Eliza

She's larger than life, she's beautiful and she is waiting perpetually for that perfect moment to dive into the Swan River.  Her name is Eliza and she is a bronze statue of a bathing girl who looks up at the University of Western Australia from the water at Crawley Bay.  The website Public Art around the World has this to say about her: 

It didn't take long for Eliza to become legendary. The sculptor behind the Eliza statue Tony Jones was quoted as saying "If people don't like it, the birds probably will." Well let me tell you, Eliza has become quite a little icon in her short life in the river. Yes, the birds are having a ball with her, but some people are too. Between the birds and a few pranksters, motorists along Mounts Bay Road are being entertained by the ever changing look of Eliza. At last Perth has a dressable piece of public art, just as Sydney has Il Porcellino and Brussels has Mannekin Pis, we can now boast having one too. Lets face it, this statue would have otherwise gone unnoticed had it not been for the clowns (or most likely undergrads from UWA) who took the time to dress her up for Melbourne Cup, Christmas, New Years Eve and the rowing regatta. AND whatsmore Perth has embraced the idea of dressing Eliza up, her last dressing saw her bearing the Scotch College uniform, prior to a rowing event on the river. You go girl, its about time Perth embraced its public art and motorists had a good laugh. Moral of the story never place a statue anywhere near a University.

Eliza has only been around since October 2007 and the history behind this interesting piece is that she commemorates the Crawley baths which were a popular place to swim between 1915 - 1960's. The baths were opened in 1914 and became a place where hundreds of children learnt to swim.  I love driving past and catching a glimpse of her in a ball gown or Western Force jersey.  She really has accumulated quite a wardrobe in the last few years.  It's quite a long swim out to her and I always wonder how the students keep her clothes dry and get the outfits over her outstretched arms.  We caught her "naked" except for the shag (large bird poop) that covers her shoulders and I couldn't resist a photo.