New plan will modify placement of thylacine statues

Published on 04 February 2021

The City of Launceston will modify the placement of the ten bronze thylacine statues in Launceston's Brisbane St Mall to improve their visibility and safety for pedestrians, and to enhance the interactive play opportunities they provide for children.

In coming months the Council will design and develop a new placement solution for the thylacines. Two of the thylacine statues will be removed from the mall this week and placed into temporary storage while this design work is carried out.

The two thylacines that the Council has decided to remove have generated the most community concern in terms of visibility. In developing a new placement solution, the Council will also explore opportunities to expand the thematic interpretation of the history of the Tasmanian Tiger in the mall to better tell the story of the extinct marsupial. Launceston Mayor Albert van Zetten said the Council had listened carefully to community feedback about the statues.

"Since the thylacine statues were installed in the redeveloped Brisbane St Mall, they have generated a lot of community discussion," Mayor van Zetten said.

"While there are people who don't like the placement of the thylacines at ground level, we also know there are many children who love being able to reach them and play on them because they are at a perfect height for that.

"What we'll seek to do now is find a solution which ensures the thylacines are more visible to pedestrians, while also maintaining accessibility to younger Launceston residents."

Mayor van Zetten said modifying the placement of the statues might also provide opportunities to install more greenery into the mall — something often requested by members of the public.

"The City of Launceston is grateful to all members of the public that have made their views heard on the thylacines," Mayor van Zetten said.

"Our focus now is on developing a compromise solution and we will have more to say about that soon."