Tread Sculptures

19/06/2026

‘Rupture’

15/06/2026

Some steel carries more than rust and rivets—it carries stories.

This piece began life in 1896 when steel plate arrived in Melbourne as ballast aboard English ships. It was rolled into pipe in Port Melbourne, hot riveted together, and laid beneath the city as part of Melbourne’s early water infrastructure.

After more than 125 years underground, it was excavated during the Mont Albert Road level crossing works in 2023. I was fortunate enough to receive some of the pipe in 2025.

Now, in June 2026, a section of that same steel has been given a new chapter as the sign for Red Tank Lane in Bright, marking the entrance to three boutique accommodations.

From England to Melbourne, from underground infrastructure to sculpture—proof that the best materials still have stories left to tell.

13/06/2026

https://warrandytediary.com.au

A big thank you to the Warrandyte Diary for featuring Rob and my work and sharing the story behind Mandala.

When they first contacted me, I told them that while winning First Prize at the Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show was exciting, the real story was everything that led to the creation of the piece.

If you'd like to read the article, you'll find it below.

WHEN TREAD Sculptures’ Mandala took out first place in the Estate Division at the Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show […]

31/05/2026

Serenity Fire Pit

Fresh from the studio and enjoying a final product test before heading to its new home in Dalby, Queensland later this week.

There’s something satisfying about seeing a piece come to life with its first fire before it begins the next chapter of its journey.

20/05/2026

The ancient Greek sun god Helios was said to carry the sun across the sky in a chariot of fire.

There’s something about this piece that feels tied to that idea.

The rings started out as a gear from a 15-tonne tower crane — caked in grease and never meant to be seen, let alone turned into something like this. Pulling the two apart, cleaning them up, and bringing them back together again was a solid job.

The base has its own story too — a 160kg gear from a decommissioned concrete plant.

It was heavy, dirty work from start to finish, but seeing it now, lit and doing its thing, makes every bit of that effort worth it.

05/05/2026

Fresh from the studio the incredible weather over the last couple of weeks has meant that flowers are still popping up at Tread Sculptures!

Built over a week in between everything else.
All reclaimed steel and glass.

I never get tired of working with old materials—
the past doesn’t define what they become next.

01/05/2026

‘Eternal’

I was sent this video from a client the other day, and it’s always good seeing a piece a bit further down the track.

This one’s really settled in.

Six spiralling glass vessels set through intersecting steel rings, with water stepping its way down from the top. Around it, the garden’s grown in—planting through the rock, sky gardens sitting quietly behind, everything starting to feel like it belongs together.

And then there’s this moment…

A sulphur-crested cockatoo perched right at the top, drinking straight from the spout, while the glass floats below turn and gently clink.

That’s the part you can’t design.

There’s a point where a piece stops being something you’ve made and starts becoming part of a place—and even part of the rhythm of what’s already there.

Nice to see this one doing exactly that.

22/04/2026

Making Tracks Birdbath
Breakaway Basin – Blue

A 1.3 metre glass basin, hand-formed with a shell finish and suspended within reclaimed excavator chain.

There’s a shift in it—from movement to stillness. From something that once travelled across the ground to something that now holds water and reflects the sky.

Hand-formed glass. Reclaimed steel.

What once moved earth now comes to rest, circling still water.

20/04/2026

The Mandala has found a new home—set in the middle of the driveway, looking out over the studio, house and garden.
Up on its perch, it catches the light differently as the day moves.
Nice to have it watching over things.

11/12/2025

I finally got around to lighting up a couple of our water features.
they look very dramatic! These photos are unedited no AI.