William Ricketts Sanctuary     by Annushia and Emily
The William Ricketts Sanctuary covers four acres of beautiful fern gully land with 92 ceramic sculptures, near the top of Mt Dandenong.
William Ricketts noticed the beauty of a piece of land one afternoon in the 1930's. He built a wooden hut and decided to stay. He named it Potter's Sanctuary. Over the years he carved sculptures of the Aborigines to encourage the white people to join with the Aboriginal people. 

 About William Ricketts

William Ricketts died peacefully during the night on June the 10th 1993 at William Angliss Hospital Ferntree Gully.  He was 94. The government changed the name when William Ricketts died, from Potter's Sanctuary to William Ricketts Sanctuary. He never had lessons on how to carve as he had been trained as a jeweller.    

William Ricketts was 33 years old when he found the Sanctuary. William Ricketts was born on December the 11th 1898. William Ricketts' favorite colour was green and he normally wore green clothes and a green hat. William was never married. William lived in minimal wealth. He privately made and sold sculptures of the Aborigines to tourists. William lived in the timber house at the end of the lower path from 1935 till 1962 when he moved to his newly constructed residence at the top of the sanctuary, which is now the gallery. His lifetime of caring for the environment is  expressed in his creation of this place. 

About The Sculptures:

The sculptures look like they are coming out of the rocks and trees. In a lot of the sculptures there is a man that has a bullet crown he represents the destructive actions of man within his environment since the European settlement. He is the king of destruction who wears a crown of evil.
To make the sculptures, William used whiteball clay from Bendigo region.
William did some sculptures of his own spiritual self.
Some sculptures are made out of trees and because of bush fires some are a bit burnt. Most sculptures have animals in them.
The water that flows through the sanctuary and over some sculptures is from a natural spring located above the sanctuary. The water symbolizes the never ending, flowing essence of the spirit.            

What You Can Do:

Walk through the gardens and explore the land that contains 92 ceramic sculptures of Aboriginal people and animals which merge with the natural surroundings.
Enjoy the audio-visual display featuring William Ricketts, where visitors can see for themselves how much he loved the Aborigines and their culture.         

Facilities: 
Book Shop, Outdoor church, Information Centre, toilets, car park and kiln display.
How You Can Look After The Sanctuary:
1. Dogs are not allowed in the Sanctuary.
2. Leave the Sanctuary as you find it.
3. Take all your rubbish with you.
4. Leave any animal homes alone.
5. No eating, drinking, smoking or picnicking is allowed.
6. Don't do any damage to the Sanctuary.
7. Do not climb on the rocks. 
Times:
William Ricketts Sanctuary opens at 10:00 am and closes at 4:30 pm. It is not open on Christmas Day. The Sanctuary is on Tourist Rd.