Queen makes triumphant return to Sunbury

Decades after they were booed offstage in Melbourne’s northwest, a group of rock icons are making a special return. So, where can you catch it?

Artist Danielle Weber and Villawood executive director Rory Costelloe mark Queen’s triumphant return to Sunbury. Picture: Nicole Cleary

Four decades after they were booed in Sunbury, a group of rock icons are making a big return.

A huge mural honouring the rock legends Queen will soon be unveiled near the site of the Sunbury Pop Festival, where the band played in 1974.

Crowds booed the “Pommy w......” at the festival but they soldiered on.

At the end of the set, a defiant Freddie Mercury told crowds Queen would become “the best band in the world”.

The mural has been a collaboration between Villawood Properties and artist Danielle Weber.

Ms Weber, whose work went viral after portraits of Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and Arnold Schwarzenegger earned praise from both celebrities online, said this was her biggest work to date.

Danielle Weber gets to work on her project, which she said was her biggest to date.

The 8m by 16m canvas facing Sunbury Rd could be seen by up to 18,000 motorists daily.

“To me this is significant because it represents hardships artists can face and how they can turn this around,” Ms Weber said.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for any artist and I really appreciate Villawood trusting me with the scale of the mural knowing it’s the biggest one I have done so far.”

Crowds at the Sunbury Pop Festival in 1974.

Villawood executive director Rory Costelloe said the mural would sit alongside the company’s development around Redstone Hill and was aimed at sparking plenty of conversation.

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“Art provides a genuine opportunity to connect, promote thought and inspire, which the team at Villawood believes to be necessary for creating thriving and vibrant communities,” he said.

“That’s what this ‘community canvas’ is about.”