Two bus shelters in Gwynneville and Keiraville have been given a vibrant new lease on life as part of Wollongong City Council's graffiti prevention program.
Last week, established artist Mandy Schöne-Salter, known as MAN.De, completed two murals on the popular stops on Murphys Avenue and Gipps Road.
Man.De is widely recognised for her vibrant works that celebrate the unique flora and fauna of Australia, bringing elements of the natural works into public spaces.
Over the past year, her work has reached international audiences through mural projects at the Ede Street Art Festival in Netherlands, Sommernachtstraum in Germany, and the Springbeast Festival in Sweden. Closer to home, she has also completed several notable public arworks including the International Women's Day mural in Kiama, Winmalee Village Mural and WAO Mural in Sydney.
Through her murals, MAN.De continues to transform everyday spaces into colourful, nature-inspired artworks that celebrate biodiversity while enriching local communities.
"I'm sure the local community will find these murals a welcome upgrade on the plain blue-grey metal shelters that were here previously,'' Lord Mayor of Wollongong Councillor Tania Brown said.
"They certainly bring charm and character to the streetscape, while also performing an important function to discourage graffiti which can be unsightly and is certainly unwelcome.''
Working with artists on murals in public spaces is one way Council is looking to reduce tagging and other forms of graffiti.
"There is a great deal of research that has been done on graffiti prevention and having public spaces like bus shelters, community buildings and traffic signal boxes decorated with artworks is an established way of discouraging vandalism and making areas feel safer,'' Cr Brown said.
"These recent additions in Keiraville and Gwynneville continue this positive work.''
Cr Brown said as part of Council's focus on minimising graffiti in public spaces, our crews work hard to maintain our facilities.
"We always encourage people to report illegal graffiti in public spaces, whether it's on Council-owned or managed property, or on assets belonging to other utilities and agencies such as Transport for NSW, Australia Post, Sydney Water, Telstra or Endeavour Energy," Cr Brown said.
"Reports can be made either to us online through our website, by calling Council on 4227 7111, or directly to the relevant utility provider. We can provide advice on whose responsibility it is if you're unsure. It's also important to report illegal graffiti to the Police Assistance Line on 131 444 as it is a criminal offence.''
Cr Brown said by reporting graffiti as soon as it's seen we're able to coordinate its removal in a timely manner, especially if it's graffiti of an offensive nature.
For graffiti on private property, we have free graffiti removal kits which can be picked up from Council. Alternatively, we recommend trying household cleaning products like dishwashing or laundry liquid, eucalyptus oil or mineral turpentine.
