By John Pedler
Published: Monday, January 8, 2024
Why is there an oversize onion in front of the Central Market and a giant fork poking out of the footpath in Melbourne Street?
The huge cutlery item and whopping vegetable (main photo) are part of the Adelaide City Bike Art Trail – a collection of 11 sculptures and artworks commissioned by the Adelaide City Council and installed at locations around the CBD and North Adelaide in 2013.
![](http://samove.raa.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/fork-resized-edit.jpg)
Several of the pieces cover themes relevant to their location – though you might need to read these descriptions to get the full picture – and most serve as bicycle hitching rails.
The more obvious include Branchrack, a bike rack shaped like a branch near the Botanic Garden; the linked coat hangers that form Fashionistas in Rundle Street; and of course, Fork, among the Melbourne Street eateries.
The plinth-mounted Paper Bag in front of the South Australian Museum is a whimsical take on the roll-call of bronze busts lining North Terrace, while the faceless Parking Pole sign in Hindley Street is just a little spooky.
![](http://samove.raa.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/bag-resized.jpg)
The seemingly random shapes of the Mrs Robinson bike racks in O’Connell Street, represent the leopard skin outfit worn by a character in the 1967 flick, The Graduate.
So next time you’re pedalling downtown, keep an eye out for these quirky additions to Adelaide’s artistic landscape.