About the Walking Route

Colourful murals and incredible sky-high portraits can be found at almost every turn in Adelaide. Spend a day exploring the city’s laneways, nooks and iconic buildings to uncover the artwork by locals and artists from all over the world.

The walk includes 25 sites of street art around the East End of Adelaide.

Suitable for walking or cycling.

View other street art trails in this collection.

Street Art sites

1. David Gulpill mural
   Artist: Thomas Readett and Laura Paige, 2021, acrylic paint
   Celebrates the life and work of Yol?u actor, dancer, singer and painter David Gulpilil. Designed by Ngarrindjeri man Thomas Readett with Laura Paige and includes image of a young Gulpilil in 1978 from 3 Dances Gulpilil, and a portrait from the 2006 movie Ten Canoes.
   This mural was commissioned by ABCG Film in collaboration with Tandanya.
   Thomas Readett is an Established Artist and a Ngarrindjeri/Arrernte man who was born and raised on Kaurna Country (Adelaide, SA) where he continues to practice and live.
   Tandanya (eastern wall of), East Terrace, Adelaide SA 5000

2. Ophelia
   Artist: Jimmy C
   Born in Adelaide. Goes between London and Adelaide. Started out in 1988. Pointillist style – layers of spraypainted dots.
   Vardon Avenue (junction of East Terrace), Adelaide SA 5000

3. Zaluuokhin
   Artist: Fin Dac
   From Cork, lived mostly in London. Self taught non conformist, influences from graphic novels
   Atypical paint/stencil style he calls Urban Aesthetics, a modern day take on a 19th Century Art movement. Known for painting Asian/ ethnic women in an unusual spray paint style. Intriguing eyes. Took 3 days to create and is part of his hidden beauty series.
   23-16 Vardon Ave, Adelaide SA 5000

4. Exeter Hotel
   Artist unknown
   Vaughan Place (off Rundle Street), Adelaide SA 5000

5. Laneway behind Howling Owl Café
   Artist: Jimmy C, 2017
   10 Vaughan Place (behind café, towards Rundle Street), Adelaide SA 5000

6. The Alien Saturn
   Artists Carol Ruff of Sydney and Barbary O’Brien of Middleton, South Australia created the initial work in 1984. It depicted an old man watching a child on a bicycle to represent the link between older and younger generations. In 1998, Adelaide City Council and Rundle Street Traders commissioned artist and DJ Driller Jet Armstrong to manage and paint over the mural while complementing the original work.
   Armstrong recruited local artists David Bromley (now of Byron Bay, New South Wales), Brettski, Andrew Parish (now of Cape Jervis, South Australia), Andrew Petrusevics, and Barbary O’Brien herself. The rejuvenated mural builds on the previous theme-connections between adolescence and elderly age-by exploring the child’s experience of growing up in an environment full of possibility. Futuristic details like the alien and the girl in a spacecraft, a train on Saturn’s outer rings and a flying figure of a male head on a bicycle, enhance this concept and add a surreal element to the message. Armstrong and his collaborators thus built on Ruff and O’Brien’s 1984 theme of connections between generations by adding commentary on the wonderment of childhood and plethora of possibility in imagination.
   30 Frome Street (corner of Rundle Street), Adelaide SA 5000

7. POPPIN
   Artist: Seb Humphreys @order 55
   Seb Humphreys is an Australian visual artist known for his large scale mural work and sculptures that explore the intersection of nature and the modern urbanized world. As a mural artist, Humphreys goes under the moniker ‘Order55’ and is recognised internationally for his distinctive style of transparently layered abstract paintings. He has many public works throughout Europe and the Americas, as well as many successful projects over the last 15 years operating in Australia and New Zealand.
   The Adelaide artist Order 55, is intrigued by the relationships between geometric forms and the growth patterns within nature. Finding an aesthetic balance between these two forces is a common thread of his work.
   Synagogue Place, Adelaide SA 5000

8. Synagogue Place
   5 Synagogue Place, Adelaide SA 5000

9. Hindmarsh Square/Mukata Playground (Emo Park)
   The play space was an innovative collaboration between artists Ryan Sims, Gerry Wedd with landscape architects Taylor Cullity Lethlean.
   Back yard sculptures: A discarded thong. A running hose. A lonesome peg, and blades of grass. It’s the scene of a fairly usual backyard, right? Not quite. Hindmarsh Square playground is one of Adelaide’s strangest play spaces, with sculptures of an oversized garden replacing the usual swings or slides.
   Corner of Pultney Street & Grenfell Street, Adelaide SA 5000

10. Hyde Street Mural – Vans the Omega
    Tribute to Clint Kenneally well-known Adelaide skate boarder from Adelaide, active since 90s, travelled but feels at home in Adelaide. Colourful portraits that stand out on city walls.
    Hyde St, Adelaide SA 5000 (junction of Grenfell St)

11. Groovy for your feet!
    18 Chesser St, Adelaide SA 5000 (corner of French St)

12. Coromandel Place
    Artists: Jimmy C, Order 55, Elizabeth Close, Aurelia Carbone and Mimby Jones Robinson
    27-25 Coromandel Pl, Adelaide SA 5000

13. Fred Rock and Joshua Smith
    Located in carpark, off laneway that goes east-west between Chesser St and Coromandel Pl, 40m north of Pirie Street.
    Enter laneway via 27-25 Coromandel Pl, Adelaide SA 5000
    Or enter laneway via 29 Chesser St, Adelaide SA 5000

14. Rhino Room, Mike Maka
    Hyde Steet, northern end near 131 Pirie St, Adelaide SA 5000

15. SYNC
    At back of Rhino Room building, just north of 54 Hyde St, Adelaide SA 5000

16. Let your hair down, Frome Street Mural
    Artist: Leah Grant
    Adelaide Fringe Street Art Explosion, 2018
    Leah Grant is a street artist, designer, illustrator and educator based in Adelaide. Her work is bright, colourful and uplifting. She explores the textures and colours of various mediums, focusing most recently with aerosol and ceramics.
    Her approach is energetic yet emanates a peaceful, reflective mood. Drawing on her own life experiences, relationships and emotions, Leah produces work that is intended to challenge others.
    Leah graduated with a Bachelor of Visual Arts from Federation University in 2009, later completing a Diploma of Education (Secondary) in 2012. She is passionate about education that develops creativity, innovation and experimentation. Leah uses her own practice to inspire and encourage her students.
    155 Frome St, Adelaide SA 5000

17. Dawkins Place Mural
    Muriel Matters, Claire Foxton
    In January 2018, as part of the Adelaide Fringe Street Art Explosion program, artist Claire Foxton was engaged to create a new mural to honour Muriel Matters – adding to the City of Adelaide’s rich tapestry of public artworks.
    Muriel Matters is recognised as the first woman to speak in the House of Commons after chaining herself to the grille of the Ladies’ Gallery in the British House of Commons on 28 October 1908. Muriel’s non-violent protest brought to light the oppressive symbol this iron gate held in separating women from taking part in parliamentary debate. In her best elocutionist voice, she proclaimed: “The women of England demand the vote, for too long we have been kept behind this grille.” – Muriel Matters
    Muriel served a month’s imprisonment at Holloway Gaol for her actions, considered to be wilfully obstructing London Police. The sentence did nothing to dampen her spirits. On 16 February 1909, the gumptious 31-year-old took to London’s skies in the world’s first airborne protest – travelling in what was known as a dirigible (an early form of hot air balloon) emblazoned with the words: Votes for Women. Muriel distributed the equivalent of 25kg of WFL flyers to pedestrians below, attempting to intercept the British Houses of Parliament. Her innovative advertising campaign made newspaper headlines everywhere!
    Muriel Matters travelled back to her homeland of Australia between May and July 1910, running a lecture series across the country, including our very own Adelaide Town Hall. She visited four states in Australia and spoke to thousands in packed theatres. Advertisements lauded Miss Muriel Matters as: That Daring Australian Girl and The Lady of the Grille, England’s Foremost Woman Orator.
    She returned to London to discover the fight for the vote was becoming more violent and corrupt. Muriel had no interest in a military campaign and instead turned her efforts to helping those in need.
    On 15 October 1914, aged 36, she married Dr William Arnold Porter and became Muriel Matters-Porter; the couple had no children. In 1916, she attended a training course by Maria Montessori in Barcelona, Spain, which began her commitment to Montessori and alternative education. In 1922, she returned to Australia once more to run a lecture series on the merits of Montessori education. Two years later she ran as a Labour candidate for a seat in Hastings, British Parliament General Elections. Although unsuccessful, Muriel’s actions are evidence of her deep belief in women’s right to be heard and at the forefront of decision-making. She lived in Hastings until her death on 17 November 1969, aged 92.
    Opposite 44 Dawkins Pl, Adelaide SA 5000

18. Carpark off Moger Place
    Wings
    Artist: Tamara Huntington
    Tamara makes and sells wings for anyone to wear. These wings have amazing texture.
    14 Moger Lane, Adelaide SA 5000

19. Rainbow Goddess, Moger Lane
    Artist: Mimby Jones Robinson
    Located at northern end of lane near Tam-O-Shanter Place, 20 Moger Ln, Adelaide SA 5000

20. Back of Crown and Anchor Hotel
    Back of hotel adjacent multi-level carpark driveway entrance. 9 Union St, Adelaide SA 5000

21. Sym Choon Lane
    Sym Choon Lane which was named after Miss Gladys Sym Choon, the first woman to incorporate her business in South Australia in 1928.
    The portrait art on the building is of the late Joff Chappel, a well-known Adelaide identity, who together with partner Razak Mohammed, took over the legendary fashion store in 1985, and was the face of the store until his death in 2020. This mural was also painted by Nick Phillips.
    Other artwork on this building is by Cam Kerr and on the end wall of the building is a mural by Matt Stuckey.
    Sym Choon Ln, Adelaide SA 5000

22. East, Ebenezer Place
    “East”
    The Laneway, 4/10 Ebenezer Pl, Adelaide SA 5000

23. The Apron sculpture
    Sculpture artist: Karen Genoff, 1997
    The sculpture acknowledges the heritage of this precinct which was once home to the East End fruit and vegetable markets. The sculpture is a cast bronze reconstruction of an apron hung up to signify the end of the working day and the market’s closure. Around the base of the sculpture are more symbols with bronze market crates and vegetables.
    Vardon Avenue pedestrian walkway, between Ebenezer Place and Vardon Avenue, Adelaide SA 5000

24. Mural of Frank Vaiana
    Southern end of Franks Lane (near Vardon Avenue)
    Artist: Nick Phillips
    The mural acknowledges the contribution to the city by Frank, a local barber who has been a fixture in the city since arriving in Australia in 1957. As a 17 year old, he opened a barber shop in the same year he arrived and has been trading ever since. The lane was named in his honour too and the artwork commissioned as part of the Adelaide Fringe Festival in 2016.
    Franks Lane is between 26 Vardon Avenue (Mother Vine) and 281 Rundle Street (La Taberna), Adelaide SA 5000

25. Honoring Jamie Goldsmith
    Northern end of Franks Lane (near Rundle Street)
    Artist: Jimmy C and Elizabeth Close
    Elizabeth is a Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara woman from the APY Lands in Central Australia. Now based in Adelaide, Elizabeth’s arts practice has evolved from canvas beginnings to now also include large scale public art and digital design. Elizabeth’s work is a unique and distinct fusion of contemporary and traditional Aboriginal Art, using vivid warmth to convey the landscape of the APY while also drawing upon socio-political themes of identity, forced removal policies, loss of culture and intergenerational trauma.
    Franks Lane is between 26 Vardon Avenue (Mother Vine) and 281 Rundle Street (La Taberna), Adelaide SA 5000