TYTO Grass Owl – Ingham

Ingham, Queensland, Australia

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Public art

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Current

Recently confirmed · Aug 2026

This Big Thing is recorded as still being here.

A monumental Eastern Grass Owl sculpture associated with Ingham’s TYTO Wetlands precinct.

Before you stop

Park at the visitor centre rather than at the landmark itself.

Do not stop on the Bruce Highway solely for the sculpture.

Visitor centre

Private to your Passport.

PLAN YOUR VISIT

Recommended arrival available

Visitor centre

This takes you to the Big Thing itself. Do not stop at the landmark; use the recommended arrival if stopping.

A free Explorer account reveals the exact recommended arrival point.

TYTO Grass Owl – Ingham

This pin marks the Big Thing itself. If stopping, choose a safe and legal place nearby.

Site-level location · 18.6551° S, 146.1536° E

FIELD GUIDE

The story

Tyto is the genus name for barn owls and their relatives, and the wetlands were named after the bird before the sculpture existed.

Hinchinbrook tourism identifies the monumental work as created in 2007 by Amanda Feher, and the artist describes a 2.5-metre wingspan and a commission for the entrance to the TYTO Wetlands Centre, tying the sculpture directly to the wetland species and to local place identity.

Eastern grass owls are the right subject and an unusual one. They are not tree owls: they roost and nest on the ground, in tunnels through dense tall grass, and hunt low over open country at dusk. They are secretive, patchily distributed, and most Australians have never seen one. The TYTO Wetlands at Ingham are among the reliable places to look.

That is what makes the naming work. A wetland reserve named for a bird, and a sculpture of that bird at its entrance, is a coherent piece of identity-building rather than a landmark bolted on afterwards.

A named artist with a recorded commission and year is also better documentation than most entries in this catalogue receive. Amanda Feher works in metal in north Queensland, and the attribution here is unusually complete.

Ingham sits in Herbert River cane country south of Cardwell, with a large and long-established Italian community, and the wetlands were reclaimed from what had been a sewage treatment area – an origin worth knowing, because the site is now a serious birdwatching destination.

The materials and overall height are not recorded here.

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PRACTICAL

Plan your stop

WHAT TO EXPECT

Hinchinbrook tourism identifies the work as a monumental sculpture created in 2007 by Amanda Feher. The artist describes a 2.5-metre wingspan and explains that it was commissioned for the TYTO Wetlands Centre entrance, linking the sculpture directly to the wetland species and local place identity.

ACCESS

Navigate to the Hinchinbrook Visitor Information Centre on Cooper Street. This is an accredited public visitor stop with parking and facilities; view the sculpture as part of the TYTO precinct rather than treating the artwork coordinate as a vehicle stopping point.

COMMUNITY

Visitor Log

WHAT'S NEXT

Find another Big Thing nearby

A giant mango mascot with arms and legs outside the Frosty Mango on the Bruce Highway at Mutarnee.

Roadside giants

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35 km away

✓ Recommended arrival recorded

TRANSPARENCY

Sources & research

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