Artist : Isabell Moran

Sponsor: Port Macquarie Airport

Location: 99 Boundary Street, Port Macquarie NSW 2444

Description / Inspiration

According to Alira's artist, Isabell Moran, the design represents the ‘Circle of Life’, symbolic of Aboriginal culture and relationships and showing the various circles of life from camp to camp and waterhole to waterhole.

Hello Koalas sculptures often move around and following placement at Sea Acres Rainforest Centre and then Settlement City, Alira recently moved to Port Macquarie Airport, which services over 230,000 people a year and is the 5th largest regional airport in NSW.

Artist Biography

Isabell Moran was a practising artist for over 30 years. An elder of local Biripi/Dunghutti nations, Isabell founded and ran the Bindi Cultural Centre, Wauchope for many years. She exhibited her work widely and her artwork has sold both nationally and internationally.

Isabell was one of the concept design artists for the Cowarra Dam Public Art project, a partnership with Port Macquarie Hastings Council Waterwise, North Coast TAFE and Bunyah Local Aboriginal Land Council. Isabell has always made a great contribution to the local community, and donated a number of artworks to the palliative care unit at the Wauchope Memorial District Hospital.

Location Info

Alira has had a wonderful stay at Settlement City Shopping Centre since 2017 but now she has found a new home at Port Macquarie Airport. Open 6am to 6.30 pm 7 days. Sitting on a timber plinth on castors, Alira moves around the Airport so she may be in the luggage collection area or in the lounge where passengers wait for their flights. Visitors wishing to see Alira are invited to proceed through security (which takes a couple of minutes) to see and take photos of Alira. The lounge has a cafe called Biggles where you can buy coffee, beer, wine, soft drinks, sandwiches and snacks too.