Tag: moth

  • Myee the Moth-Woman, Wodonga, Vic

    Some chaps go for women with long legs and ample bosoms, but I prefer mine to have technicolour moth wings and scrap metal fangs.

    It was hardly surprising, then, that I was drawn to Myee the Moth-Woman like some sort of flying insect to a flame.

    A highlight of Wodonga’s Crossing Place Trail, this babelicious bogong is forged from rusted metal and cuts a striking figure amongst the swaying gumtrees. The sanguine curves of the feminine form fuse seamlessly with the primeval mystique of the fluttering moth.

    It is as though Myee has presided over this bushland for aeons.

    She was created by local artisans Treahna Hamm and Michael Laubli. Treahna was inspired by an aboriginal dreamtime story about Myee, a precocious moth (which I’ve reproduced in stunning detail below).

    “Being an artist, the best thing I can do is to share my story through the landscape,” Treahna told an intrigued scribe from The Border Mail. “In Yorta Yorta traditional times, our stories were not only painted, they were carved, danced and sung. The best way to teach our culture is outdoors where that connection to country happens.

    “To me, if someone appreciates the sculptures in a subtle way or there’s something there that reminds them about their own stories or experiences, it’s a good thing.”

    Oh, we appreciate your work, Treahna!

    Myee might look big in these photos, but she’s even BIGGER in real life. In fact, she’s exactly 12 million times the weight of a real bogong – but that’s just simple moth-amatics. 

    The Legend of Myee the Moth-Woman

    Our story begins many moons ago, when men were moths and women were also, apparently, moths. Myee, a buxom bogong spirit with wings like stained glass windows, lived happily beside the mighty Murray River with her boring, colourless husband Colin.

    At dusk she would turn her compound eyes towards the setting sun, dreaming of visiting the snowcapped mountains in the distance.

    “Why would a gorgeous half-woman-half-moth mutant like you want to go up there? It’s cold!” Colin would say, his antennae wiggling erratically.

    But Myee – poor, sweet Myee – couldn’t resist the lure of the wintery peaks. One afternoon, while Colin was at T-ball practise, she gave in to her carnal desires and flew into the highlands.

    Well she wasn’t going to drive, was she? It was 35,000BC!

    The views up there were spectacular and Myee was grateful for a bit of ‘me time’ – or should that be Myee time? – but that’s when disaster struck. A ferocious snow storm rolled in. When it finally passed, Myee realised it had stripped the bodacious hues from her wings.

    It had also ruined her perm, which was the real tragedy.

    Myee was, understandably, reluctant to tell the worriesome Colin what had happened. He was prone to overreaction and had probably already filed a moth-ing person report. But, surprisingly, he accepted Myee’s new, frumpier look without hesitation.

    Their proboscis entwined, proving love truly is blind. Hey, that rhymed!

    I Just Called To Say I Moth You

    I was so inspired by this tale of passion and acceptance that I asked Bigella to join me on my playdate with Myee.

    “I’d love to, Bigs,” she purred wistfully, eyeing off my freshly-pressed tunic. “But all I have to wear is this old moth-bitten sweater. Is that alright?”

    “Err, that might be a little, uh, homely for Land of the Bigs,” I replied delicately. “Do you mind staying in the car?”

    “But I thought you’d been touched by Myee and Colin’s tale of unconditional love?!”

    “Sorry, toots,” I shot back, swaggering off into the Victorian bush. “That was just an urban moth!”

  • The Big Bogong Moth, Tintaldra, Vic

    The Big Bogong Moth, Tintaldra, Victoria

    The tranquil hamlet of Corryong has been besieged by a plague of colossal creatures – and the locals couldn’t be happier! Since 2018 the verdant fields beside the mighty Murray River have welcomed friendly fish, a happy yabbie and an enormous eagle as focal points of the monumental Great River Road project.

    Fearing Corryong would lose its status as a world class travel destination, the local tourism board approached me – the inimitable Bigs Bardot – for assistance.

    “Well, you could drop a few billion on a new airport, an aquatic-themed fun park, a couple of resorts the size of European countries,” I told them as we peered out upon the prairies bathed in autumnal sunlight. “Or you could…”

    “… Build a Big?” one pencil pusher cautiously replied.

    “It’s going to take more than one Big if you want to lure international visitors away from Shepparton and Wodonga. Better make it five.”

    “But what shall we build?”

    “That’s up to you – maybe look into your chrysalis ball. Now, please place my sizable consultation fee in the rear pocket of my knickerbockers – I have a date with the Big Pheasant and he doesn’t like me to be tardy.”

    That time of the moth

    The first to invade the hearts and minds of Corryongians was the Big Bogong – and tourists have been drawn to her like moths to a flame! She’s taken up residence at Jim Newman’s Lookout, is made from rusted cast-iron and is large enough to provide shelter from the sun as one gaze in wonder over the lush valleys of northern Victoria.

    It’s the little things that make this Big Thing so beaut, such as the tiny, moth-shaped cut-outs in her wings, beckoning the solar radiation within, as dust motes pirouette pleasantly in the ambiance. One can only imagine the majesty of this visage on a clear, star-filled night, as moonbeams illuminate this ancient lepidopteran.

    This area was long used as a meeting place for indigenous tribes, who would gather to dance, eat and hunt down moths. Fortunately they were slightly smaller than this shed-sized specimen, or our aboriginal chums might not have survived for 50,000 years!

    The Big Bogong Moth is dedicated to these proud people, and it’s culturally appropriate for visitors to perform a respectful, understated war dance in honour of their history.

    This moth will make you froth

    Following their work on The Big Acorns, and at my insistence, Yackandandah-based artisans Agency of Sculpture crafted The Big Bogong Moth and the other structures in the area. Maybe they took inspiration from another of Canberra’s most beloved Big Things, The Big Bogong Moths.

    In a few short years The Big Moth has become a cater-pillar of the community. She’s certainly worth a thorough insection, and truly presents a cocoon with a view! You know, like ‘a room with a view’. It’s a pun. Alright, not my finest joke, so let’s move on.

    There’s another bewdiful bogong just a short drive away in Wodonga. That make two – yes two! – Big Moths in Victoria. See, I’m pretty good at moth-ematics!