Updated 2022
When urban art started to become a "thing" in Perth I did quite a bit of research about where the various artworks could be found. My main go to for this was the Streets of Perth interactive map and facebook page and over time I managed to draw a mud map to follow. My mud map sat around for a while as I was busy exploring other trails around Perth but one day it just fitted into my plans for the day. Usually we walk early in the morning but this time we set off in the late afternoon and Mt Lawley was buzzing with shoppers and the early beginnings of Beaufort Street night life.
We parked a little further away at the Bowling Club and walked the few minutes through the back streets to Walcott Street. As we emerged we could immediately see urban art on the walls of the Astor Theatre. Under the stairs Melski has painted Mt Lawley of old and on the walls are two beautiful ladies painted by Bec Abdy.
EDIT: In April 2022 we revisited Mt Lawley to check out some new artworks as part of the No More Blank Walls Laneway project. Some of the art was still a work in progress but you could see the potential of it and it was nice to see some of the artist's hard at work and to stop for a chat. Some of the art has replaced older murals - part of the ever changing mural art scene.
From here we crossed Beaufort Street to follow Kaata and Lois Lanes behind the businesses fronting Beaufort St. There are substantial artworks behind RTRFM and Planet Books with other artworks along the way heading to the Barlee Street carpark.
The Barlee Street carpark has it's own amazing mural by Jerome Davenport featuring the faces of locals and also features the colourful Beaufort Street sign. EDIT: the faces of Beaufort has been updated - no photos yet.
Back along Beaufort Street we took in the Tandem Riders sculpture at the corner of Vincent Street before heading back into Kaata Lane to find Melski's chihuahua.
At Harold Street we actually continued on to explore Highgate's urban art, looping through Hyde Park, but I have made that a separate blog. The Highgate sidetrip took us about an hour including Hyde Park. On our return we picked up the Mt Lawley trail again outside Cloud 9 Smoke Shop on the corner of Harold Street and Beaufort Street.
We followed Tramway Lane to Vincent Street and then backtracked along Beaufort Street to see if there was any art on the store fronts.
We turned left off Beaufort onto Chelmsford and then followed Boodja Lane which has so many artworks! These were painted as part of a major project by the Laneway Collective - every wall and garage door in the laneway was painted in 2014 to create a unique street art gallery. Here you will find murals painted by some of Perth's best street artists including Melski, Fieldey, Robert Jenkins, Paul Deej, Stormie Mills, James Giddy, Fergus McFudge, Amok Island and Brad Loafer. Sadly some of the lovely artworks have been tagged but many are still pristine!
At the end of Boodja Lane we turned right at Danker Lane, also home to murals including the fabulous Lemon Head! At Grosvenor Street we turned right and headed back to the IGA carpark where there is a massive Seinfeld mural by Paul Deej.
Across Grosvenor Road along Arnold Lane and the Raglan Road Car Park are some beautiful murals by Robert Lincoln, Paul Deej, Melski, Clara Fosca and Brenton See.
From Raglan Road we walked back along Walcott Street, passing another mural covered wall before returning to Beaufort Street having completed the loop. We wandered into the Astor Theatre Arcade and found some old cinema equipment and a lovely ceiling mural.
We also had a map for the art at Inglewood so started walking along Beaufort Street. When we came to Copley Park we decided it was getting too late, the light was going and it was a bit far so we meandered through leafy Copley Park which hosts a mural covered wall and a playground.
We then doubled back along Regent St East and Lawley Crescent to take in the beautiful buildings of Perth College...
and then ambled along the leafy green side streets, which afforded city views in the distance as the sun began to set, back to our car at the Bowling Club.
This walk took us about an hour all up. We spent 15 minutes wandering down to Harold Street where we continued on to explore the Highgate Urban Art and Hyde Park. When we were back at Harold Street we spent another 20 minutes exploring the art in the back streets, re-emerging at the Astor Theatre. The extra walk to Copley Park and Perth College took an additional 30 minutes. There is a lot of art around Mt Lawley but it is all close together so is easy to explore. Even with a well thought out plan we still missed many artworks. Some are located inside the restaurants and pubs so you might even come across a surprise artwork if you stop for a coffee, a meal or a drink!
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In the spirit of reconciliation Out and About- Family Nature Connection acknowledges the traditional owners of the Wadjak boodjar (Perth land) and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and emerging and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.