As you enter Murrurundi from the northern end, you’re met by a corten steel sculpture created by local artist Fran Wachtel. It shows two farmers sitting on a fence, looking out over the surrounding farmland — a familiar rural scene that reflects the region’s agricultural roots and country pace of life.

Fran Wachtel has been a part of the Murrurundi arts community for over 40 years. Her work spans clay, bronze, oil painting and drawing, but she is perhaps best known for her sculptures made from corrugated iron and other found metals. Her artworks often feature farm animals, working dogs, utes and other symbols of country life.

This entry sculpture is one of several public works by Wachtel across the Upper Hunter. Her pieces often welcome visitors or bring character to local gardens and homes. She works from a corrugated iron shed that reflects the materials and themes of her practice — grounded in everyday rural life and full of personality. The Murrurundi gateway sculpture invites visitors to take a moment, connect with the landscape, and get a sense of the people and stories that shape this creative regional town.