An interesting installation

Near the carpark opposite Warland Reserve in Victor Harbor is an intriguing monument.

The installation consists of three poles and is called On Occupied Territory. It was built in 2002 to mark the 200th anniversary of Mathew Flinders' meeting with Nicholas Baudin in Encounter Bay; the title recognises the fact that the land was occupied at the time of the meeting of these two explorers. The poles symbolise the association between the French, the British and the Aboriginal cultures.
On first looking at the poles you see lots of wires and sculptured objects on the top of each pole. It all makes sense when you read the interpretation plaques and learn what each aspect of the sculpture represents. The following information is adapted from the plaques.

• The pole on the left in the photo is in the colours of the French flag and is topped by an anemometer and billowing sails symbolising the scientific achievements made by the French. Evidently the wavy effect on the sales is a reference to the bending of the earth's magnetic field, an important consideration when drawing accurate charts.  The wires on the poles symbolise ships' rigging.

• The central pole is in the colours of the British flag and is topped by a cartographers arrow which points to the meeting site in Encounter Bay, and an octant which commemorates Flinders' navigation skills. 

• The third pole in green and yellow represents the Aboriginal people. Atop the pole is a sculpture of the knobby club rush, a common grass that grows along the coastline, bending but never breaking under the force of the prevailing wind. It represents the endurance of the Ramindjeri Ngarrindjeri people.

The installation is the work of South Australian artist and designer Margaret Worth, whose work appears all over South Australia and the USA. Her work reflects the connection between people and places. To find out more about the artist look up margaretworth.com

I was impressed with another plaque erected by the local council that provided '... an expression of sorrow and an apology to the local Ngarrindjeri people'.

A little ways along the coast is a sign describing the meeting of Flinders and Baudin.

I took this photo of the installation facing the sun so it looks rather dramatic but in fact it was a very pleasant sunshiny day and not like this at all.