Community
13 June, 2025
Mural underway at station
THE Fletcher Jones silver ball reimagined as part of a drum kit is just a taste of what artist Tyson Savanah aka “Father Marker” has planned for a new mural at the Warrnambool Railway Station.
The brief was to create a mural that tells the story of Warrnambool’s rich musical history, with Savanah selected following a competitive expression of interest process.
The artist began work on the mural in Warrnambool late last week and is expected to be finished later in June.
After starting out painting murals on hostels in Latin America in exchange for accommodation, he has since painted large-scale murals in his native Mornington Peninsula and throughout greater Melbourne.
The artist visited Warrnambool to gather inspiration for his artwork, and said that was a crucial part of the creative process.
“I don’t want to create something that I think people want, I want to create something that has been informed by the people themselves,” he said.
“The whole premise of the mural is that you’re sitting in the V/Line train looking out the window to the landscape, and it’s a musical landscape.
“There’s so much history in arts and culture here, and it was really interesting to find out.
“Talking to people in the cafes and asking questions to locals was good. I learnt a lot and there’s a lot to depict.”
Mr Savanah said there would be a bit of fun, a bit of humour and a bit of history – with some education added “in some ways.”
“A lot of people don’t know that the first sound recording in Australia was made in Warrnambool, so hopefully they take away a piece of knowledge as well,” he said.
Citing Graeme Base’s iconic children’s book “Animalia” as inspiration, Savanah said that the more you look at the mural, the more small details you would see.
“That’s why the research is key because there will be these local Easter eggs,” he said.
“I want people to see things the second and third time they visit that they didn’t see the first time.”
Warrnambool mayor Cr Ben Blain said he was excited to see what Savanah created.
“The musical identity of Warrnambool goes a lot deeper than many people realise,” he said.
“From Australia’s oldest musical recording in 1896 to our links to Waltzing Matilda, through to icons like Archie Roach and Airbourne, there’s so much diversity and I can’t wait to see that reflected in the new mural.
“With hundreds of people arriving in Warrnambool by rail each day, some of them for the very first time, this mural is about giving them a sense of arrival and a sense of who we are as a city and the things that we value.
“Tyson has extensive experience in murals that look amazing, but also tell a story, and the fact that he has put so much work into researching so many different aspects of our musical past and present, it’s going to be very special to see that reflected in his latest artwork.”
The project is part of the Transporting Arts Pilot Program and is a partnership between Public Transport Victoria, V/Line and the Warrnambool City Council.
