a deep dive into some of South Australia’s most iconic statues and the story they tell.

The South Australian History Festival is back this year, and what cooler way to celebrate than a random history of South Australia told through some of its iconic statues.

SA History Festival is an annual event in May that celebrates the history of our state through exhibitions, workshops, walks and more!

This year’s theme is all about the ‘decisions’ that have either maintained the status quo, or created change, to make the South Australia we know and love today.

So, what better way to learn about South Australia than through some statues!

Malls Balls

No story about statues can begin without first paying homage to South Australia’s greatest cultural export - the ‘Malls Balls’ - which has become synonymous with Adelaidian identity.

The Balls, otherwise known as ‘the Spheres’, is a sculpture designed by Australian visual artist Bert Flugelman (1923—2013), consisting of two highly polished stainless steel spheres standing on top of each other. Each sphere is 2.15m in diameter and 4m high.

The spheres were donated by the Hindmarsh Building Society to the City of Adelaide a year after the opening of Rundle Mall - South Australia’s first ever pedestrian mall in 1977. Prior to 1976, Rundle Mall was originally connected through Rundle Street, making it a hub for traffic and commerce. Rundle Street at this time was a bustling centre for shops, arcades, theatres and even department stores such as Myers (1928) and David Jones (1954).

However, by the early 1970s, the western section of Rundle Street had become highly congested, causing traffic issues across the Adelaide CBD. South Australian Premier Don Dunstan made the decision to close this section, and convert it into a pedestrian mall. The creation of Rundle Mall also saw a campaign to revitalise the strip as both an economic and cultural hub, with the Malls Balls designed to capture the bustling spirit of its surroundings. As Flugelman observed “[it] takes in everything around it. The more that goes on in the mall, the better the work is.”

Map the Miner

Another favourite statue of South Australia is the iconic Map the Miner, or Map Kernow, depicting a Cornish miner located in the regional town of Kapunda.

Map the Miner is a sculpture by artist Ben van Zetten which was created using cold-cast bronze and stands 7m high along Gawler Road. It was officially unveiled in June 1988 for the decision to celebrate Australia’s bicentennial celebrations. However, the statue you see before your eyes is a replica of Map the Miner, as unfortunately the original was burnt down in June 2006 by a local teenager who tried to create a ring of fire around Map for a photo. Luckily however the statue had been insured and it was rebuilt in its place only a year later. 

Map the Miner tells the story of the town of Kapunda. Kapunda was settled in 1842 after the discovery of copper deposits and is believed to be Australia’s oldest mining town. The Kapunda copper mine, which operated between 1844 to 1878, produced over 1 million great British pounds and employed mostly Cornish immigrants. These miners brought expertise from Cornwall, a region of in south-west great England and helped stabilise South Australia’s economy during its initial developing in the early 19th century.

While the Kapunda Mine shut a long time ago, the area is now a tourist site that depicts South Australia’s mining history.

Roy Rene

Those who have walked down Hindley Street may be aware of a mysterious man who stands there watching your every movement (maybe not that strange for the location) but who is he?

The Roy Rene sculpture, commissioned by the South Australian Government as part of their decision to boost public arts through the Adelaide Public Arts Program, depicts Australian comedian Roy Rene (born Henry van der Sluys) in his famous casual pose and smile. The statue was unveiled in March 2010 alongside Hindley Street in honour of the comedian (despite his death occurring nearly 70 years before) and was made through a bronze cast.

Known for his famous character ‘Mo McCackie’, Rene became a national celebrity through his stage performances, radio shows, and a role in the film Strike Me Lucky (1934). Leaving Adelaide for Melbourne to pursue a career in comedy, he gained a reputation for his bawdy humour which was exaggerated through black and white makeup. His reach across Australia and especially the globe left him to develop a reputation as Australia’s Charlie Chaplin.

Roy Rene, along other Australian artists helped place Australia in the global arts scene, and opened the ground for future Australian artists.

Rundle Mall Pigs

Who let the pigs out! Those entering Rundle Mall from its King William Road entrance may have spotted a group of pigs on ‘A Day out’, but why?

The Rundle Mall Pigs are a group of four life-sized bronze pig sculptures, created by Australian artist Marguerite Derricourt, and were officially unveiled in July 1999 as part of a decision to renovate Rundle Mall in the 1990s. The installation of the pigs was an overnight sensation, debuting number one across the minds of kids leading to a public competition conducted by Adelaide City Council and the Advertiser to name them. The winning names included: Oliver (standing with his snout in the rubbish bin), Truffles (sniffing the ground), Augusta (trotting and greeting passersby, and Horatio (sitting contently).

The pigs reveal a connection to South Australia’s history of multiculturalism as embodied by their creator, Marguerite Derricourt, a South African-born artist who brought a global perspective in her works. South Australia has a long history and has been a multicultural haven for communities, from German settlers in the 1830s in Hahndorf to post World-War-Two European migrants and the welcoming of Vietnamese refugees in the 1970s. The design of the pigs prompts its audience to interact with it, embodying this communal sense of experience.

So next time you see the pigs, make sure to give them a pat, they are literally connecting the community.

Guan Yin

Those travelling south past Sellicks Hill may have noticed a giant statue staring down at them, but this is no ordinary statue, but the Guan Yin!

The Guan Yin Sculpture, located at the Nan Hai Pu Tuo Temple (a decision of theirs to build), is a 18m tall granite sculpture of the Yuan Yin, a Mahayana Buddhist bodhisattva of compassion, referred to as the ‘Goddess of Mercy’. It was unveiled in 2015 and is the tallest Guan Yin state in the Southern Hemisphere. Constructed from 96 granite pieces, the statue depicts the Guan Yin standing serenely atop a lotus flower and symbolises peace, tranquillity and blessings.

The Guan Yin reflects South Australia’s evolving multicultural identity, particularly the growing population of Asian communities and the Buddhist religion since the 1970s. As mentioned, South Australia has welcomed many diverse emigrant groups since its settlement in 1836, including Chinese immigrants during the 1850s gold rushes and later the Vietnamese and Cambodian refugees following the Vietnam War.

Rundle Mall Pigeon

The latest addition to Australia’s list of iconic statues, the Pigeon is perhaps our most surreal, and controversial, addition to our list.

 The Rundle Mall Pigeon is a 2.3m tall, mirrored stainless steel sculpture at the corner of Gawler Place, it was created by South Australian artist Paul Sloan and was unveiled in November 2020 by the decision of the City of Adelaide. The statue cost $174,000 to install and is an addition to Australia’s ‘Big Things’ collection of oversized structures. Sloan’s vision was to elevate the ‘humble pigeon’ from an overlooked urban creator to a symbol for all South Australians. The reflective geometric design invites interaction (this has included people riding the pigeon) but has become beset by some early controversies.

While South Australia may be known as a ‘city of statues’ this has not given a blank cheque to its public art program. The Pigeon sculpture is tied to the City of Adelaide's efforts to revitalise its economy and cultural scene following the COVID-19 Pandemic which has severe repercussions on South Australia’s arts scene. The statue was commissioned to draw attention to the mall as its foot traffic had plummeted as a result of the Pandemic, with a hope it would boost local tourism in the area once things returned to normal. Whilst Rundle Mall recovered, the pigeon remained controversial due to its price tag which was seen by some as a waste of public funds, and was the scene of multiple vandalism incidents including a suction dildo being placed on its head.

Rooey II (Giant Kangaroo)

Perhaps the most random encounter during my research for this story, but did you know South Australia has its very own ‘big kangaroo’?

Rooey II, or The Big Kangaroo, is a 5m tall fiberglass sculpture of a kangaroo located in Border Village along the border with Western Australia. Unveiled in 1987, it was designed to attract travellers crossing the Nullarbor plans. The statue depicts a kangaroo holding a giant jar of Vegemite and a pouch where children (or adults) can climb in for photos. It was designed by a collection of locals, with the regional newspaper holding a competition with the winning name being Rooey II.

The kangaroo is an iconic Australian animal that connected Rooey II to South Australia’s pastoral and outback founding. Kangaroos have been integral to the state’s economy since European settlement in 1836, with early settlers like those on Kangaroo Island relying on them for food.

And there we have it: these are 7 statues that each represent an interesting fun fact about South Australia’s history. Each of these statues were themselves the decisions of people and organisations based on who they believed should be recognised.