Goolay'yari

Audio description

Text description

Goolay'yari
by David Cragg, 2021
57 Carrington Road, Marrickville

Inner West Council acknowledges the traditional custodians of these lands, the Gadigal and Wangal people of the Eora Nation.

Goolay'ari is another name for the Cooks River. This mural features many local birds native to the area. It is painted on a wall 25 metres wide by 1.5 metres high. It runs along the bottom of a large contemporary building between the pavement and a continuous horizontal row of dark windows, each covered with a black metal fly screen.

A paperbark tree grows at the side of the pavement half way along the mural and casts shade on the wall. It is a night scene and the background concrete is painted either matte black or dark blue. At the far left of the mural is the large head and neck of a pelican, facing left with the curved tip of its beak almost touching the edge of the wall. The realistic head fills the wall from top to bottom and the bill is double the size. The eye with its black pupil and yellow iris stands out against the swirls and dots of white paint that indicate the feathers. The bill is pale pink with outlines of yellow along the top. The neck curves under to support the long bill.

Swirls of purple and orange grevilleas and lines of triangular turquoise leaves stream around the pelican. The background is a dark starry night sky. Moving to the right of the pelican, three slim trees stretch their turquoise canopy to the top of the mural while fleshy green and orange plants and pointed grasses grow up from the ground. A black and yellow cockatoo flies sideways with its tail spread out to reveal its yellow feathers. Its outstretched wing tips meet the top of the mural. Here, the background changes to black. Two bats, loosely outlined in white paint, fly between more purple and orange spirals and turquoise flowers. They head towards a slim wading bird. It’s a a curlew, with mottled brown plumage and a long downward curving beak. It stands on one leg in the blue green water. The background returns to a starry sky. Sprigs of wattle with bright yellow balls grow in clusters in-between curved leaves of vibrant blue.

A small fairy wren flaunts his brilliant plumage as he sits on a branch facing the curlew. To the right of the wren is a large fluffy white ibis next to a clump of orange bullrushes growing out of the water. The last portion of the mural returns to the black background and features two more birds. On the left is a red wattle bird, showing his chest of brown feathers flecked with grey. He looks to the right through a thicket of blue flowers, green leaves and red and orange tendrils to a plump bird sitting on a branch looking back at him. This spotted yellow pardalote has a plump yellow body, speckled brown wings that merge into black with white spots to match the patch on the top of his head.

The many birds in combination with colourful and imaginative plants makes a bright and cheerful mural celebrating local flora and fauna along Goolay'yari.

This artwork was commissioned by Inner West Council through Perfect Match, a program matching artists with community to collaboratively produce site specific street art.

Audio description written by Vision Australia, and voiced by Nas Campanella.