Much-loved North Melbourne mural painted over

The painting-over of a popular North Melbourne mural has prompted bewilderment from those involved in creating it as well as for many members of the community who regarded it as a precious local landmark.

The City of Melbourne and the North & West Melbourne Precinct Association (NWMPA), which funded and organised the mural project, were reportedly both taken unawares when it was painted over on June 22, although according to the council it was always intended to be temporary.

NWMPA president Sylvia Hungria wrote on social media that she was saddened by the loss of the “much-loved neighbourhood feature”.

The association had invested in the project “in good faith, with the aim of beautifying the neighbourhood and creating a public artwork that the community could enjoy," she said.

Adrian Doyle from Blender Studios, who designed and painted the work with his studio mate Matt Hannah (Maha) in 2023, said he had been very upset to learn it had been “buffed”.

“I don't get why they did it,” he said. “People really liked that one.”

“I had so many people contact me about it so angry.”

The mural was located in both Doyle's and in Maha's own neighbourhood.

As the street artist pointed out, the recently white-painted wall has since been adorned with graffiti tags.

Although he couldn’t recall the mural’s exact cost, he estimated it would have been around $10,000, factoring in the hire of two scissor lifts and the services of a specialist anti-graffiti fixer, in addition to paint and the artists’ fee.

“It was a big production,” he said, of the “really beautiful, really colourful” work, which featured Christmas beetles as part of a Christmas theme as well as waratahs, native birds, and gumnuts.

“We worked for ages getting the composition down.”

The threat to the mural seems to have begun when the building’s former tenants, who were very supportive of it, were forced to close their 7 Eleven after a car crashed into the shop on November 25 last year.

Doyle said he was proudly pointing out his mural to people at a winter solstice party on Errol St on June 21 and being told that everyone loved it.

“The next day someone sent me a photo of it getting buffed.”

There have been suggestions that the building’s owner is planning to replace the wildlife scene with another mural.

North West City News made multiple attempts to contact the owner to find out more but received no response.

“I have a feeling it'll be advertising or a billboard or something, and I hope the City of Melbourne doesn't give them the permit,” Doyle said.

Sylvia Hungria said she hoped whatever was planned for the site would “continue the same “spirit of placemaking and community benefit”.

“It would be unfortunate to lose such a prominent cultural landmark to a purely commercial display, especially when the wall has demonstrated the value that public art can bring to our suburb,” she said.

However, according to Doyle, the expensive anti-graffiti coating applied to the mural meant it would be possible to bring it back.

“On the plus side, if enough people made a fuss about it, all that paint could be cleaned off, and underneath, the mural probably wouldn't be that damaged,” he said.

“We could fix it as it was; it wouldn't be a big deal.” •