A fight over a mural has put a frog in my suburb’s throat

Murrumbeena. It doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue. Apparently, this vowel-heavy, four-syllabled moniker means “land of frogs” in the language of the Boon Wurrung people, and residents here have embraced that charming idea. All around the suburb you’ll find frog murals and frog symbols, supposedly inspired by the amphibians that once poured out from the nearby Gardiners Creek.

That said, some think the Indigenous name didn’t mean land of frogs at all, but refers to an Aboriginal elder, or to “moss that grows on decaying wood”, an image which doesn’t work quite as well on the front of a postcard.

But, as of this week, you’ll find fewer charming frogs in Murrumbeena. Last Wednesday, a big bright mural, The Story of Big Frog, a series of panels created by artist Anthony Breslin during the COVID-19 pandemic, and installed on the corner of Railway Parade and Murrumbeena Road, was unexpectedly and unceremoniously removed under orders of the property’s owner.

Breslin, a former local, is furious, as are many other ’Beena residents, about the sudden loss of the landmark work that had been created over 18 months with the support of the Glen Eira Council, the Rotary club and public donations.

The owner told Nine News that having discovered the depth of feeling, he would allow the mural to be reinstated. We wait, with fingers crossed. Meanwhile, another of Breslin’s colourful works, Frogtopia, can be found in Attwood Lane.

This latest drama is out of character for my quiet suburb, nestled between the brasher Carnegie, with its high rises and thriving restaurant scene, and Oakleigh, with its vibrant Greek culture. If people are unaware of where it is, I can say “right near Chaddy” – that ever-expanding shopping destination – and people nod instantly.

Among other claims to fame, the RACV once revealed Murrumbeena as having the worst railway crossing in Melbourne. My children and I can attest to this, remembering well the morning when we waited for 16 trains to pass and were 45 minutes late to school. That taught us for living on the wrong side of the tracks.

Thankfully, the divisive sky rail wars are over, and whatever side you were on, physically and ideologically, north and south Murrumbeena are now united and easily accessible. The sky rail bike path is enjoyed by cyclists, joggers, walkers and the less-welcome lawless e-scooter commuters.

Real estate agents claim that Neerim Road is the “Toorak end of Murrumbeena”. It is there that you will find stately homes on generous blocks. My husband and I would drive down this fancy street and enjoy the dip in the road near Tuckett Street, and say, “Imagine living here!”

In 1996, although we had only seen our house once as the auction progressed, we realised it was within our limits. A home on the hill of Wahroongaa Road, not quite Neerim Road, but close.

Our young children were thrilled to run around the landscaped gardens. These days, the garden is a little less neat, but children still enjoy the stone paths, and our four adult offspring seem to move out, live overseas, and then come home, back to ’Beena.

There’s a (night cart) lane at the back of our house, which was often used by the children as a cricket pitch, for treasure hunts and now as a shortcut to the station, saving a good 90 seconds.

McMansions and modern dual-occupancy homes are creeping into the area, but many streets retain an old-world charm with art deco Californian bungalows built between the wars. Close to Duncan McKinnon Oval, the Beauville Estate is protected by the National Trust.

Boyd Park cuts through the suburb, following the path of the Outer Circle railway line that ran from Oakleigh to Fairfield. Built in the late 1880s, it operated only for a few years. A railway linking the outer suburbs: now there’s an idea!

The late Arthur Boyd once called Murrumbeena home.Credit: Robert Pearce

Murrumbeena has a rich artistic history. It was in Wahroongaa Crescent that Merric Boyd, the father of Arthur Boyd and the Boyd dynasty, built the “Open Country” artist colony. Sadly, a lack of protections meant it is now a large block of flats.

Nearby Springthorpe Gardens bears stone gates, the last remnants of the Old Melbourne Hospital – the first public hospital in Melbourne – built in the 1840s. It was donated to J.W. Springthorpe, a physician at the hospital, who bought the garden estate “Joyous Gard” in 1909. Springthorpe was a confidante and physician to the Boyd family and the reason the Boyds bought in Murrumbeena.

That cultural connection has continued. Nick Cave lived here for some time during his teens, and Vance Joy grew up here, too. Heck, TISM had their first gig at the Duncan Mackinnon Reserve clubrooms in 1983.

’Beena is well-equipped for sport, with not one, but two bowls clubs, two tennis clubs and a new clubhouse for the football and netball club. Murrumbeena Football Club was the starting club for several VFL/AFL stars, including Hall of Famer Robert Flower.

These days, the garden is a little less neat, but children still enjoy the stone paths, and our four adult offspring seem to move out, live overseas, and then come home, back to ’Beena.

Murrumbeena High School got the axe under the Kennett government, but there are two primary schools.

Alas, even though it has a heritage overlay, Murrumbeena village is not what it once was. The closure of the Attwood Newsagency, the hub and heart and soul of our area for decades, was widely lamented. The site of the former IGA supermarket also remains vacant, as VCAT and developers struggle to reach agreement on the height and scope of the housing and shops proposed. While the greengrocer also closed, community-minded folk run a fortnightly fruit and vegie co-op providing a friendly service for locals, and a resident has opened a welcome grocery store.

We do not have a butcher or a dry cleaner any more, but we do have our very own wine bar.

In a handful of train stops, we can get to the CBD, which makes Murrumbeena virtually inner city. And while I have never seen, or even heard, a single live frog in the area, Murrumbeena is small, arty, sporty, friendly and a perfect place to call home. Just as long as the Chaddy car park doesn’t get any closer and we don’t lose any more of our beloved frogs.

Murrumbeena resident Mary-Jane Boughen is a secondary teacher and volunteer at Sacred Heart Mission.

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