Big Blue Seal – Eaglehawk Neck

The subject fits the water. Australian and New Zealand fur seals both occur along this coast, and the Tasman Peninsula's sea cliffs, caves and offshore rocks are among the better places in the state to see them; boat operators run tours to seal colonies from nearby. Blue is not a seal colour, but a plain grey-brown sculpture at the roadside would be nearly invisible, and the choice reads as a sign-writer's decision rather than a naturalist's.

Eaglehawk Neck itself is one of the most historically loaded pieces of ground in Tasmania. It is the narrow isthmus connecting the Tasman Peninsula to the mainland, and in the convict era it was closed by the dog line – a chain of guard dogs stationed across the neck to prevent escapes from Port Arthur. Almost everyone who passes the seal is on the way to or from that history.

Current specialist Big Things material places the seal at the Blue Seal site on the Arthur Highway.

Who made it, when, and how large it is are not established in the record – and neither is why blue.