A Love Letter
Image source Taj Kempe
Artist: Andrew Frazer, Collie Community
Asset Type: Mural
Year of Work: 2017
Location: 24 Harvey St (side wall facing laneway)
Provenance: Shire of Collie
Description: A Love Letter is about celebrating where you live – a love letter of appreciation. The concept was developed during a youth workshop focusing on shared stories and skill development. The mural was installed over three days by Andrew, Noel & a group of passionate local Collie youth, as part of Festive Arty, Collie’s local art festival.
Collaborators: Noel Barnes & Collie Youth (Lily McCallum, Asha Briggs, Lena Perry, Lewis Thomson, Brydie Hanns, Aspen Peel, Georgie-Rose Perry)
Kulguty (meeting place)
Image source Taj Kempe
Artist: Basil Hart, Mark Dann, mentored by Troy Bennel
Asset Type: Mural
Year of Work: 2010
Location: Collie Visitor Centre, 154 Throssell St (inside)
Provenance: Shire of Collie
Description: Each year, the traditional Noongar people of this area would travel through the countryside following the seasons and settling where food was plentiful. After a stint inland, they would gather in an area like the one depicted in this artwork to wait for the orchids to flower. It was at this time they knew to follow the nearby Brunswick River to the coast where the fish would be running. Images of Noongar ancestors can be seeing the trees framing the artworks as a mark of respect for those that have passed.
The left-hand panel depicts a camping ground where the Noongar people would hold corrobarees involving traditional singing, tapping sticks and dance. There was always a fire burning for warmth, cooking and light. The water represents the Brunswick River.
The central panel shows the diversity of flora and fauna native to the area. When the trees used to blossom, there were spider and donkey orchids, berries, gumnuts and flowers. The Noongars knew there was feed in the river. Marron, crabs and cobblers all lived in the Brunswick River which then flows into the Collie River and continues into the estuary near Eaton.
The right-hand panel shows Noongar people leaving the campsite and travelling closer to the coast. The place they set up camp is known as the Kingston area today. This is something they did each year as they followed the feed and the seasons. This areas was a campsite for the local Noongar people who used it as a place to stop on their way to the coast. They walked along the Brunswick River and then the Collie River before continuing onto the estuary around Australind / Eaton.
Ground
Image source Taj Kempe
Artist: Audrey Frenandes-Satar, Arif Satar
Asset Type: Mural
Year of Work: 2020
Location: Lot 5 Medic Street (Flooring Xtra side wall)
Provenance: Shire of Collie
Description: Ground is a panoptic drawing of the hills draped with patterns inspired by banksia seed pods, calling attention to the fragility of Collie’s ancient landscape where the river flows gently. Here, the richness of black coal emerges to balance the built environment, reminding us of the preciousness of the land and our interaction with it.
Conceptually, Ground is an act of drawing where moments in history are touched upon in gestures of ideation, such as historical buildings, housing for immigrants layered with threads of embroidery that made this place home. But most importantly, it is the soft hills of Collie that take centre stage, laboriously covered in patterns to remind us to look at the ground we walk on.
Way 79
Image source Norm Wilson
Artist: Eric Bolt Blyth
Asset Type: Mural
Year of Work: 1979
Location: Coalfields Highway, opposite Cockram Rd
Provenance: Shire of Collie
Description: This mural depicts the WAY 79 logo, designed by Norm Wilson. It was painted by Eric Bolt Blyth. WAY 79, also referred to as WAY 1979, marked the sesquicentennial (or 150 years) since the European colonisation of Western Australia.
The first WAY 79 event was a New Year's Eve concert on the Perth Esplanade. Ken Colbung, a Nyoongar leader, had been invited to perform, using the occasion to hand an eviction notice to the Governor of Western Australia, Sir Wallace Kyle. Ken Colbung served this notice to the European occupants of Western Australia, on behalf of Western Australia's Aboriginal people. The notice was pointedly in the same form as that used by the State Housing Commission for eviction notices to Aboriginal tenants.
You Are Home
Image source Taj Kempe
Artist: Andrew Frazer
Asset Type: Mural
Year of Work: 2020
Location: 85 Steere S N (back wall)
Provenance: Shire of Collie
Description: “As I travelled up the infamous hill from Bunbury to Collie in the early mornings I was continuously captivated by the landscape's beauty and majesty. The way the light would dart through the tree canopies dancing over the land, casting shadows over the winding road and carving out abstracted forms that ignited my imagination.
The warm yellows contrasted with the cooler shaded tones would fill me with anticipation for the day. It was the beginning of a new day and I wanted to capture this moment; to share this story and to offer it in a public space for viewers to pause, reflect and be refreshed.” Andrew Frazer
Cherax Destructor
Image source Tai Kempe
Artist: Amok Island
Asset Type: Mural
Year of Work: 2020
Location: Collie Senior High School, Patterson St, Collie
Provenance: Shire of Collie
Description: “Cherax destructor, commonly known as yabby, is found in local waters.” Amok Island
Early Motoring
Image source Shire of Collie
Artist: Donald Cook
Asset Type: Mural
Year of Work: 2021
Location: Collie Veteran & Classic Car Club, Medic St near cnr of Harvey St
Provenance: Shire of Collie
Description: The car club mural is a depiction of a 1929 Plymouth Tourer that Harry Wiggers restored from a pile of parts. He began the restoration in the late 1980s and it was the first car in Collie put on a concessional licence.
Reflections
Image source Taj Kampe
Artist: Guido van Helten
Asset Type: Mural
Year of Work: 2020-2021
Location: Wellington Dam Wall, Wellington Dam Rd, Worsley
Provenance: Shire of Collie
Description: Guido van Helten’s 8,000 square metre mega-mural on the Wellington Dam wall is inspired by local stories and photographs.
Guido van Helten is an Australian born visual artist and photographer (1986). He is an internationally recognised artist creating contemporary street art throughout the world which is underpinned by his exploration of community and identity generated through photography and large-scale mural installations.
The Valley Frame
Image source Shire of Dardanup
Artist: Andrew Frazer
Asset Type: Sclupture
Year of Work: 2023
Location: Pull-in bay on Pile Road
Provenance: Shire of Dardanup
New Pasture
Image source Shire of Mundaring
Artist: Matt Bonsack
Asset Type: Sculpture
Year of Work: 2023
Location: Bullsbrook Community Centre
Provenance: Shire of Mundaring
Re-Leaf
Image source Shire of Mundaring
Artist: Chris Dolbel
Asset Type: Sculpture
Year of Work: 2022
Location: Gidgegannup Recreation Club
Provenance: Shire of Mundaring
Description: The ever-evolving rusty patina & pitted skin of the metal resembles the variegated veins of a Eucalyptus leaf. Individually they show the beauty found in every leaf. Together they are a story of re-growth, signifying the shared & differentiated beauty of the Australian flora that emerges out of the bushfire ashes.
Reborn Community
Image source Shire of Mundaring
Artist: Alison Archer
Asset Type: Sculpture
Year of Work: 2022
Location: Gidgegannup Recreation Club
Provenance: Shire of Mundaring
Life Finds a Way
Image source Shire of Mundaring
Artist: Brett Chrimes
Asset Type: Sculpture
Year of Work: 2022
Location: Gidgegannup CWA
Provenance: Shire of Mundaring
Description: After the devastating bushfire of 2021, it was astounding to see how versatile nature can be, so Life finds a way was created.
Resilience
Image source Shire of Mundaring
Artist: Glen Henderson, Hugh Burges
Asset Type: Sculpture
Year of Work: 2024
Location: Unknown
Provenance: Shire of Mundaring
Description: After the fire one of the first things to recover were the grass trees which started resprouting within weeks. Their resilience in such a hostile environment inspired this creation of grass tree's ability to be able grow nearly anywhere.
A Little Magic
Image source Shire of Mundaring
Artist: Darryn Walker
Asset Type: Sculpture
Year of Work: 2022
Location: Wooroloo Jump Track
Provenance: Shire of Mundaring
Description: The chain bike is to represent the fire taking the glamour away from everything and down to its bare skeleton for all to see while non-welded chain holding everything together represents a bit of magic from all the sprouting greenery that came to life just after the fire; ready for the rebuild of everything.
Squawky Hollow
Image source Shire of Mundaring
Artist: Leigh Shersby
Asset Type: Sculpture
Year of Work: 2024
Location: Bendigo Community Bank Mundaring
Provenance: Shire of Mundaring
Description: In the southwest of Western Australia there are three species of threatened black cockatoos: Baudin’s cockatoo (Zanda baudinii), Carnaby’s cockatoo (Zanda latirostris) and forest red-tailed black cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus banksii naso). Squawky Hollow portrays a forest red-tailed black cockatoo family and reveals feathers emerging from the tree trunk to symbolise the consequential and imperative relationship these birds have with the eucalyptus tree. A birds wings provide flight and transit, the eucalyptus tree provides a food source and shelter for nesting….survival and well-being!
These majestic birds nest in the natural hollows of mature Eucalyptus trees which take more than 120 years to develop hollows that are of a suitable size.When bushfires and tree clearing decimate the natural habitat of the land these birds lose vital food sources and mature tree havens which are essential to facilitate breeding, nesting and population growth.
For these vulnerable and threatened bird species to rise out of the ashes they need our attention, consideration and help.The Black Cockatoos are the spirit of our sky and forests and their future is in our hands if we dare to care enough to make a difference to ensure their survival in an ever changing and challenging environment.
Red Tail Black Cockatoo
Image source Shire of Dardanup
Artist: Brenton See
Asset Type: Mural
Year of Work: 2019
Location: Swan Avenue, Shire of Dardanup
Provenance: Shire of Dardanup
Millsbridge Underpass mural
Image source Shire of Dardanup
Artist: Drew Turner
Asset Type: Mural
Year of Work: 2016
Location: Millsbridge Underpass, Millsbridge Boulevard, Shire of Dardanup
Provenance: Shire of Dardanup
Australian Pelican Mural
Image source Shire of Dardanup
Artist: Jackson Harvey
Asset Type: Mural
Year of Work: 2019
Location: Between Eaton Drive and Gascoyne Circle, Shire of Dardanup
Provenance: Shire of Dardanup
Description: The Australian Pelican is a large white bird with black wings and a pink bill. The Australian Pelican's bill is close to a metre in size varying from 40 cm in females to 50 cm long in males. Pelicans have huge wingspans of around 2.3 m - 2.5 m. You will not see baby pelicans on the coast as the adults fly large distances to breed in inland lakes in the goldfields during the wet season, or on secluded islands. Wild birds can live up to 25 years or even more.
Eastern Osprey Mural
Image source Shire of Dardanup
Artist: Jackson Harvey
Asset Type: Mural
Year of Work: 2019
Location: Eaton Drive, Shire of Dardanup
Provenance: Shire of Dardanup
Description: Aerosol on metal.
The Eastern Osprey is a medium-sized bird of prey that feeds mainly on fish and hunts in the rivers and estuarine waters around Eaton. It has dark brown feathers with pale white/cream feathers underneath that you can see when they fly above. The birds often undertake complex aerial displays where two birds will soar together in a series of patterns, or where one will follow the other weaving in and around an aerial course. These displays often occur near osprey nests, which are large structures made of sticks, driftwood and seaweed like the one located near the Eaton Foreshore along the Collie riverbank. The nests are used year after year so can reach up to two metres across and two metres tall.