Possum Statue

The ‘Possum’ lived for 50 years as a hermit around the Wentworth area.

A life size statue of a man known as ‘The Possum’, who when disgruntled by life during the “Great Depression” (1929) took to living off the land around Wentworth and Renmark. He slept in trees (thus his name), walked many miles, swam the rivers, living the life of a hermit and avoided human contact for some 50 years before his death at the age of 81.

A proud man, ‘Possum’ worked for graziers in exchange for food and clothing, although he would always wait until the folk had left for town before he began his work. He was known to upset some of the property owners when he let the dogs loose because he felt sorry for them.

Hear his story via voca-phone in the green metal box close to the statue.

Possum books are available for purchase at the Wentworth Visitor Information Centre.