Collie Mural Trail
The Collie Mural Trail is an expansive outdoor art gallery, connecting Wellington Dam with Collie’s town centre. Showcasing the talents of leading Australia's artists, the trail tells stories about the Collie River Valley’s living heritage – strong voices from local people and places.
About
The Collie Mural Trail is a world-class outdoor art experience for everyone – a collection of contemporary artworks throughout the Collie Town Centre, and at Wellington Dam, showcasing the talents of over 30 Australian artists, including many Collie locals.
Each mural tells local stories. Learn about the Collie River Valley as you find each mural and discover something new.
Leave at least half a day to explore Wellington Dam and the Collie Town Centre, and make sure you allow some time to check out the attractions of the Collie River Valley while you’re at it.
The trail map will guide you from Wellington Dam to the heart of Collie as you explore this inspiring collection of art.
#colliemuraltrail
Map
Artworks range from Guido Van Helten’s mega-mural at the Wellington Dam Wall, exploring the theme of memory and identity; to Mikaela Miller’s work by the Collie River, looking at local flora and fauna; to Kambarni’s mural in the Collie town centre, telling intricate stories of language and culture.
Murals
1. GUIDO VAN HELTEN,
REFLECTIONS, 2020-21
REFLECTIONS, 2020-21
Location
Wellington Dam Wall, Wellington Dam Road, Worsley
Description
Guido van Helten’s 8,000 square metre mega-mural on the Wellington Dam wall is inspired by local stories and photographs.
About the artist
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.
Born in Canberra and growing up in inner city Melbourne, Australia, the artist was influenced at a young age by traditional graffiti movements leading to an early introduction aerosol at a young age. After graduating with a Bachelor of Visual Arts majoring in Printmaking at Southern Cross University, Guido began the development of his contemporary work now closely aligned with the movement of large-scale muralism across the world. His work has developed out of his keen interests in travel, photography, architecture and learning about cultures in connection with their landscapes. Receiving attention for his work in regional communities around Australia, Guido was nominated for the Sir John Sulman prize at the Art Gallery of NSW in 2016 for his work in the community of Brim, Victoria. These interests and his ability to work on large-scale projects have spurred commissions across the world throughout Europe, Scandinavia, the United States and Australia.
Image: Russell Ord
2. JADE DOLMAN,
UNTITLED, 2020
UNTITLED, 2020
Location
Wellington Dam lookout, Wellington Dam Road, Worsley
Description
“In this mural, the colour blue depicts the beelier (river) which gives us life. White represents our stories, that run through the land and are passed on from generation to generation. The colour green portrays our lush eucalyptus trees providing food and shelter for the birds, while purple depicts the bright wildflowers that grow among the bushland.” Jade Dolman
About the artist
The name J.D. Penangke comes from Jade Dolman’s initials and Penangke (pronounced pen-ung-gah) is her skin name which she inherited from her Father’s line. Jade is a Whadjuk/Balladong Nyoongar (Mother’s side), Eastern Arrernte (Father’s side) woman from Perth. She is a visual artist and remains connected to her culture through painting and family. She has a passion for making a change through art for Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.
Her purpose is to highlight that all land is traditional country which our ancestors have practiced culture on for thousands of years. Her murals and public art are a contemporary continuation of traditional culture. J.D. Penangke was officially started in 2014. In December 2017 she graduated from the University of Western Australia. Her degree is a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Indigenous Knowledge, History & Heritage and Fine Arts.
Watch Video
Credit: Studio Orange
Image: Taj Kempe
3. NORM WILSON, WAY 79, 1979 (PAINTED BY ERIC BOLT BLYTH)
Location
Coalfields Highway, opposite Cockram Road
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.
Image: Norm Wilson
4. NATALIE VEAL WITH CONSULTATION FROM JOE NORTHOVER AND JAMES KAHN, KANEANG-WIILMAN, 2021
Location
Suspension Bridge, Cnr Flora Road and Scenic Drive, Collie State Forest
Description
The bridge’s concrete footings feature a mural which depicts local plants and animals and a geometric pattern that represents the natural and cultural connections that exist in this ancient landscape. The blue lines represent the above-ground water table, while the thick white lines are the dividing lines between the different Wilman tribes.
Location: Suspension Bridge, Cnr Flora Road and Scenic Drive, Collie State Forest
The bridge’s concrete footings feature a mural which depicts local plants and animals and a geometric pattern that represents the natural and cultural connections that exist in this ancient landscape. The blue lines represent the above-ground water table, while the thick white lines are the dividing lines between the different Wilman tribes.
About the artist
Born in 1967, Natalie considers at least 50 years of her life to have been filled extraordinarily with art in some form, drawing and painting on everything with anything from a very young age. Natalie drew her first lifelike portrait of her Great-Grandfather at the age of eleven, and painted her first portrait in oils of little sister Chantelle not long after. Throughout Natalie’s life, art has been a comfort, an inspiration, a communicator and a wonderful form of expression.
Born in 1967, Natalie considers at least 50 years of her life to have been filled extraordinarily with art in some form, drawing and painting on everything with anything from a very young age. Natalie drew her first lifelike portrait of her Great-Grandfather at the age of eleven, and painted her first portrait in oils of little sister Chantelle not long after. Throughout Natalie’s life, art has been a comfort, an inspiration, a communicator and a wonderful form of expression.
5. MARINA LOMMERSE & MICHAEL PHILLIPS, THE BONES OF COLLIE, 2020
Location
Collie Visitor Centre, 156 Throssell Street
Description
This contemporary artwork encourages involvement, interaction and imagination, offering viewers an intangible and emotional experience. The site specific narrative aims to connect with visitors to stimulate investigation.
The ground level artwork is interactive, inviting visitors on a journey of discovery linking directly with elements found in the local Collie area including the kangaroo paw, the spider orchid, wattle flowers, banksia, karri tree flower and local water bodies. The colours are derived from the earthen colours of the land, local flora and natural bush land, plus the turquoise of the nearby lakes. The overlaying lines replicate nature’s energy and are symbolic of the many trails throughout Collie. Filled with energy and excitement, the mural offers a vibrant welcome to the town and the Visitor Centre.
About the artist
In addition to studio-based works, Sioux’s practice employs a multi-disciplinary approach, generating mural, public, sculptural and digital art which meaningfully contributes to its context. Sioux enjoys pushing the boundaries of her practice by traversing across different mediums and scale of works. She produces public artworks with site specific narrative connecting with community to create a sense of place. Her work fuses colour and form through contemporary, thought provoking abstracted shapes and patterns. Sioux’s studio paintings intuitively fuse colour and form to investigate the integration of abstract expressionism within different environments. Her work is held in the Ronald McDonald House and City of South Perth collections.
Image: Taj Kempe
6. BASIL HART & MARK DANN, MENTORED BY TROY BENNELL, KULGUTY (MEETING PLACE), 2010
Location
Collie Visitor Centre, 154 Throssell Street (inside)
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.
Collie Visitor Centre for access information and opening hours
About the artists
Troy Bennell has travelled extensively throughout Europe and Asia, as an artist, cultural performer, gallery curator and ambassador for tourism in Australia. Proud of his Noongar heritage, his country and the place where he grew up, Troy has combined those passions into Ngalang Wongi Aboriginal Cultural Tours and uses his skills in tourism and story telling to promote his greatest passion his homeland and the cultural heritage of his people.
Very much a family affair, members of Troy’s family, both elders and young people will occasionally join the tours, bringing their own unique, intergenerational perspective to the Ngalang Wongi story.
As an acclaimed Australian artist, Troy has been involved with many of the public art projects in and around Bunbury. Closest to his heart are those that celebrate and commemorate the historical and cultural contributions of the local Noongar people in the region.
Troy also works extensively with local Indigenous youth and is involved in developing ‘on country’ programs aimed at helping at risk young people through interaction with positive role models from within their local community.
Troy mentored Basil Hart & Mark Dann in the painting of this mural.
Image: Taj Kempe
7. PHILIP HANSEN,
UNTITLED, 1997
UNTITLED, 1997
Location
Baarnimar Reconciliation Park, Throssell Street
About the artist
Philip Hansen, Noongar artist, was born at Katanning, Western Australia, in 1950. He spent his early childhood with his parents at the Carrolup Native Settlement near Katanning and was taken to Wandering Mission (also known as the St Francis Xavier Mission) when he was nine years old. After he left the mission in his early teens, he went to South Guildford, just to the east of Perth, to be with his mother, Marjorie Hansen. There he would sit with his mother and other older community members at Allawah Grove, which was situated close to the Swan River and full of wildlife, while they created paperbark paintings with Indian ink to be sold in shops around the town. Hansen started painting with them when he was fourteen; he was also inspired by an old Aboriginal artist from Perth called King Wally, who admired his style and gave him encouragement at this early stage. From that point on he created landscapes containing Aboriginal people and kangaroos on paperbark and canvas. His artistic practice became more established after he met his wife in Perth, and the sale of his paintings kept their young family going financially.
Hansen and his wife (married in 1971) lived together in Perth for several years before deciding to return to the southwest region of Western Australia, where they’d grown up, to make a home in Collie. Together they have six children and seventeen grandchildren, and have now been married for 50 years. Hansen has described the way he painted in a shed out the back of his property, and enjoyed teaching painting and drawing techniques to his grandchildren.
Hansen’s work has been acquired by the Collie Shire Council and the Shire of Busselton. Collie Hospital has also commissioned a number of works. Hunting by Sunset (2004), is held in the Curtin University of Technology Art Collection. This painting was acquired by Larry Foley from an exhibition of Indigenous artists from the southwest of Western Australia that Foley helped to organise at the Tom Hoad Cup (an international water polo competition) at the Melville Water Polo Club in Bicton, Western Australia. Foley donated it to the Curtin University of Technology Art Collection in 2005. The work was included in the ‘Noongar Native Title: Works from the Curtin University of Technology Art Collection’ exhibition at the gallery in 2007. Hansen’s work was also included in the ‘Beyond Carrolup’ exhibition at the Central TAFE Art Gallery in Perth (2009).
Source: Design and Art Australia Online, Philip Hansen
Image: Taj Kempe
8. MARINA LOMMERSE & MICHAEL PHILLIPS, THE BONES OF COLLIE, 2020
Location
143 & 127 Throssell Street
Description
Local stories and archival research: Tom Reardon, Tania Roberts, Nola Green Mural Studio Artist team: Clifford Scanlan, James Russell, Jack Holmes, Camilo Idarraga, Joy Marshall, Danielle Marinho, Rose Phillips
Collie community collaborators: Alison Melvin, Stephen Melvin, Ellen Corbin, Rachael Williams, Thamarat Phokai, Ash Briggs, Tania Roberts
“A sixth-generation Collie resident described Collie’s industrial history as, ‘the bones of this town’. The Collie township originated as a mining town with its post-colonial heritage steeped in coal mining, forestry, and railways.
The industry and natural resources are interrelated. Timber was required to house the settlers, build the railways, feed the steam engines, and structure the underground coal tunnels. The rail was essential to bring in settlers and supplies, to carry coal out of the mines and get the coal to market. The whole township of Collie is riddled by underground tunnels. Tunnels under the river, the highway, the cemetery, and the houses and commercial buildings.
Over the 65-meter long gradient of this mural, colours reflect Collie’s lakes, river, sky, forest, wildflowers and bushland. Overlaid are ‘short stories’ (the mural is only 50 cm high) of legs, tools, implements, underground coal tunnel maps, wildflowers and corellas hint at the early life and times in the timber, rail & coal industries.
The images have been abstracted from archival photographs and drawings that can be viewed in the Coalfields Museum and Historical Research Centre. It includes species endemic to the region — the Western Corella and wildflowers.” Marina Lommerse and Michael Phillips
The mural was researched, conceived, developed and then painted through a collaborative process facilitated by Michael and Marina. Michael and Marina kickstarted Mural Studio in 2020 to collaboratively undertake a mural painting process while also offering educational and social opportunities.
The Mural Studio team was made up of local Collie residents, architecture and interior architecture students and graduates, and our friends and family.
About the artists
Marina Lommerse is a visual artist. She has exhibited, created public artworks, and lead community-based art projects in Australia and overseas. Her work has been funded by national and state arts and culture organisations, and city councils. Formerly a professor at Curtin University she was a Finalist, Australian Awards for University Teaching.
Michael Phillips is a mural artist, designer and educator. In 2014 Michael cofounded Ateliervivo – a program in Brazil that offers educational experiences through participants designing and building projects for local communities. One workshop, MuralStudio explores how murals can be collaboratively and efficiently created to improve public spaces. Michael also teaches architecture at Curtin University.
Image: Taj Kempe
9. KETONES6000 (JEROME DAVENPORT), CREATURES OF THE NIGHT, 2020
Location
Collie Music Shell, Central Park
Description
The mural concept revolves around the rush-tailed phascogale (Phascogale tapoatafa), also known by as the common wambenger, the black-tailed mousesack or the black-tailed phascogale.
About the artist
Jerome Davenport a.k.a. ‘Ketones6000’, is an Australian aerosol artist breathing new life into the world of modern art. His work is blurring the lines between graffiti, muralism and natural elements with incredible colour and percussion that resonates around the world. Named as an award winner in Australia’s eminent ‘Black Swan Portrait Awards’, Jerome has been leaving his artistic mark around the world, setting up shop in London throughout 2017/18/19, where he has been painting for numerous street art festivals around Europe and North America Including Blackburn’s ‘Open Walls’ Loures Public Street Art Festival, in Portugal, UpFest Bristol, Nelson international Mural festival Canada and ArtsWells Canada. Jerome is an artist for artists, he continually runs workshops and programs associated with giving up and comers a chance to develop as artists.
Image: Taj Kempe
10. TJYLLYUNGOO/LANCE CHADD WITH TRISH ROBINSON & 'WE OF THE BIBBULMUN', NGARNGUNGUDDITJ, 2020
Location
22 Harvey Street
Description
“Ngarngungudditj Waargyl (the Bearded Python) created the estuary nurseries at Australind and formed the whole Collie River, including Brunswick and Preston Rivers, finally resting in Mininyup Pool. He is the spirit in all waters.
Culturally ‘Waargyl’ (Water Python) belongs to our Bibbulman people or you might say the Bibbulman people belong to Wargyl. He is all Law, both omnipotent and omnipresent, all knowing and all seeing. He is the creation spirit and both the punisher and rewarder.
In the old days Nyoongar people were law abiding people who lived in awe, fear and respect for ‘Waargyl’. ‘Waargylung’ is what we call punishment from Waargyl. There are many stories associated with Waargyl, like in the beginning when laws were created and given.
The Rainbow Serpent represents water and all the river systems and estuaries. Is both Male and Female. Waargyl is the giver of life and all totemic/Boorongur, governing lore of connection.” Tjyllyungoo/Lance Chadd
About the artist
Lance Chadd, a Bibbulmun Nyoongar/Budimia Yamatji Aboriginal artist born in the South West town of Bunbury, works under his traditional tribal name ‘Tjyllyungoo’ (meaning, Elder Man/Wisdom/Law, given to him by his Father, Norman Chadd, a well-known Drover of Yamatji Country). His name and breathtaking work are known, recognised and respected throughout South Western Australian and International art circles, South Western Aboriginal communities, art curators and researchers on South Western Aboriginal Art and artists. He is known as one of the most senior and important Nyoongar artists alive.
Tjyllyungoo has painted professionally since 1981, and his paintings are in many collections worldwide and locally including the Art Gallery of Western Australia, Parliament House and the Berndt Museum Collection. His 3D sculptures and public artworks expressed throughout WA with career pinnacle sculpture WIRIN standing tall and strong in Yagan Square Perth CBD.
Tjyllyungoo is prolific in his mastery of depicting Australian landscapes, with constantly evolving work producing progressively more powerful collections, as he skilfully weaves the intangible Nyoongar spiritual beliefs and stories, through landforms, in paintings and in 3D Public artworks. These exquisite expressions allow easy access for the viewer to search and find understanding of Nyoongar culture and how the land and spirit of the people are inseparable. His peoples take pride in and are inspired by his work, remembering and maintaining their identity, strength of spirit and sense of belonging in their homeland Boodja.
Image: Taj Kempe
11. COLLIE COMMUNITY & ANDREW FRAZER, A LOVE LETTER, 2017
Location
24 Harvey Street (side wall facing laneway)
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)
About the artist
Andrew Frazer is a multidisciplinary artist from Gelorup, Western Australia. Influenced by common shared stories that remind us of our humanity, Andrew’s art draws upon our inner-child through subtle textures, whimsical characters imaginative driven landscapes. From public murals, hand lettering, design and illustration, Andrew has been commissioned by various clients from around the world in commercial and private settings.
Image: Russell Ord
12. COLLIE COMMUNITY & TRUDI CURRAN, COLLIE RIVER VALLEY, 1999
The mural previously located here is no longer on display.
Location
24 Harvey Street (rear wall facing carpark)
Description
Dr Keith Meadows asked Trudi Curran and the Collie Senior High School students to help depict a mural that illustrated opportunities available in Collie. A range of panels that were designed and painted by the students, Keith and some of the doctors at the practice were the result; a collaborative piece. A long, stylized shape that represented the Collie River was also created as a background to the design.
Collaborators: Dr Keith Meadows and other associated doctors at Collie River Valley Medical Centre; students from Collie Senior High School.
About the artist
Trudi Curran is the Head of Arts at Collie Senior High School and has served as a lecturer in Visual Arts at the Collie TAFE campus. She is currently the chairperson of the Collie Art Gallery and is involved in a range of visual arts activities and organisations.
Image: Taj Kempe
13. SHAKEY (JACOB BUTLER), COAL MINING THROUGH THE AGES, 2021
Location
Collie Woolworths, rear carpark
Description
“Collie coal has played a vital role in the development of Western Australia. The danger and hard work that the men (and women who supported the family) endured is incredible and hard to comprehend in this day and age.
I wanted to pay tribute to the underground coal mining industry in two parts.
Central to part one is a hostler walking out with his pit pony at the end of shift. The painting is referenced from a photo taken at the Bullfinch Coal Mine (Proprietary )Collie in April 1939.
Part two is laid out like a timeline, from the early days (earliest reference photo from 1939) dominated by manual-handling up until the introduction of machinery like the bobcat and the Alpine Continuous Miner.” Shakey (Jacob Butler)
About the artist
Shakey (Jacob Butler) is an artist based in Fremantle, Western Australia. Jacob works in many mediums including acrylics, oils, pastel and aerosol. Jacob’s essential tremor that existed from birth got him branded ‘Shakey’, giving him his unique, free-flowing, intuitive style. Jacob’s art career began on the wharf in 2013, where he experimented using paint and colour for the first time whilst decorating his workmate’s hard-hats. The demand for Jacob’s artwork grew fast as well as his passion and drive to paint bigger and better. Since becoming a full-time artist he has been invited to paint live in front of large audiences for private concerts, gala balls, weddings and large charity events internationally, with his paintings yielding very successful results due to the raw energy put into his work whilst under pressure. His recent painting for Telethon 2020, televised and painted over 10 hours, raised $25,000 for Telethon. Since 2018 Jacob has developed a very successful and exclusive live wedding portrait painting business, which sees him frequently travelling across the country to paint wedding portraits in the major cities. During the winter season, Jacob focuses his energies on large-scale murals across Western Australia and is currently working towards his second exhibition. His story has been featured in the West Australian, Channel 7’s Today Tonight, on radio and via an award winning short film, Shakey’s Story.
Image: Russell Ord
14. JACK BROMELL,
KARDA, 2020
KARDA, 2020
Location
38-40 Johnston Street, Collie
Description
“I have painted a giant Karda (goanna) over patterns of native flora to the area. The skin of the Karda depicts the people of Collie, past and present, celebrating the moon and the stars. I chose to paint the Karda because it’s an iconic and striking reptile native to the area. It may serve as a reminder to the community that nature is to be respected and without it we have no stories and no history.” Jack Bromell
About the artist
Jack Bromell is an Italian-Australian artist born in Perth and raised in the South West. After studying various creative-based degrees at University Jack left his studies and worked several jobs around the Perth region.
In 2015 while practicing art as a hobby Jack was given an opportunity to paint a large mural on a shopfront in Mandurah. The mural was received well by the community and projected him into a full-time career in the arts. Since then he has painted small and large scale murals throughout the South West and Perth Metropolitan areas. He has also painted internationally throughout 2016-2018. Jack is now based in Northbridge, Perth.
Watch Video
Credit: Studio Orange
Image: Taj Kempe
15. KAMBARNI,
GNAALA KARLA BOOJA, 2020
GNAALA KARLA BOOJA, 2020
Location
42 Johnston Street, Collie
Description
“’Gnaala Karla Booja’. This is the title of the work, it is also the name of the region that encompasses the towns of Capel, Donnybrook, Balingup, Wickepin, Narrogin, Williams, Mundijong, Kwinana, Brookton, Pingelly, Wagin, Harvey, Collie, Pinjarra, Mandurah and Boddington. It translates roughly to ‘Our Home Land’ in Noongar. Karla refers to ‘home’ but also to ‘fire’ which is why the mural colours of red and yellow were chosen. The fire coloured patterns seem quite random at first but eventually reveal a lot more, much like looking into a campfire on a dark night. Animals, endemic to the region their relationships as well as Noongar cultural practices of the area, constantly reveal and hide themselves within the artwork.” Kambarni
About the artist
Kamsani Bin Salleh (Kambarni) is descended from the Ballardong Noongar people and Nimunburr and Yawuru people of the Kimberley region in Western Australia. He is an artist who reflects the natural world with his intricate designs and graphically interprets designs from both pre-colonial and post-colonial Australian histories. Re-telling old stories or creating new narratives through community engagement. In 2018 Kamsani was named WA’s Young Person of the Year and was awarded the Mission Australia Cultural Endeavours Award.
Watch Video
Credit: Studio Orange
Image: Taj Kempe
16. KYLE HUGHES-ODGERS, THE SUN AND THE MOON – THE MOON AND THE SUN, 2020
Location
44 Johnston Street, Collie
Description
The Sun and the Moon – the Moon and the Sun is an abstract artwork made up of six individual portrait panels. The images move in colour from warms to cool, tracking the movement of the day into night.
About the artist
Kyle Hughes-Odgers (b.1981) is a multi-disciplinary Australian Visual Artist who works locally and globally on art projects across various formats – Murals, Gallery Exhibitions and 3D installations. His work explores colour theory, abstraction and narrative – Inspired by nature, the built environment and human behaviour. He has been exhibiting his work since 2005 including solo exhibitions in Perth, Melbourne, Berlin, Amsterdam, Madrid, Los Angeles and Vienna. His work is held in numerous private and public collections worldwide. In addition to his exhibition works, Kyle has created large scale murals in New York City, Washington DC, Los Angeles, London, Singapore, Madrid, Berlin, Cambodia, Iceland and across Australia.
Watch Video
Credit: Studio Orange
Image: Taj Kempe
17. DONALD COOK, EARLY MOTORING, 2021
Location
Collie Veteran & Classic Car Club, Medic St near cnr of Harvey Street
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.
About the artist
Donald Cook is a self-taught artist who focuses on old-school brush painting. He is local to Collie.
Image: Department of Premier & Cabinet
18. JACKSON HARVEY, SUBTERRANEAN MARRON, 2020
Location
Pump house, corner of Medic Street and Harvey Street, Collie
Collaborators: Ed Riley
Description
Subterranean Marron tells the story of a colony of marron that was bred deep beneath the earth during Collie’s days of underground coal mining.
To develop this piece, Jackson Harvey reached out to local conservationist, Ed Riley, to learn more about the relationship between the local community and the smooth marron (Cherax cainaii), a species endemic to Collie and the South West. Ed has years of experience working with the Department of Fisheries and was all too happy to share his knowledge of this local marron species with Jackson.
Through conversations with Ed, Jackson learnt about a period in Collie’s early underground coal mining days, when miners successfully bred marron in the depths of the mines, far from their natural habitats. As a consequence of being bred in the dark, these crustaceans developed blindness.
Subterranean Marron seeks to tell the story of these underground marron, taken from their river habitats and bred beneath the earth.
About the artist
Jackson Harvey is a multi-disciplinary artist based in Fremantle, Western Australia. His passion lies in creating large scale mural works and their ability to transform spaces.
Using walls as his canvas and aerosol as his medium of choice, Jackson has created a diverse portfolio of works revitalising spaces.
Jackson’s passion in art was encouraged from a young age, with drawing, painting and constructing grand LEGO structures his usual childhood pastimes. His aerosol practice is entirely self-taught, combining elements from a variety of unique influences, from his studies in architecture and painting, his tattooing practice and contemporary urban and street art. His work is characterised by bright, carefully selected colour palettes and soft flowing curves contrasted with bold pixelated textures.
Jackson’s mural practice has taken him across the globe, from his hometown in Perth to the United Kingdom, Europe, the Americas and parts of South East Asia.
Image: Taj Kempe
19. AUDREY FERNANDES-SATAR & ARIF SATAR, GROUND, 2020
Location
Lot 5 Medic Street (Flooring Xtra side wall), 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.
About the artists
Dr Audrey Fernandes Satar is an academic, researcher and visual artist who lives and works in Perth, Western Australia. Her body of work involves the investigation of the politics of identity, exploring drawing and stop-motion animation. Audrey has exhibited nationally and internationally.
Mr Mahomad Arif Satar holds degrees in Environmental Science, Education and in Fine Arts. His background is layered with experiences of migrancy and border-crossing. His art practice combines a multiplicity of media to form a body of work that encompasses sculpture, the moving image and sound. Audrey and Arif’s collaborative art practice is centred strongly within an ongoing studio enquiry into the Australian culture and social space.
Watch Video
Credit: Studio Orange
Image: Taj Kempe
20. ANDREW FRAZER,
YOU ARE HOME, 2020
YOU ARE HOME, 2020
Location
85 Steere Street N (back wall)
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
About the artist
Andrew Frazer is a multidisciplinary artist from Gelorup, Western Australia. Influenced by common shared stories that remind us of our humanity, Andrew’s art draws upon our inner-child through subtle textures, whimsical characters imaginative driven landscapes. From public murals, hand lettering, design and illustration, Andrew has been commissioned by various clients from around the world in commercial and private settings.
Image: Taj Kempe
21. ERNIE & LOUISE TURPIN & MARGARET KOUS, COLLIE CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETY, 1997
Location
Cnr Steere Street N and Johnston Street, Collie
Description
This series of three murals tells the story of the Collie Co-operative Society, the largest co-operative store in Western Australia, in operation for over eighty years. In that time, it played an important role in the town’s development, as the principal retailer of the town and its largest commercial employer with over 100 people employed at its peak.
The building upon which this series of three murals is affixed was built by the Co-operative Society in 1936. By 1955, the Co-op has expanded to the corner diagonally opposite this site where the drapery, haberdashery and show departments were located. Further along, on the corner on Johnson and Lefroy Streets, was the Co-op Garage.
The left-hand panel depicts the original building and the 1926 flood. The Collie River proved to be a troublesome neighbour and the area was subjected to unpredictable flooding. The second picture of this inset shows the flood of 1926. Another memorable flood occurred in 1964, when the store was in undated and much stock lost to the swirling waters of the Collie River at its wildest.
The middle panel depicts ‘Divvy Day’, when shareholders were paid a percentage dividend on all purchases made and paid for in the last six months, was a twice yearly event. The Shareholders Booklet and the bread tokens were part and parcel of the old Co-op days.
The right-hand panel depicts Co-op delivery services, which were essential in the days before family cars, and woman drivers. A stable of delivery horses and wagons, followed as time went by, by bicycles, vans and finally the ‘shopper buses’ ensured that goods were delivered.
Financial sponsors of the project were the Shire of Collie, the Arts Council of WA and the Collie Heritage Group. This mural was an initiative of the Shire of Collie Townscape Committee.
About the artist
Ernie Turpin is qualified in cartography and management and has spent a significant amount of time working and teaching in those areas. He has also had a wealth of experience in computerized mapping and art teaching.
Having resigned from the State Public Service at age fifty five to become a freelance artist, Ernie embarked upon a full time art tutoring career – whereby he travelled throughout the State of Western Australia as an ‘artist-in-residence‘ over a period of some twelve years.
In particular, Ernie worked primarily with indigenous groups in remote locations, completing mural projects and tutoring students in various forms of art. He also was regularly contracted to work with a number of mining companies, craft groups, hospitals, local authorities, prisons and metropolitan schools, etc., which required extensive travelling into some of the most scenic terrain of Western Australia.
Ernie is now in retirement, spends most of his leisure time in the Perth Metropolitan Area working in his studio or giving talks and art demonstrations to a range of different audiences.
Margaret Kous was born in Mildura, Victoria in December 1949. Her parents took her to Auckland, New Zealand, in a flying boat in January 1950. In 1982, Margaret moved to Collie, Western Australia, with her husband Carl, where they raised a combined family of six children.
Margaret studied art at Collie TAFE completing a Diploma in Art. She also studied at ECU Bunbury, completing a Bachelor of Creative Industries majoring in Visual Arts. She then completed a Diploma of Education Primary, teaching in in various schools prior to her retirement.
Image: Taj Kempe
22. COLLIE COMMUNITY & ANDREW FRAZER, THE ENDLESS ADVENTURE, 2016
Location
Cnr Steere Street N & Johnston Street
Description
The Endless Adventure responds to the themes of adventure, local exploration and home. The concept was developed during youth workshop focusing on shared stories and skill development. Developed in 2016 for Festiv Arty, Collie’s local art festival, the mural was installed over three days by Andrew, Lori & a group of passionate local Collie youth.
Collaborators: Lori Pensini & Collie Youth
About the artist
Andrew Frazer is a multidisciplinary artist from Gelorup, Western Australia. Influenced by common shared stories that remind us of our humanity, Andrew’s art draws upon our inner-child through subtle textures, whimsical characters imaginative driven landscapes. From public murals, hand lettering, design and illustration, Andrew has been commissioned by various clients from around the world in commercial and private settings.
Image: Taj Kempe
23. DAEK WILLIAM,
CREED BIRCH, 2019
CREED BIRCH, 2019
Location
73 Steere Street N (laneway)
Description
Daek William transformed the side of the Red Cross building with a large mural developed around the theme of bikes, hikes and trails. The mural was developed in 2019 for Festiv Arty, Collie’s local art festival.
About the artist
An Australian painter, mural and installation artist, Daek William has an extensive practice in large scale outdoor street. Exhibited throughout Australia and internationally, his artwork conveys imagery and stories of the world he is inspired by.
Image: Russell Ord
24. JARRAD MARTYN,
GOLDEN CRUST BAKERY, 2020
GOLDEN CRUST BAKERY, 2020
Location
86 Steere Street N, Collie
Description
This mural depicts a horse pulling a cart belonging to the Golden Crust Bakery, which delivered bread and milk to the people of Collie until the 1950s when the carts were replaced by cars. Large draft horses were used to pull the carts, similar to the pit ponies which were used in the Collie mines.
It’s said that the horse was so familiar with the delivery route that it would continue on as the driver walked to deliver the bread, as depicted by the figure in the background of the scene. In addition, sizable horse stables once occupied the whole of nearby Johnston Street, from Steere to Lefroy Street.
About the artist
Jarrad Martyn’s practice explores how different moments in history have been framed and how we engage with spaces after they have become abandoned. Through painting and installation Martyn employs the principles of bricolage – something constructed from a diverse range of things – to bring together imagery and research to create a more conversational meaning of the history being explored. The use of paint which slips in-between figuration and expressionism encourages the audience to look longer to try and deduce what is unfolding and to ultimately consider how complicit they are prepared to be in that framing.
Image: Taj Kempe
25. JARRAD MARTYN,
DORSETT MOTORS, 2020
DORSETT MOTORS, 2020
Location
88 Steere Street N
Description
This mural responds to the past use of the site as Dorsett Motors, a Ford car dealership from 1930 to 1980, and as one of the locations of the Collie Co-operative Store.
“The mural depicts a scene of shifting different time periods. I am drawn to the theatrical lighting that characterised many car advertisements of the 1970s and 1980s, and particularly how this creates a sense of drama that encourages narrative associations. By playing with and employing these conventions, the scene becomes loaded with ambiguity and potential for multiple interpretations. The mural uses several different cars to signify the years the dealership was operational. The foreground prominently features two 1981 Lasers, typifying the closing of the dealership. Conversely, in the background, a 1934 Model BB V8 Truck illustrates its opening.” Jarrad Martyn
About the artist
Jarrad Martyn’s practice explores how different moments in history have been framed and how we engage with spaces after they have become abandoned. Through painting and installation Martyn employs the principles of bricolage – something constructed from a diverse range of things – to bring together imagery and research to create a more conversational meaning of the history being explored. The use of paint which slips in-between figuration and expressionism encourages the audience to look longer to try and deduce what is unfolding and to ultimately consider how complicit they are prepared to be in that framing.
Watch Video
Credit: Studio Orange
Image: Russell Ord
26. DONALD COOK,
JONES FAMILY, 2020
JONES FAMILY, 2020
Location
Cnr Steere Street N & Forrest Street
Description
“Jones Family tells the story of David Jones and his young family – amongst the first group of colonial families sent to Collie, tasked with establishing the coal mining industry in town. The region would go on to produce power for over 123 years, playing a key part in making Western Australia what it is today.
In this mural, Mr Jones is placed into Ted Green’s Barber Shop, which previously stood where the Jones Arcade is today. There are small, detailed objects placed around the Barber Shop for the viewer to find, telling a personal story of Collie’s locals and of industries that Collie is transitioning into as the days of coal come to an end.
I strongly recommend a trip to the Coalfields Museum and Research History. You will be surprised by Collie’s colourful history!” Donald Cook
About the artist
Donald Cook is a self-taught artist who focuses on old-school brush painting. He is local to Collie.
Image: Russell Ord
27. SHAKEY (JACOB BUTLER),
PIT PONY, 2020
PIT PONY, 2020
Location
62 Forrest Street, Collie
Description
After spending a day with the staff at the Coalfields Museum and Historical Research Centre, Shakey was inspired by local mining history and the stories of pit ponies once used in Collie’s coal mines. Referencing photographs sourced from the museum, Shakey has painted an imagined story of children running off with a pit pony to play miner for the day.
About the artist
Shakey (Jacob Butler) is an artist based in Fremantle, Western Australia. Jacob works in many mediums including acrylics, oils, pastel and aerosol. Jacob’s essential tremor that existed from birth got him branded ‘Shakey’, giving him his unique, free-flowing, intuitive style. Jacob’s art career began on the wharf in 2013, where he experimented using paint and colour for the first time whilst decorating his workmate’s hard-hats. The demand for Jacob’s artwork grew fast as well as his passion and drive to paint bigger and better. Since becoming a full-time artist he has been invited to paint live in front of large audiences for private concerts, gala balls, weddings and large charity events internationally, with his paintings yielding very successful results due to the raw energy put into his work whilst under pressure. His recent painting for Telethon 2020, televised and painted over 10 hours, raised $25,000 for Telethon. Since 2018 Jacob has developed a very successful and exclusive live wedding portrait painting business, which sees him frequently travelling across the country to paint wedding portraits in the major cities. During the winter season, Jacob focuses his energies on large-scale murals across Western Australia and is currently working towards his second exhibition. His story has been featured in the West Australian, Channel 7’s Today Tonight, on radio and via an award winning short film, Shakey’s Story.
Image: Taj Kempe
28. MARINA LOMMERSE & MICHAEL PHILLIPS, FRIDAY NIGHT AT THE THEATRE ROYALE, 2020
Location
64 Forrest Street, Collie
Local stories and archival research: Yvonne Hammond, Gloria Mathews, Margaret Bates, Tom Reardon, Tania Roberts, Alison Melvin, Nola Green
Mural Studio artist team: Camilo Idarraga, Jack Holmes, Joy Marshall, Robyn Duncan
Collie community collaborator: Thamarat Phoka
Description
“This ode to the much-loved Theatre Royal alludes to leisure pastimes in the past and future of Collie. The mural is located on the site of the former theatre site which opened in 1928 and was demolished in the 1970s.
From Collie residents, we found a well of fond memories about the grandeur of the space and the shenanigans that took place.
‘If those seats could talk,’ one resident commented in passing while we were painting. ‘On Friday nights we would go to the pictures in the Theatre Royal. With the curved staircase and red velvet curtains, it was a grand place.’
The depiction of the audience, dressed in costumes of the era, was prompted by the quote, ‘We always sat downstairs and considered the upstairs gallery somewhere for only the hob-knobs – whoever they might have been in Collie.’
On the screen, a travelogue of a bushwalker enjoying the Collie great outdoors is showing. Dorothy, a character from The Wizard of Oz, a movie of the era, is the bushwalker. The movie marquee references a long-standing Collie shoe store, Well’s Boot Palace, where Dorothy purchased her ruby bushwalking shoes. Dorothy no longer lives in Kansas – she’s moved to Collie Trail Town for the great outdoors life!
Visit the mural, bring your vintage hats and pose as one of the hob-knobs in the upstairs gallery. But don’t throw any jaffa balls or Mr. King, the renowned, long-standing usher will be on your case!” Marina Lommerse and Michael Phillips
The mural was researched, conceived, developed and then painted through a collaborative process facilitated by Michael and Marina.
About the artists
Marina Lommerse is a visual artist. She has exhibited, created public artworks, and lead community-based art projects in Australia and overseas. Her work has been funded by national and state arts and culture organisations, and city councils. Formerly a professor at Curtin University she was a Finalist, Australian Awards for University Teaching.
Michael Phillips is a mural artist, designer and educator. In 2014 Michael cofounded Ateliervivo – a program in Brazil that offers educational experiences through participants designing and building projects for local communities. One workshop, MuralStudio explores how murals can be collaboratively and efficiently created to improve public spaces. Michael also teaches architecture at Curtin University.
Image: Taj Kempe
29. MARINA LOMMERSE & MICHAEL PHILLIPS, THE GIRL IN THE SHOP WINDOW, 2020
Location
72 Forrest Street, Collie
Local stories and archival research: Yvonne Hammond, Gloria Mathews, Margaret Bates, Tom Reardon, Tania Roberts, Alison Melvin, Nola Green, James Kahn
Mural Studio Artist team: Clifford Scanlan, Jack Holmes, Robyn Duncan
Collie community collaborator: Thamarat Phokai
Description
“Collie residents remember the events that entertained them in shop windows as much as the goods on display. The scene depicted in the mural was inspired by archival research and conversations with long-term locals.
One intriguing story was the travelling hypnotist who put people to sleep and then displayed them in a shop window – selling tickets for the public to view.
Black and white TVs were introduced to Collie in the 1950s. Townspeople crowded around shop windows for a good possie. We set the scene with mid-century modern furniture and Manchester goods on display, in a black and white world of early television.
What is that bird in the crowd? Is it an emu? Is it a swan? It is, in fact, a man in a swan costume and was inspired by a photo we discovered in the Coalfields Museum.
During the painting process local Aboriginal Elder, James Kahn, requested we incorporate an image. See if you can find it.” Marina Lommerse and Michael Phillips
The mural was researched, conceived, developed and then painted through a collaborative process facilitated by Michael and Marina.
Michael and Marina kickstarted Mural Studio in 2020 to collaboratively undertake a mural painting process while also offering educational and social opportunities. The Mural Studio team was made up of a temporary Collie resident, architecture and interior architecture students and graduates, and our friends and family.
About the artists
Marina Lommerse is a visual artist. She has exhibited, created public artworks, and lead community-based art projects in Australia and overseas. Her work has been funded by national and state arts and culture organisations, and city councils. Formerly a professor at Curtin University she was a Finalist, Australian Awards for University Teaching.
Michael Phillips is a mural artist, designer and educator. In 2014 Michael cofounded Ateliervivo – a program in Brazil that offers educational experiences through participants designing and building projects for local communities. One workshop, MuralStudio explores how murals can be collaboratively and efficiently created to improve public spaces. Michael also teaches architecture at Curtin University.
Image: Taj Kempe
30. ERNIE & LOUISE TURPIN, UNTITLED, 2006
Location
Collie Goods Shed, Forrest Street (inside)
Description
This series of two murals, located inside the Collie Goods Shed, tell the story of Collie’s rail heritage.
Goods Shed access information and opening hours
About the artist
Ernie Turpin is qualified in cartography and management and has spent a significant amount of time working and teaching in those areas. He has also had a wealth of experience in computerized mapping and art teaching.
Having resigned from the State Public Service at age fifty five to become a freelance artist, Ernie embarked upon a full time art tutoring career – whereby he travelled throughout the State of Western Australia as an ‘artist-in-residence‘ over a period of some twelve years. In particular, Ernie worked primarily with indigenous groups in remote locations, completing mural projects and tutoring students in various forms of art. He also was regularly contracted to work with a number of mining companies, craft groups, hospitals, local authorities, prisons and metropolitan schools, etc., which required extensive travelling into some of the most scenic terrain of Western Australia.
Ernie is now in retirement, spends most of his leisure time in the Perth Metropolitan Area working in his studio or giving talks and art demonstrations to a range of different audiences.
Image: Taj Kempe
31. MARGARET KOUS, ROSE GARDEN MURAL, 2000
Location
Collie Replica Rail Station, Collie Rose Garden, 86 Throssell Street
Description
This mural is a combination of images blending Collie’s current and past histories.
Because of its proximity to the site of the old Collie Railway Station, the artist has used images of rail, past and present, to highlight the continuing importance of rail to the industrial and social history of this town.
The ‘Wagyal’ (serpent) emerging from Minninup Pool, reminds the observer of the ancient culture of the Noongar people, the original occupants of this area, and of the importance of the Collie and Harris Rivers, the waters of which are used for domestic and irrigation use over a larger area of WA.
In the distance can be seen the outlines of Muja and Collie Power Stations and the Worsley Alumina Refinery.
The vanishing point in the centre of the mural focuses attention on the future of Collie and the need for the whole community to continue to work together.
The mural artist, Mrs Margaret Kous, completed the project over a number of months through the participation of Fairview and Amaroo Year 6 & 7 primary school students, Claude Hill, Carl Kous and Christie Coomer.
Financial sponsors of the project were the Community Arts Network and the Collie Shire Council. Other contributors to the project include Dr Hilda Turnbull MLA, Collie Heritage Group, Collie Railway Station Group, Mr John Feeney, Collie Agricultural Society, Taubmans Paints and Townscape Advisory Committee members. This mural was an initiative of the Shire of Collie Townscape Committee
About the artist
Margaret Kous was born in Mildura, Victoria in December 1949. Her parents took her to Auckland, New Zealand, in a flying boat in January 1950. In 1982, Margaret moved to Collie, Western Australia, with her husband Carl, where they raised a combined family of six children.
Image: Russell Ord
32. NATALIE VEAL,
BLACK DIAMOND, 2020
BLACK DIAMOND, 2020
Location
101 Throssell Street, Collie
Description
Black Diamond, by local artist Natalie Veal, depicts one of her favourite places, a beautiful spring-fed swimming area – Black Diamond Lake. This lake was once an open pit mine, and is now a picturesque recreational place of tranquillity and fun.
About the artist
Born in 1967, Natalie considers at least 50 years of her life to have been filled extraordinarily with art in some form, drawing and painting on everything with anything from a very young age. Natalie drew her first lifelike portrait of her Great-Grandfather at the age of eleven, and painted her first portrait in oils of little sister Chantelle not long after. Throughout Natalie’s life, art has been a comfort, an inspiration, a communicator and a wonderful form of expression.
Image: Taj Kempe
33. IAN MUTCH,
FADING HABITAT, 2020
FADING HABITAT, 2020
Location
51 Steere Street S (laneway)
Description
Fading Habitat depicts the Baudin’s Cockatoo, or the White-Tailed Black Cockatoo, in flight, above abstract and hidden details portraying native plants and local blue waters. The Baudin’s Cockatoo is a different species to the Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo, and can be identified by its longer bill. These birds are normally seen in groups of three or more, and are endemic to Australia’s South West. They nest in the hollows of old marri, karri, wandoo, tuart and bullich trees.
Baudin’s Cockatoos are currently at risk of extinction. Protecting their habitat is vitally important, particularly old growth forests. Two-thirds of Australia is privately-managed rural land, with private land-owners playing an increasingly important role in the conservation of these birds and other threatened species. If you have the opportunity, start by planting a Marri tree.
Photo references: @estebanthenatureman
Research: @kaarakin and @birdlifeoz
About the artist
Ian Mutch is an Australian artist exploring beauty through nature, narrative and details. Mutch creates work on a variety of scales using acrylics, aerosol, and inks. Brushstrokes and layered backgrounds are detailed with entertaining illustrations, whimsical characters, trees, birds, animals and pop culture references. Mutch draws a great deal from his upbringing surrounded by wild landscapes, animals and patterns. He has lived in various parts of the world, now residing in South West Western Australia. His artwork has won awards, given life to public spaces, and featured in a range of publications.
Image: Taj Kempe
34. SHAKEY (JACOB BUTLER) WITH GUIDANCE FROM JOE NORTHOVER, BORONIA GULLY, 2021
Location
Shire of Collie Office, 87 Throssell Street
Description
This mural depicts Aboriginal community members and leaders Jimmy and Mary Meares, Ray Davis and his father Mr Davis, and Jack Slaven and his wife. They stand at Minninup Pool the sacred resting place of the Ngangungudditj Walgu (hairy faced snake), on the Collie River.
About the artist
Shakey (Jacob Butler) is an artist based in Fremantle, Western Australia. Jacob works in many mediums including acrylics, oils, pastel and aerosol. Jacob’s essential tremor that existed from birth got him branded ‘Shakey’, giving him his unique, free-flowing, intuitive style. Jacob’s art career began on the wharf in 2013, where he experimented using paint and colour for the first time whilst decorating his workmate’s hard-hats. The demand for Jacob’s artwork grew fast as well as his passion and drive to paint bigger and better. Since becoming a full-time artist he has been invited to paint live in front of large audiences for private concerts, gala balls, weddings and large charity events internationally, with his paintings yielding very successful results due to the raw energy put into his work whilst under pressure. His recent painting for Telethon 2020, televised and painted over 10 hours, raised $25,000 for Telethon. Since 2018 Jacob has developed a very successful and exclusive live wedding portrait painting business, which sees him frequently travelling across the country to paint wedding portraits in the major cities. During the winter season, Jacob focuses his energies on large-scale murals across Western Australia and is currently working towards his second exhibition. His story has been featured in the West Australian, Channel 7’s Today Tonight, on radio and via an award winning short film, Shakey’s Story.
Image: Department of Premier and Cabinet
35. TAHNEE KELLAND, KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, 2019
Location
82 Wittenoom Street (Collie Public Library)
Description
Knowledge is Power is a celebration of the power and beauty of books – the knowledge they bring and their ability to transport us to a different time and place. The joy and the magic are priceless.
About the artist
Tahnee Kelland is painter and muralist, currently based in her hometown of Mandurah, Western Australia. Her murals can be found in and around Mandurah and Perth, Western Australia. Rounded in the subject of spiritual and inward growth, Tahnee’s ever evolving painting style sways between symbolism and folk art. Recurring motifs, flowers, foliage and the female form draw the viewer into a reflective and meditative state where balance and serenity are the ultimate reward.
Creating art since she can remember, Tahnee Kelland only began selling her artwork to the public in 2015 and was a finalist in the Frankie Magazine Good Stuff Award 2019. In 2020 her work was featured in Marie Claire and The West Australian’s STM magazine, and she was a feature artist for international brand Wetransfer. Tahnee has worked with Australian designer Camilla on their 15 year anniversary collection ‘Australia’ and other brands such as The Jungalow in LA and most recently Sydney jewellery designer, Midsummer Star. Tahnee is currently on maternity leave caring for her greatest creation yet.
Image: Tahnee Kelland
36. AMOK ISLAND, CHERAX DESTRUCTOR, 2020
Location
Collie Senior High School, Patterson Street (Opp Venn St W), Collie
Description
“Cherax destructor, commonly known as yabby, is found in local waters.” Amok Island
About the artist
Amok Island (born Amsterdam, 1983) is a multi-disciplinary artist from the Netherlands, based in Fremantle, Western Australia and if he wasn’t an artist he would be a biologist. Heavily inspired by early naturalists’ scientific illustrations, his work embodies the accuracy and precision representative of technical drawings, used for identification purposes. The theme of natural exploration and conservation is a strong and constant undercurrent of Amok Island’s artistic practice. His lifelong fascination with nature and her relationships and history with mankind drive the artist’s obvious appreciation and obsession with his subjects and his urge to direct the attention of his audience to them.
Amok Island pursues a point of balance where minimal shape and colour remain capable of realistically representing a subject. To accomplish this, he renders his subjects to near bare minimum geometric elements of form, and places paramount importance on the use of a carefully considered colour palette.
Amok Island has created murals in over 25 countries.
Watch Video
Credit: Studio Orange
Image: Taj Kempe
37. SHAKEY (JACOB BUTLER) WITH GUIDANCE FROM JOE NORTHOVER, KWOBIDAK KOONDARM, 2022
Location
Collie Senior High School, 76 Wittenoom Street
Description
“Kwobidak koondarm, means beautiful dreams. This is the name given to this mural by Bianca and Ijah Coyle, the parents of the three sisters who are painted in this mural.
My intention was to paint a mural for the younger generation of Collie that reflects setting out on your own journey in life but doing it with pride and always having your culture and your traditions close to your heart.
Under the guidance and consultation with local Elder, Joe Northover, we were given the opportunity to meet and collaborate with a young family in Collie and capture three beautiful sisters at Minninup Pool, a sacred place and resting place of the Ngangungudditj Walgu.
Thank you Joe Northover, Bianca, Ijah and your family for collaborating with us and everyone who helped make this mural come to life.” Shakey (Jacob Butler)
About the artist
Shakey (Jacob Butler) is an artist based in Fremantle, Western Australia. Jacob works in many mediums including acrylics, oils, pastel and aerosol. Jacob’s essential tremor that existed from birth got him branded ‘Shakey’, giving him his unique, free-flowing, intuitive style. Jacob’s art career began on the wharf in 2013, where he experimented using paint and colour for the first time whilst decorating his workmate’s hard-hats. The demand for Jacob’s artwork grew fast as well as his passion and drive to paint bigger and better. Since becoming a full-time artist he has been invited to paint live in front of large audiences for private concerts, gala balls, weddings and large charity events internationally, with his paintings yielding very successful results due to the raw energy put into his work whilst under pressure. His recent painting for Telethon 2020, televised and painted over 10 hours, raised $25,000 for Telethon. Since 2018 Jacob has developed a very successful and exclusive live wedding portrait painting business, which sees him frequently travelling across the country to paint wedding portraits in the major cities. During the winter season, Jacob focuses his energies on large-scale murals across Western Australia and is currently working towards his second exhibition. His story has been featured in the West Australian, Channel 7’s Today Tonight, on radio and via an award winning short film, Shakey’s Story.
Image: Shakey (Jacob Butler)
38. LUKE O’DONOHOE, OPEN ROAD, 2020
Location
Cnr Burt Street & Throssell Street (on Burt Street)
Description
“My text-based artwork aims to celebrate the town of Collie in an authentic and captivating way. Drawing from the artistic style of Rosalie Gascoigne, and her famous assemblages of found road signs, I have selected words that give voice to significant parts of Collie’s history, and collaged them across the wall. Words were also chosen that possessed a certain poetic energy and nostalgic quality.” Luke O’Donohoe
About the artist
Luke O’Donohoe is a Western Australian artist centring his practice on murals and public art. He has developed a recognisable artistic language expressed through a typography, graphic abstract compositions and gestural figurative painting. Luke endeavours to paint with authenticity, and uniquely give voice to important stories, characteristics or events of the place he is painting.
Image: Taj Kempe
39. SHAKEY (JACOB BUTLER), COLLIE-CARDIFF RSL TRIBUTE, 2020
Location
1 Lefroy Street (Collie-Cardiff RSL)
Description
“After meeting with the Collie-Cardiff RSL, visiting the Collie Local History Collection and the Coalfields Museum and Research Centre, and talking with other Collie locals, I was struck by the profound impact that war has had on the history of Collie. It’s been said that the town has sent more of its population to war (on a per capita basis) than any other community in Australia.
Instead of capturing the devastating side of war, I wanted to create an uplifting mural that focuses on camaraderie, mateship and the loyalty that each soldier has for one another. I chose the iconic game of two-up as the driver behind the mural – a game that was enjoyed before, during and after times of war, that links servicemen and women together.
The first scene in the mural depicts two-up being played during the different wars throughout history. Some of the portraits are of Collie servicemen, including VC winner Martin O’Meara as well as current RSL members.
The second scene is recreation of the RSLWA logo, modified in 1990 to include a sailor, soldier, airman and servicewoman. The portraits are of proud, happy servicemen and women including an Aboriginal infantryman, acknowledging Collie as the town that is believed to be the first place in Western Australia to acknowledge Aboriginal servicemen in a formal war memorial.
The remaining scenes include a portrait of Ron ‘Collie Boy’ Miffling sharing a photo of his wife and child with a fellow soldier. The depiction represents the act of sharing and storytelling, as well as the sacrifice that servicemen and women make by leaving their loved ones behind. Also among the portraits is a depiction of Martin O’Meara VC, who rescued up to 25 soldiers from no-man’s land, a representation of the importance of never leaving your fellow soldier behind – both during and after the war.” Shakey (Jacob Butler)
About the artist
Jacob Butler (Shakey) is a young, self-taught artist based in Fremantle. Jacob works in many mediums including acrylics, oils, pastel and aerosol. Jacob’s essential tremor that existed from birth got him branded ‘Shakey’, giving him his unique, free-flowing, intuitive style. Since becoming a full-time artist he has been invited to paint live in front of large audiences for private concerts, gala balls, weddings and large charity events internationally, with his paintings yielding very successful results due to the raw energy put into his work whilst under pressure. He is currently working on large scale murals and performing live wedding art in and around Australia. Between commissions he also continues his art workshops for people with disabilities and is working towards his second exhibition.
Watch Video
Credit: Studio Orange
Image: Taj Kempe
40. SHAKEY (JACOB BUTLER), TIMBER WORKERS, 2021
Location
75 Throssell Street (Mineworkers Institute)
Description
This mural is a tribute to the Collie timber industry workers who worked on both the railways and in the underground mines throughout Collie’s early history. The artwork is based on historical imagery of workers, known as broad-axe super cutters, from the early 1900s.
About the artist
Shakey (Jacob Butler) is an artist based in Fremantle, Western Australia. Jacob works in many mediums including acrylics, oils, pastel and aerosol. Jacob’s essential tremor that existed from birth got him branded ‘Shakey’, giving him his unique, free-flowing, intuitive style. Jacob’s art career began on the wharf in 2013, where he experimented using paint and colour for the first time whilst decorating his workmate’s hard-hats. The demand for Jacob’s artwork grew fast as well as his passion and drive to paint bigger and better. Since becoming a full-time artist he has been invited to paint live in front of large audiences for private concerts, gala balls, weddings and large charity events internationally, with his paintings yielding very successful results due to the raw energy put into his work whilst under pressure. His recent painting for Telethon 2020, televised and painted over 10 hours, raised $25,000 for Telethon. Since 2018 Jacob has developed a very successful and exclusive live wedding portrait painting business, which sees him frequently travelling across the country to paint wedding portraits in the major cities. During the winter season, Jacob focuses his energies on large-scale murals across Western Australia and is currently working towards his second exhibition. His story has been featured in the West Australian, Channel 7’s Today Tonight, on radio and via an award winning short film, Shakey’s Story.
Image: Shakey (Jacob Butler)
41. FINTAN MAGEE, THREE WORKERS, 2020
Location
75 Patterson Street (Mineworkers Institute)
Description
Three Workers promotes unity between working people across industry, representing the backbone of working culture in Collie. The mural depicts a farmer with his dog on the right, and a miner seated on the left. The work, located on the Collie Union Hall, aims to promote unity across industries and working class solidarity.
The work is painted in a bevelled glass effect and is tinted with a red colour, aiming to emulate the stained glass across union halls and stone mason halls across the world. Stained glass is an integral part of both ecclesiastical and secular architecture and is an example of working craftsmanship and human achievement.
The work is painted with a split image effect, meaning the figures are abstracted, broken and disconnected. When you walk to the centre of the mural the figures come together to make a complete image. This encourages interactivity for the viewer and photography of the mural.
About the artist
Fintan Magee is a Sydney based social realist painter, specializing in large-scale murals. Born in 1985 in Lismore, New South Wales, to an architect mother and father who was a sculptor, he started drawing at a young age. His earlier large-scale paintings often inhabited the isolated, abandoned and broken corners of the city, and today are found all over the world including in London, Vienna, Los Angeles, Miami, Atlanta, Buenos Aires, Copenhagen, Moscow, Rome, Jordan, and Dublin among others.
Magee’s practice is informed by a profound interest in political murals, inspired by exposure at a young age to those of his Father’s native Northern Ireland. This is reflected in the socialist nature of his public artworks, which combine journalistic elements with public art. Magee’s work is driven by his recognition of the power of murals to communicate political and social viewpoints and thus divide or unite communities.
Drawing from personal experience and the mundane, his figurative paintings are deeply integrated with the urban environment and explore themes of diversity, migration and transition, waste and consumption, loss, and the environment. His works exude an inherent sentimentality and softness influenced by children’s books and the Low Brow art movement.
In recent years, Magee has solidified his position as one of Australia’s leading public artists and has travelled extensively, completing projects in countries across the world, including Belarus, India, Jordan, Spain, Tahiti, USA, among many others. His recent solo exhibitions are ‘Big Dry’ at Think Space in Los Angeles (2018), ‘Waves’ at Mathgoth Gallery in Paris (2017) and ‘Water World’ at Backwoods Gallery in Melbourne (2016).
Image: Taj Kempe
42. JADE DOLMAN & SEANTELLE WALSH, UNTITLED, 2021
Location
87 Throssell Street, Collie
Description
This artwork represents the Ngangungudditj Walgu (hairy faced snake) who is the creator of the pools and waterways around Collie.
About the artist
The name J.D. Penangke comes from Jade Dolman’s initials and Penangke (pronounced pen-ung-gah) is her skin name which she inherited from her Father’s line. Jade is a Whadjuk/Balladong Nyoongar (Mother’s side), Eastern Arrernte (Father’s side) woman from Perth. She is a visual artist and remains connected to her culture through painting and family.
She has a passion for making a change through art for Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. Her purpose is to highlight that all land is traditional country which our ancestors have practiced culture on for thousands of years. Her murals and public art are a contemporary continuation of traditional culture. J.D. Penangke was officially started in 2014. In December 2017 she graduated from the University of Western Australia. Her degree is a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Indigenous Knowledge, History & Heritage and Fine Arts.
Seantelle Walsh is a young contemporary Noongar Artist, born and raised in Perth (Whadjuk country). She has worked across the Western Australian community under her trade name Kardy Kreations. She delivers painting workshops to various schools and organisations, encouraging cultural diversity with a contemporary perspective on Aboriginal Art and Culture.
Her mother’s paternal heritage has connection to the Perenjori Balardong area and her mother’s maternal ancestry connects with the Wilman Tribe from Gnaala Kala Boodja region. Seantelle identifies strongly with her culture and proudly displays connection through her work. Being the eldest of six children, she shares a strong sense of family and community.
Seantelle creates bespoke and commissioned pieces, both digitally and with acrylic paint on canvas or natural materials. Seantelle creates by drawing inspiration from what she sees and feels around her through her spirituality and what connects her back to Boodja (country).
Image: Jade Dolman
43. MIKAELA MILLER,
RIVER LINES, 2020
RIVER LINES, 2020
Location
Pump house, corner of Crampton Street and Steere Sreett S
Description
“River Lines speaks to the history and evolution of the stretch of Collie River that neighbours the Crampton St Pump House site, inspired by conversations with locals, news clippings from the 1964 Collie River flood, and research into the river’s ecology and management plans.
The story flows in three parts across the painted faces of the building, in a reflection of changing water levels and river health. It begins with the pre-European river environment; clear waters, prolific boronia and thriving jarrah forest. This is followed by a decline in water quality and fauna numbers as altered water flow and invasive species, such as nardoo weed, leave their impact. Then, the recovery begins and species such as gilgie return to healthier population numbers, and wildflowers like the Collie Grevillea can be nurtured and celebrated, as a balance is found between the natural and manufactured systems of the Collie River Valley.
This is the river’s journey in navigating competing recreational, commercial, cultural and ecological demands and thresholds, but it reflects much of Collie’s broader narrative and exists at a time where the town finds itself entering into a new chapter of its story. The scientific name for the Collie Grevillea, is Grevillea ripicola – where ‘ripicola’ roughly means ‘living by the bank of the river’.
I think this moment in time is a great opportunity for Collie to question what it means to live by the bank of the river, and to shape and champion what the privilege and responsibility of this lifestyle looks like.” Mikaela Miller
About the artist
Mikaela Miller is young Western Australian artist living in Walyallup/ Fremantle. Having trained in both design and community development, she works predominantly as a public artist, print maker and as an arts facilitator – running workshops and coordinating community art projects.
Mikaela’s work typically features native flora. She is fascinated by the variety and distribution of species around Australia, and the world. Her practice explores how endemic flowers can be both a complex and highly accessible subject matter to encourage viewers to consider place, identity and their relationship to the natural environment. These bright florals and her unique command of line, illustrating form and texture, can be found across metro and regional WA.
Her fascination with florals stem from her childhood – witnessing how her Grandfather’s prize-winning garden impacted the wider community and permeated simple human interactions. She learned how nature can enable generosity, joy, and connection. Her dedication to investigating species specific to each work’s locale is her way of understanding a place. In part, it reveals the character and vibrancy of that area. In part it can also help to unpack both the colonial and pre-colonial narratives there. Her innate curiosity, and passion for sustainability compel her to explore a place not only for what it is now, but also for what it once was, and what it could be (or could have been).
Mikaela has painted a variety of private commissions; large scale public works for local councils, developments and festivals; and coordinated a string of community murals – either working closely with youth and school groups or creatively engaging the broader community. Her studio works have been exhibited in solo and group shows around Perth & Fremantle.
Watch Video
Credit: Studio Orange
Images: Taj Kempe
44. PHIL GOATCHER, UNTITLED, 1922
Location
All Saints Church, 46 Venn Street W (inside)
Access
By appointment through the Collie Visitor Centre or Sunday service from 9am
Description
The mural contains thirty individuals, ten of which are taken from history and town local dignitaries of the time. It is 11m long, 2.45m high and was painted on a canvas in the artist’s Perth studio, before being secured to the wall of the apse. The painting embodies two ideas – that of the Communion of Saints, and that expressed by the text, “Come unto me all ye that Labour”. The mural is considered to be the most outstanding of Goatcher’s work.
The mural had extensive restoration carried out in 1996, by Mrs Barbara Cena, who worked 12 hour shifts with her helpers to complete the restoration in six weeks.
About the artist
This mural painted by Phil Goatcher (1852-1931) in 1922, at the age of 70, took eight months to complete at a cost of 500 pounds.
Image: Taj Kempe
45. KAREN SEWELL, JAX’S VISION, 2019
Location
Cnr Johnston Street & Atkinson Street (Jax Diner)
Description
This mural expresses the natural landscapes around Collie, as well as the coal and rail industries that have been an important part of the town. The black section at the bottom symbolises the coal industry that has built the town and the round house is included at the top to represent the future of tourism.
Collaborator: Tegan Sewell
Image: Taj Kempe
WAMBENGER TREASURE HUNT
12 brush-tailed phascoglaes are hiding on wlls around Collie’s town centre.
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Collie Visitor Centre
156 Throssell Street
Collie WA 6225
(08) 9734 2051
[email protected]
We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which the Collie Mural Trail is located,
the Wilman people of the Bibbulmun Nation, and pay our respects to Elders past and present.
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The Collie Mural Trail is an initiative of the State Government of Western Australia.
