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The best street art murals in Australia


This article is brought to you by New Caledonia Tourism, however, all content has been curated by the Yahoo Lifestyle team at our editorial discretion.

When it comes to street art in Australia, our cities are a canvas.

Whether it’s a message of activism or vibrant geometric patterns, the change of perception towards graffiti and street art has been a positive one. Wall art in our streets is now seen as a metric for a city’s cultural pulse with some local councils even getting behind the cause with various grants and programs.

Not that Aussie cities need any extra help looking beautiful, but nothing brings the community together like local art, so, we’ve compiled a list of our favourite Aussie public murals …

Photo: @SarahJaneMahoney Instagram
Photo: @SarahJaneMahoney Instagram

I have a dream, Newtown
One of Sydney’s most-famous murals was painted guerilla-style by artists Juilee Pryor and Andrew Aiken in August, 1991. Not having proper permission to create the now-iconic piece, the pair borrowed a mate’s cherry picker, and started on a Friday night and painted into the weekend to get it finished. The mural’s three messages of gender equality, environmental activism and civil rights were (and still are) so important to the community that the local council made a historic decision to heritage list it in 2014.

Photo: New Caledonia Tourism x Yahoo Lifestyle
Photo: New Caledonia Tourism x Yahoo Lifestyle
Photo: New Caledonia Tourism x Yahoo Lifestyle
Photo: New Caledonia Tourism x Yahoo Lifestyle

Feel the Pulse of New Cal, Marrickville
There’s nothing better than whizzing down Marrickville’s busy Victoria Road on the way to the airport and spotting a mural to inspire your next holiday. The New Caledonian underwater painting on the corner of Rich Street and Victoria Road was brought to life by Inner West artist Blends and shows a visitor swimming with a turtle at Kanumera Bay on the Isle on Pines. Local communities run the programme on the French island territory, so you know it’s a conservation-first activity. New Caledonia is known for its crystal clear waters but its fierce culinary scene is what really puts New Cal on the map. Where else can you eat French food with beach views, just hours from Australia? We vote for a mural of Escargots next!

Check out the timelapse video at the top of the article to see how this beautiful street art came to life.

Photo: @adnate Instagram
Photo: @adnate Instagram

Her Rules, Her Game, Broome
Melbourne-based artist Adnate embraces portraiture to tell the story of Indigenous Australians. Last year’s NAIDOC week celebrations in Broome, Northern Territory saw Adnate paint local women in football to honour females in the game as part of the #becauseofherwecan campaign. Adnate is most famous for his 2014 Hosier Lane piece on the back of the McDonald House building. The 23-metre monumental mural is of a young Indigenous boy from Melbourne’s northern suburbs looking out over the significant Aboriginal site of Birrarung Marr.

Photo: @AmokIsland Instagram
Photo: @AmokIsland Instagram

Applecross, Western Australia
This pastel-heavy masterpiece pays homage to one of Australia’s most-iconic beach creatures: the Aussie pelican. Standing eight stories, the Big Australian Pelican at Canning Bridge (an area famous for its resident pelicans) is the work of artist Amok Island and can be spotted from a mile away. Find him perched on the Super Car Wash on Canning Highway.

Photo: @ameliakain Instagram
Photo: @ameliakain Instagram
Photo: @authentikyogi Instagram
Photo: @authentikyogi Instagram

The Eye mural, Adelaide
It was only two years ago Lonely Planet named Adelaide among the world’s best street art cities. The South Australia capital’s booming street art movement landed it as the 27th best destination in the publisher’s 2017 book, Street Art. One of our favourite pieces is the eye by Tayla Carlaw at Little Rundle Street. Props to the public for getting creative with their Instagram pics of the mural. Radelaide indeed.

Photo: @ken_burgin
Photo: @ken_burgin

Fish Lane, Brisbane
It’s no secret Brisbane is in the throws of a love affair with public art. The city hosts an annual Street Art Festival, now in its fourth year, every April. Fish Lane in South Brisbane boasts a range of intricate public art but one of the stand out pieces in the area is the giant Fintan Magee ‘head in the clouds’ creation.

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