Look out Melbourne, Nambour murals bring long lost lustre to revitalise the town

Nambour’s walls, laneways and bridges are slowly becoming works of art with a group leading a determined push to bring back some long lost lustre to its streets.

Dotted around the once bustling heart of the Sunshine Coast are more than 30 works of art waiting to entice visitors back to the town of Nambour.

Tigers, flowers and even the old Nambour Saw Mill have earned a spot on the Street Art Trail.

The artworks were brought to life by two local women, Cherry Powell and Lorraine Taylor, who want to bring people back into the former CBD.

“We both wanted to give people a reason to come to Nambour and for those who left to come back to Nambour,” Ms Powell said.

“(It was) to lift Nambour’s image – I personally have been arguing for years that Nambour is a great place to live.”

A mural of the old Nambour saw mill is being created for the Nambour heritage trail by street artist Ross Holloway. Picture: Patrick Woods.

Mural artist Ross Holloway is one of many who have taken their talents sky high as part of the push.

The 31-year-old says he’s always been drawing and painting for as long as he can remember, starting larger scale murals just four years ago.

The process begins with a reference photo and then Mr Holloway divides the wall into grids before bringing the vision to life one spray can at a time.

His current project on Price Street behind Bridgestone will take three days to complete.

But it’s already attracted a lot of visitors.

The artist says he’s thrilled to be apart of the project after arriving on the Coast himself in 2007.

“I think it’s great, it’s good to see some nice artwork and brighten up the town,” Mr Holloway said.

“It’s good to have something eye catching and not the crappy little tags.

“The whole piece will be in black and white from a very old photo so I’m doing my best with getting all the details right.”

Street Artist Ross Holloway is almost finished his newest work of art in Nambour. Picture: Patrick Woods.

The duo is hoping the 30 strong trail, with ten additional pieces to come will bring a sense of pride and lustre back to the town.

“We just want the best for Nambour and we want to make it shine,” Ms Powell said.

It’s been a hard slog for the Nambour women who have had to source funding privately to bring their creations to life.

“It’s been very difficult with funding,” Ms Powell said.

“We see it being like Hosier Lane in Melbourne and we’re hoping the art will get people walking and into our small businesses, that’s the main goal.”