Eagle-eyed visitors to Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary will spot something very special indeed – Dream Rider, a wedge-tail measuring 12 metres from wingtip to wingtip and fashioned from THIRTY recycled surfboards.

Talon-ted local artist Mick Brown spent six months piecing together the 400kg colossus. His hard work paid off when Dream Rider took out the people’s choice award at the 2025 SWELL Sculpture Festival.

The Sanctuary then swooped in to buy the sculpture for just $15,000, and installed it – quite fittingly – at the entrance to the WildSkies Bird Show.

“You couldn’t describe a better backdrop for a sculpture like this,” Mick told a scribe from the Gold Coast Bulletin. “I’ve had sculptures installed in other states, so to have Dream Rider local is a real bonus.”

Mick says the enormous eagle is a commentary on ‘the impact of consumerism on the natural world, and carries a hopeful message of connection, respect and care for the planet, habitat and wildlife’.

Bird fanciers, not surprisingly, have flocked to the park since Dream Rider arrived.

“From the minute we saw the Dream Rider statue and the sustainability message, we knew that it just had to come home here,” Wendy Welch, the park’s animal training manager, squawked. “It fits in so perfectly with our messaging of connection and conservation.”

More importantly, Dream Rider looks really cool! From outstretched wings to piercing eyes, forever be scanning the horizon for prey, this is an extraordinary work of art.

And how about those surfboard feathers! This is the finest use of recycled materials I’ve seen, and the sculpture brings together air, sea and bushland beautifully.

Even better, Bigella and moi were able to seek refuge beneath his wings to escape a passing squall. Oh well, any hawk in a storm – teehee!

There’s no doubt about it, this eagle rocks!