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Yarram takes top honours at national awards

AUSTRALIA’S first town dedicated to the work of a single internationally renowned street artist has been recognised as the country’s premier street art destination.

by Michael Giles

Published March 04, 2022

Yarram takes top honours at national awards

AUSTRALIA’S first town dedicated to the work of a single internationally renowned street artist has been recognised as the country’s premier street art destination.

The Gippsland town of Yarram, better known these days as Heesco Town, has won the Gold Award in highly coveted Best Street Art Trail category at the 2021 Australian Street Art Awards, announced from the Sunshine Coast tonight, further cementing Victoria’s reputation as a magnet for art-loving visitors.

The most recent and final of the 24 large murals that form the ‘Heesco Town’ art attraction – the Mongolian Light Horsemen Memorial – has also secured the Silver Award for the Best Monument or Memorial in Australia, while the quiet achiever behind the Heesco Town phenomena, Wayne Tindall, was announced as the recipient of the inaugural Outstanding Contribution to Australian Art Tourism Award.

A Gold win by the Frankston City Council with their ‘Frankston Street Art Walking Tours’ in the Best Street Art Tour category created a trifecta for Victoria.

A canvas for some of the world’s best street artists, Frankston has become an iconic art and culture destination. Fuelled by the annual Big Picture Fest, each of the 40 murals is an epic display of colour, creativity and movement. The Street Art Walking Tours create a tangible experience to celebrate the outdoor creations and encourage visitors to explore the city’s unexpected delights.

The Australian Street Art Awards encourage Australians to explore the world-class street and public art that is accessible all year round and found in every corner of the country.

With rigorous judging by tourism leaders from across Australia and abroad, plus second-tier auditing and due diligence, the wins by Yarram and Frankston have the credence of the art tourism sector.

Awards director Liz Rivers said: “These winning street art experiences are contributing significantly to making Victoria an even more vibrant, creative and interesting state – somewhere visitors want to explore more keenly.”

Arts tourists from within Australia are high value visitors. They stay 42.8% longer and spend 55.9% more when travelling than domestic tourists overall, according to the Australia Council for the Arts’ Domestic Art Tourism: Connecting the Country Report.

Ms Rivers added: “Australia has a long history of creating superlative public art that captivates visitors. Until these Awards were launched three years ago there had never been a way of rewarding and supporting destinations and companies that create these stunning art-related experiences for travellers.”

“Public art has now come into its own with people journeying hundreds or sometimes thousands of kilometres to experience a silo art trail, see a mural town or photograph a sculpture in an extraordinary landscape,” Ms Rivers said.

“Outdoor activities have also gained favour over the past two years. That makes road trips to see murals, sculptures and mega pieces like silos the perfect holiday thrill,” she said.