Benalla street art: Victoria’s most colourful town
If you’re a fan of urban art, make sure you dedicate some time to Benalla street art. This town, located three hours from Melbourne in Victoria, has over 60 murals painted on the walls of its buildings! There’s a yearly festival held, where artists flock to the town for a weekend of painting. Find out more about visiting Benalla and seeing its colourful art.
Melbourne gets a lot of attention for being a colourful city. Did you know there are other art-filled places in regional Victoria?
Benalla is about three hour’s drive north of Melbourne. In a bid to revitalise the town and bring in tourism, over 60 murals have been painted on local public buildings, in alleyways, shops, at the skate park, on library walls.
Even the public toilets are covered in bright, urban art.
This has put Benalla firmly on the map as a must-see destination in the state, for lovers of urban art.
If you’re interested in smaller towns and neighbourhoods with strong urban art scenes consider a visit to Port Adelaide in South Australia.
Benalla street art: a virtual tour
Make a dedicated trip to Benalla or pop in on your way up the Hume Highway.
Alternatively, attend the annual Wall to Wall Festival.
During this one weekend in early April each year, artists from around the globe paint their works on every available surface.
It’s worth popping in at this point of the year to watch amazing works of arts in progress.
Where to find the best Benalla street art
Half the fun of visiting Benalla is to explore the town and see what you uncover along the way.
From time to time the murals are painted over, so some of these works of art may no longer exist. Guaranteed there’s something just as groovy in their place.
Artist: Lisa King
This can be found on the side of (the no longer open) Georgina’s Restaurant, 100 Bridge Street East.
Artist: Skinny
Found at the rear of Stolz Sleepzone, 56 Carrier Street. Skinny has another mural of “Timothy Leary” on Clarendon Street.
Also, I’m so pleased that Raphael is on this mural as he’s clearly the best Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle.
Artist: Julian Clavijo
This beautiful mural can be found at Bertalli’s Bakery on Carrier Street.
Additionally, a work by Anton Pulvirenti is located nearby.
Artist: Dvate
Dvate has three works in Benalla and has also painted a silo in nearby Goorambat.
His works often feature threatened Australian fauna, such as the critically endangered Regent Honeyeater, pictured above.
You’ll find this work at the back of Target. His two other murals in town are located at the back of SEC (a working dog, pictured earlier in this post) and at Harrison Dobson & Cottrell Solicitors (a possum, located on 2 Bridge Street East).
Dvate is one of my favourite street artists, with works all over Melbourne, too.
Artist: Adnate
Adnate currently has two works in Benalla itself, this one on the back of Marsha Watson and at the North East Artisans Gallery (pictured below and located at 122 Bridge Street East).
I highly recommend visiting the Gallery too, while you’re in Benalla.
A third mural is just outside of Benalla, located in the Uniting Church at Goorambat.
Artists: Julian Clavijo, Insane51, Adnate & Claire Foxton
These walls are located outside the NEA Gallery and get painted over a fair bit.
Unfortunately, Insane51 hadn’t finished his mural (of the woman swimming) while we were there. He does pretty, ah insane 3D works, so I’m looking forward to going back and checking out the finished product!
Artist: Sirium
Found in Rambling Rose Carpark. The carpark is located on the street behind 78-80 Bridge Street East.
Sirium’s second work is of a snake on Fruits ‘N’ Fare, Bridge Street.
Artists: Kaff-eine, George Rose
This particular work appears on the Denny Street Community Wall (which also features a work by Leonard Siaw).
Kaff-eine has a total of four artworks around town and they’re all of horsies (and unicorns, to be specific). You can find them on Hannah Street, at Paint By Numbers (pictured below) and at the Benalla Library.
See the Benalla street art for yourself
When visiting Benalla, you can either do a self-guided tour of the town (consult this Benalla street art map), or hop on an organised tour.
These tours operate Tues, Weds, Thurs, Sat and Sun and last 90 minutes. You can book a place on the tour in advance.
Also, the organised tour provides an opportunity to hear about the artists and stories behind the works, which you don’t get out of a self-guided stroll around town.
Benalla street art: Where to eat in Benalla
There are quite a few nice cafes and restaurants in Benalla.
I recommend The Rustik. The brunches I’ve had here rival those in Melbourne.
For dinner, check out The North Eastern Hotel, or just “The Northo” in Australian slang.
Expect really delicious pub fare, with a family-friendly atmosphere. The oysters in particular are amazing.
I love country pubs quite a lot and The Northo didn’t disappoint.
Things to do in Benalla & beyond
Check out the North East Silo Art Trail
Benalla is the starting point for the second silo art trail in Victoria, consisting of five giant murals stretching around an hour north of the town.
Keep your eyes peeled for the following:
- Goorambat Painted Silo Halls Rd, Goorambat
- Devenish Painted Silo Main Street, Devenish
- St James Painted Silo Devenish Rd, St James
- Tungamah Painted Silo Cnr Middleton St & Station St, Tungamarah
- Winton Wetlands Water Tank 652 Lake Mokoan Rd, Chesney Vale
Make sure you check out Goorambat Uniting Church for Adnate’s beautiful mural of “Sophia”, the female element of Holy Spirit.
Viewing these silos should only take a couple of hours, longer if you want to take a stack of photos and check out the tiny towns where they’re located (which I highly recommend doing).
Try to time your visit for morning, as the light gets behind most of them come evening, making for more challenging conditions for photos.
Pose with Ned in Glenrowan
Benalla is part of the Ned Kelly touring route.
Those interested can travel through towns such as Euroa, Glenrowan, Beechworth, Greta and to sights such as Power’s Lookout and Stringybark Creek.
All have ties to one of Australia’s most notorious bushrangers.
Head to Glenrowan if you’re a Kelly gang enthusiast. It’s the setting of Ned’s last stand.
The entire town pays homage to the famous bushranger, with a museum to explore, Ned’s homestead and some really cool art dedicated to the bushranger found around the town.
Best of all, there’s a six-metre tall statue of Ned in shootout mode, wearing his metal armour.
If you collect photos of Australia’s “Big Things” statues, then this area is a must-visit.
Eat your way around the King Valley
Benalla is not at all far from the gourmet region of Milawa and the King Valley. It’s an area of Victoria that I find myself returning to again and again and again – it’s just that good.
The King Valley is home to Prosecco Road, named such as many of the vineyards in this area have Italian origins and make some quality prosecco.
If you’re a fan of this Italian sparkling wine, then the King Valley may seem like heaven to you.
Regardless, here are some of my favourite vineyards in the area:
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○ Red Feet Wines 49 Cemetery Lane
○ Gracebrook Vineyards 4446 Wangaratta-Whitfield Road
○ Dal Zotto Wines 4861 Wangaratta-Whitfield Road
○ Sam Miranda 1019 Snow Road
○ Brown Brothers 239 Milawa-Bobinawarrah Road.
Take your taste buds on tour around this region.
The Mountain View Pub in Whitfield is a good place to stop for lunch or dinner.
Brown Brothers is home to Patricia’s Table, a hatted restaurant in Milawa and the fare there is delicious.
Similarly, I highly recommend visiting the Milawa Cheese Factory (try the samples before you buy!) and picking up a jar of hot mustard from Milawa Mustards.
Where to stay in Benalla
If you’re spending the night, I recommend the local Comfort Inn in Benalla.
It’s priced at around $150 for a double room.
What do you think of the Benalla street art? Have you seen it for yourself? Would you attend the Wall to Wall Festival?
Maybe you’ll want to visit Maldon, Victoria’s most notable town, or plan a weekend escape to Daylesford and Hepburn Springs or Ballarat or Bendigo.
And for more, check out this guide to the street art in Adelaide.
