Victoria’s Chandler Highway upgrade gets a new bridge mural

Friday, June 14, 2019

A huge new collaborative art piece, painted by local and Wurundjeri artists, has been unveiled along the Chandler Highway bridge in Victoria underpass.

The continuous 60-metre-long artwork is now complete which reflects the cultural heritage of the Yarra River and its ongoing importance to the Aboriginal community.

Primary artists Ash Firebrace and Tom Civil were selected to create the public piece having previously worked together on projects at Heidelberg Magistrates’ Court and a 150-metre-long mural beside the Maribyrnong River.

Created in consultation with Aboriginal elders, the design celebrates the local flora and fauna and tells the Wurundjeri story as told by Barak of how the Yarra River was formed.
Now complete, the artwork which took four weeks to create, has been treated with an anti-graffiti coating to ensure it is protected against vandalism and can be enjoyed by the public for years to come.

The underpass connects with a new ramp from the Main Yarra Trail to Yarra Boulevard which also opened today and replaces 70 steps ensuring safer access for both cyclists and pedestrians. Landscaping work will be completed later this year.

The new bridge was opened to traffic in October 2018 with all six lanes opening in mid-March 2019, providing the 44,000 motorists who travel over the bridge every day with travel time savings of as much as 10 minutes.

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