“If you haven’t already heard, last week the Maryborough Mural Project won Silver for the Best Street Art Trail in the Australian Street Art Awards” said Elizabeth Lowrie a co-founder of the project. “This is a major achievement for our community, Maryborough businesses and our volunteers. Late last year the mural project completed its 38th Mural reaching the critical mass necessary to attract major numbers of tourists to the city. We modelled our project on Chemainus in Canada and Sheffield in Tasmania, which attract 600,000 and 200,000 visitors respectively each year.”
“We will still produce a small number of additional murals, but the major focus of the project’s work now, will be to publicize the trail. We are in the second phase of the project – let people know we have fantastic art in Maryborough. This work is imperative to fulfilling the main aim of the project – attracting large numbers of visitors to the city to increase its wealth. The mural trail is a community asset worth around $1.2m,” explained Deborah Hannam, the other co-founder.
The Project has been working with the University of the Sunshine Coast on a publicity plan which it will implement this year. Residents and businesses will play a pivotal role in making this new work a huge success.
The project is asking everyone in the community to “Talk it up and do the trail” to get behind Maryborough and help by:
- becoming a volunteer, we have vacancies for admin officer, grants officer, tour guides, lighting coordinator and trail publicity;
- increasing the city’s exposure by sharing our site to their business and personal contacts on their Facebook page, through email and also group SMS etc – ask their personal or business contacts to also share;
- being an informal ambassador and advertise our murals and the city when you travel;
- walking the trail, and if you have visitors be sure to take them on the trail;
- sharing your trail photos on #maryboroughmuralproject #visitfrasercoast #
The Maryborough Mural Project Trail of 38 Murals is an easy Covid friendly 2 kilometre walk around Maryborough’s CBD. Visit our website or Facebook page for details or drop into the Maryborough Town Hall Visitors Centre for a self-guided map.
“Uncle Wilfie” mural at the Maryborough Military and Colonial Museum
Indigenous soldier Wilfred Walter Reeves who completed active service in the 39th Infantry Battalion on the Kokoda Trail in PNG in 1942
Photo by Robert Waye
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Elizabeth Lowrie Deborah Hannam |
0417 111 214 / Committee.liz@maryboroughmuralproject.org 0458 075 858 / Committee.deb@maryboroughmuralproject.org |
