Townsville Street Art - Top Free Thing to do in Townsville

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At Budget Travel Talk we are all about free Townsville activities and a top free thing to do in Townsville is finding and enjoying Townsville Street Art. Townsville City Council has encouraged Street Art as a way of invigorating the City Centre and subsequently the City has a vibrant array of commissioned and non-commissioned art.

You will hear a few well known names mentioned when talking Townsville street art, namely HAHA, ROA, Fintan Magee, Kennie Deaner, Lee Harnden or the Run Collective. This post talks about the artists and where to find their works.

Street Art Townsville first appeared on my personal radar after visiting Hoi Polloi Cafe a hidden gem in Denham Lane one of Townsville’s street art hotspots.

Townsville City Council has prepared an Artists Toolkit, to help street artists create legal street art in Townsville and a Street Art Map and walking trail.

Townsville Street Art by Artist

Ha Ha Street Artist

Who: Regan Ha Ha Tamanui
From: Melbourne Australia.
Where: Denham Lane Townsville
When: 2015

Ha Ha Denham Lane

His 2015 stencil art in Denham Lane is a series of 23 stencil portraits approx. 1m square, showcasing some well known local people like golfer Greg Norman, swimmer Libby Trickett and Model Rachel Finch amongst others. I did notice Regan included his iconic Ned Kelly stencil in the mix.

Ha Ha says “Street Art is the people’s Voice”.

He taught himself to cut stencils with both hands to improve productivity. At first right handed, he now draws and writes with both and it only took one week to achieve.

Fintan Magee Street Artist

Who: Fintan Magee
From: Brisbane Australia
Where: City Lane Townsville
When: 2014

The Tower by Fintan Magee

In 2014 international artist Fintan Magee hailing from West End Brisbane, was commissioned by Lancini Property in consultation with Perc Tucker Gallery, to paint “The Tower” in City Lane. Fintan originally worked graffiti style with spray paint but now uses house paint as his medium. Starting as a self taught graffiti artist he then attended art school. This work took 4.5 days to complete.

Fintan Magee says “street art brings art to the broader community”

The inspiration for Magees surrealist painting in City Lane “The Tower” was experiences in the Queensland floods and the community spirit he saw. With the devastating flood Townsville experienced in 2019, this work has proven relevant.

Lee Harnden Local Street Artist

It’s not often that anyone gets to paint a 10m tall street painting of their friend and mentor, but that is exactly what Lee Harnden did in City Lane Townsville. The subject Garth Jankovic, nick named “The Smizler” is another Townsville artist and teacher who collaborated with Nicky Bidju Pryor on Girrougul and the Soap Tree.

Who: Lee Harnden
From: Townsville
Where: City Lane
When: December 2014

The Smizler by Lee Harnden

Kennie Deaner Local Street Artist

Who: Kennie Deaner
From: Townsville
Where: Agora House Denham Lane
When: Early 2014

Kennie Deaner Denham Lane

Kennie Deaner is one of the Street Artists whose works adorn Denham Lane near Hoi Polloi Cafe.

Untitled by Kennie Deaner

Self taught local street artist Kennie Deaner, combines a portrait of Captain William Howard Smith with his traditional graffiti style paintings with flair. Agora House (1910) was built for use by shipping company Howard Smith & Co.Ltd.

Kennie Deaner says “I want people to enjoy street art – to say WOW”

Kennie first became interested in aerosol street art as a teenager in Brisbane.

ROA Street Artist

Who: ROA likes to remain anonymous
From: Ghent Belgium
Where: Cowboys Leagues Club Carpark, Sturt Street
When: 2015

Croc and Turtle by ROA Sturt Street

Born in the mid to late 70’s, ROA is a product of the 80’s. His street artistry career started with throw ups beneath bridges or on the walls of Ghent.

When his creativity took a dive he drew on his fascination with animals and came back with enthusiasm. Portrayed in black and white, his focus is native animals and how they share their environment with humans.

With a resurgent crocodile population and a under threat turtle population, ROA could not have chosen better for Townsville North Queensland in this mural.

Who: ROA
From: Ghent Belgium
Where: Ogden Street Townsville
When: 2015

Goanna by ROA Ogden Street Townsville

ROA was inspired to create this Goanna, standing tall and holding his tail between his front legs when he was invited to an indigenous campfire gathering where a Goanna was cooked and eaten.

Sugar Glider by ROA Denham Lane Townsville

Who: ROA
From: Ghent Belgium
Where: Denham Lane Car Park
When: 2015

In Denham Lane Car Park near Hoi Polloi Coffee Shop, ROA painted a Sugar Glider in Black and White (his trademark colours). A sugar glider is a possum that glides or flies between trees in the North Queensland rainforest.

From a distance it looks very much like a rodent sitting on, and draping his tail across the car tops. Actually the glider is sitting atop some power boxes, chained to a water pipe.

ROA prides himself on choosing the right position for his works and in this case he also shows a quirky sense of humour.

The glider’s hair looks textured and it has some inner organs exposed – another of ROA’s style traits. He was attracted to painting a sugar glider because of it’s uniqueness as an omnivore that could fly.

Baby Guerilla Street Artist

Who: Baby Guerilla
From: Melbourne Australia
Where: Ogden Street Townsville
When: August 2016

Perpetual Motion by Baby Guerilla near ROA’s Goanna in Ogden Street

Baby Guerilla specialises in Paste Ups which for the uninitiated are artworks pre-done on a medium such as paper or cardboard and then pasted up on walls.

Commissioned by the Townsville City Council,

Baby Guerilla says: “Drawing on walls is a beautiful challenge… the challenge of space and constraints, defying gravity, dancing with gravity.“

This paste-up is about diving and the feeling of separation it produces.

Beastman Street Artist

Who: Bradley Eastman
From: Sydney Australia
Where: Ogden Street Townsville
When: August 2016

Convergency by Beastman can be found in Ogden Street near ROA’s Goanna and Perpetual Motion by Baby Guerilla

This mural called Converge or Convergence, is influenced by Growth Patterns and Lines in Natural Landscape. Commissioned by Townsville City Council it explores the colours of North Queensland.

Hafleg Street Artist

Who: Hafleg
From: Darwin Northern Territory
Where: Townsville Police Station, Cnr. Stanley & Sturt Streets, Townsville CBD
When: March 2020

Turtles by Hafleg on Townsville Police Station

Professional Artist Hafleg is an indigenous street artist who comes from an Island Off Darwin. He drew on his knowledge of home that could translate and be meaningful to Townsville and Magnetic Island, hence his subjects of turtles and marine stingers.

Hafleg sought to bring some colour and brightness to the subdued colour of the building

He certainly achieved that with this eye-catching work.

Leans Street Artist

Who: Leans
From: Buenos Aires
Where: Ogden Street Townsville
When: 2017

Leans Ogden Street Townsville

Leans interpretation of Townsville’s ecosystem, portrayed on a mustard coloured wall in Ogden Street. The mural delves into the Great Barrier Reef, coral and fish, fruits, characterised by a hibiscus wearing woman above an underwater world.

The Run Collective Street Artists

Who: The Run Collective a group of multi-disciplinary Townsville Artists
From: Townsville
Where: Ogden Street on the side of the Leans Mother Earth Building
When: 2017

The Run Collective Space Trails

A surreal mix of Outer Space planets and colourful clouds. The clouds leak and form a trail of UFO’s patterns and even eyes.

Look at the side of the building, not the front.

Tellas Street Artist

Who: Tellas
From: Rome, Italy
Where: Federation Place, 50 Sturt Street, Townsville
When: June 2017

Tellas Sturt Street Townsville

A big blue and white mural by Tellas called The Barrier, adorns the side wall of Federation Place (1889) Townsville. His tribute of natural elements in abstract form is of the Great Barrier Reef, which sadly is predicted to disappear if global warming continues unhindered.

Born and raised in the wild natural landscape of Sardinia, he trained in Bologna’s Academy of Fine Arts. On his return to Bologna after his Queensland trip in 2017, he launched a Solo Show inspired by his Queensland experiences.

Federation Place was used from 1941 as the Australian Defence Headquarters for WWII North-Eastern Division. Today the building is beautifully decorated inside, featuring a fabulous restored timber staircase over several stories.

The Barrier is across the car park from ROA’s Croc and Turtle.

Mantra Rea Street Artist

Who: Mantra
From: Metz, France
Where: Brewery Building, Ogden Street
When: 2019

Mantra Ogden Street Townsville – Silence and Whisperings

Born in 1987, Contemporary free hand muralist Mantra, is an internationally renowned street artist, learning and developing in the French street graffiti scene since 2008. His nick-name evolved from his unique and repetitive art – like a Mantra. As a child, born in 1987, his interests were always flora and fauna and he still paints them almost exclusively.

A look at his collection of work, shows a predominance of female arm tattoos, butterflies, owls and birds.

Mantra’s Townsville Mural is quite muted in colour, a decision he made so as to not impose on the architecture. The mural narrative is of a woman reading in a relaxed manner amidst greenery from a book possibly containing photos from the reef.

Adnate Street Artist

Who: Matt Adnate
From: North Melbourne
Where: Cnr Hamilton Street & Melton Tce, Townsville
When: 2016

Matt Adnate Townsville – Wulgurukaba and Bindal

Australian Matt Adnate uses spray paint and acrylic as his medium. He was introduced to street art as a skateboarder in his home town of Melbourne. He was living in North Melbourne when he picked up his first spray can at the age of 13.

His specialty is painting portraiture of Indigenous People, especially Australians. When commissioned he first consults with Community Elders to produce an accurate and meaningful painting. This portraiture is inspired by Aboriginal Smoking Ceremony and represents Wulgurukaba and Bindal traditional land owners.

Claire Foxton Street Artist

Who: Claire Foxton
From: Jamberoo, New South Wales
Where: Cnr. Sturt & Stanley Streets, Townsville
When: June 2018

Claire Foxton Townsville

Sound and Movement Personified is a mural done in collaboration with Dance North. She expresses sound and movement in colour depicting an actual contemporary dancer in action.

815K1 Townsville Street Artist

Who: 815K1
From: Townsville
Where: Stanley Street Alleyway Townsville
When: July 2020

815K1 Townsville – Cat and Mouse

Local Artist 815K1 is impressed by what the Townsville City Council is doing to brighten up the city and loves the sense of play his mural brings.

I was delighted to find this brand new Mural hidden away at the end of a tiny lane off Stanley Street. The yellow background catches sunlight perfectly, brightening up what is usually a drab wall. It’s a great addition to the Street Art Trail.

Wosnan Street Artist

Who: Wosnan
From: Bogotá Columbia
Where: Reef HQ
When: 2018

Both of Wosnan’s Murals can be viewed from the South Bank of Ross Creek in Palmer Street near the Maritime Museum, looking across river to Reef HQ.

Wosnan Townsville – Coratherium

This artwork came to life after Wosnan completed an Artist in Residency at Reef HQ Aquarium. The resulting work, Coratherium, embodies marine life in the depths of the ocean.

Wosnan Townsville – Toghostums

Painted on the walls of the Turtle Hospital at Reef HQ, Wosnan has incorporated old growths onto the shells of the turtles. This family of Turtles ties together the marine life and the ongoing story of the Great Barrier Reef.

James Giddy Street Artist

Who: James Giddy
From: Perth
Where: Hanran Street Townsville
When: 2016

James Giddy – Collective

There is a French word that describes painting alfresco as En Plein Air and this is the style James uses. He really strikes a chord with this painting of Australia’s favourite bird the Kookaburra – not one but three.

He describes the style of this En Plein Air painting as Impressionistic-Realist. Although it looks quite black and white there are flashes of blue in the wings.

James Giddy Townsville – Concord

In this City Mural James has stayed with the theme of birds, this time transplanting a Seagull from Townsville’s impressive Strand to Bellco Lane. In an interesting twist he inserted a beach scene into the body of the gull.

Garth Jankovic and Nicky Bidju Pryor Street Artists

Who: Garth Jankovic and Nicky Bidju-Pryor
From: Townsville
Where: Car Park 408 Flinders Street Townsville
When: 2016

Garth Jankovic & Nicky Bidju Pryor – Girroogul and the Soap Tree

Garth “The Smizler” and Nicky Bidju-Pryor worked on this artwork in a Car Park adjoining the Umbrella Studio together. Importantly it tells a traditional Aboriginal story of the part man/part eel called Girroogul and explores the creation of waves.

Both artists hope their painting collaboration, melding Indigenous and European Hip Hop cultures, sends a message for all kinds of cultures to come together.

Nicky Bidju-Pryor Townsville – Brolga Song and Dance

Where: Laneway Sturt Street opposite City Lane
When: 2018

Two years after his Girroogul collaborative work with Garth Jankovic, Nicky Pryor did this ode to the Brolga. The Brolga is a well known symbol in Townsville with all Townsvillians. A metre tall and with a two metre wing span, Brolgas are known for their intriguing dancing mating rituals.

You can find Brolgas on the Townsville Common.

Street Art Townsville – Source Unknown

Flinders Street East – Stanton House 197 Flinders Street Townsville

Note: Stanton House has since been restored and the artwork has now gone.

Carlton Street Lane Kirwan Street Art

Situated in the laneway beside Kirwan Gym, in the Suburb of Kirwan.

Tavern Street Kirwan Laneway Street Art

Have a look at the Laneway off Tavern Street Kirwan, beside Noddies Cakes & Cafe. I found some “Love” art here but it has now been painted over.

Pop around behind Noddies Cafe to find even more Kirwan Lane Street Art.

Cre8ive Sk8 2/544 Ross River Road Aitkenvale

Works by unknown artists fill the walls behind Creative Skate in the Townsville Suburb of Aitkenvale. I particularly like how the garbage bin has been given a makeover.