What a shame: Steve Irwin street art is erased

OUR SAY: TOOWOOMBA’S First Coat art festival has garnered accolades from all over Australia.

The mural piece on Neil St of Steve Irwin, painted by American artist Mark Paul Deren in 2015 for the First Coat Festival in Toowoomba. Picture: Mark Paul Deren

OUR SAY: TOOWOOMBA'S First Coat art festival has garnered accolades from all over Australia.

The resulting public art has further enhanced our city's liveability and its reputation as one of Australia's finest cities.

So it was disappointing yesterday to discover that the mural of Aussie larrikin and environmental icon Steve Irwin had been erased.

Contractors yesterday finished covering up the visible street art piece on the side of the 1 Neil St building.

The mural was painted by acclaimed American artist Mark Paul Deren for the 2015 First Coat Festival.

It is understood a contractor called Switch in a Box will open in the unoccupied commercial property in February, and will paint its own business details on the side.

The art community made the point that street art is always ephemeral.

The pieces are guaranteed for only a year but it seems a shame that this well-loved bit of street art will make way for the more mundane details of an electrical components business.

GONE: A mural of Australian icon Steve Irwin, painted in 2015 by American artist Mark Paul Deren, has been painted over to make way for a new development. Picture: Tom Gillespie

Originally published as What a shame: Steve Irwin street art is erased