Get ready for a splash of colour and fun in the CBD this spring!
Follow the Ballarat In The Know Art Trail to uncover what 10 local creatives love most about our beautiful city.
The temporary public art activation celebrates the people, places, landscapes, food, culture and unique character that make Ballarat special.
Nine large scale artworks will grace exterior walls across the CBD from 19 September until 25 October.
Jay Rankine
Location: External wall of Central Square, Armstrong St Sth
The artist: Jay Rankine (aka Merda) is a self-taught visual artist and pioneer of Melbourne’s early graffiti scene.
With a career spanning 30 years, he has worked across a wide range of creative projects and mediums, drawing on everyday surroundings to create work characterised by clean lines, 3D forms and subtle colour.
The artwork: Jay's artwork — Growth — reflects his experience of living in Ballarat and witnessing the city change and grow over the past 16 years.
"My wife and I moved from Melbourne to Ballarat 16 years ago when our son was just six months old. I still remember sitting together on the grass at the Ballarat Botanical Gardens, filling out rental applications while admiring the surroundings," Jay said. "Since then, we’ve visited the gardens regularly, whether to pick up a few things at the Ballarat Farmers Market or to meet family during the Ballarat Begonia Festival, enjoy the activities and watch the parade."
"This artwork reflects on my experience of living in Ballarat and witnessing the city change and grow over the past 16 years. Inspired by the forms and shapes found in the plants and natural environment of the Ballarat Botanical Gardens, the design brings together organic elements to create a contemporary interpretation of Ballarat’s growth and historical character."
Melinda Muscat
Location: External wall of Myer, Armstrong St Sth
The artist: Melinda Muscat is a Ballarat multi-disciplinary visual artist whose practice explores magical realism and surrealism. She is also the owner of The Ballarat Imaginarium, which represents over 130 artists and makers from the Ballarat region.
The artwork: In Melinda's artwork — Eastside Culture — you’ll discover just some of the things she loves about Ballarat. You’ll find places that are east of Lydiard Street, including Sturt Street, Bridge Mall plantings, the koala and kangaroo as custodians of the Ballarat Wildlife Park, the Titanic rotunda, Minerva (who resides atop the Ballaarat Mechanics' Institute), Kank Wolverang Records' iconic logo and Main Road, which houses antiques, books, a restaurant, artists and retro clothing along with Kank.
You might also spot the Yarrowee Creek’s natural beauty along with a variety of featured street plantings and Melinda’s psychedelic mannequin Lola, who resides on Sturt Street outside The Ballarat Imaginarium.
Melinda has chosen parts of Sturt Street which are essential parts of her daily life, things that add to the magic she constantly experiences in Ballarat. She loves Ballarat’s natural environment, such as the Yarrowee Creek.
To Melinda, Ballarat is like a wonderland and that is what she has tried to capture in Eastside Culture. She hopes her artwork inspires you to come have a wander down her end of town, grab a coffee, find a treasure or rejuvenate in our natural wonderland.
Spencer Harrison
Location: McKenzie Street (off Armstrong St Nth)
The artist: Spencer Harrison is a Ballarat visual artist whose practice explores geometric abstraction and colour.
The artwork: Spencer has created a typographic design celebrating some of his favourite dining destinations around Ballarat.
Among the places celebrated are cocktails and spirits from Itinerant Spirits, noodles from Eatsy Thai, pies from Beechworth Bakery, coffee and a scroll from Cobb's Coffee, pastries from 1816 Bakehouse, beers from Aunty Jacks, momos from Langtang Lounge, gelato from Il Piccolo Gelato, a sandwich from Pat’s Sandwiches and pizza from Eureka Pizza.
Carly Hitchcock
Location: Hop Lane (off Armstrong St Nth)
The artist: Carly Hitchcock is a Ballarat-based designer and artist whose creative work is influenced by the years she spent living in Japan and South Korea. She’s currently inspired by local plants and wildlife.
The artwork: In this illustrated artwork, you’ll discover a few things Carly loves about Ballarat’s unique heritage — particularly elements of Asian history, culture and food.
These include the Chinese temple at Sovereign Hill, the food and decor at Saigon Allee, Flying Chillies and Chat for Tea, and the camellias and chrysanthemums in Ballarat’s beautiful gardens.
Caroline Keys
Location: Hop Lane (off Armstrong St Nth)
The artist: Caroline Keys is an illustrator who moved to Ballarat by way of a childhood in South Africa, and years spent living in London and Melbourne.
She specialises primarily in books for children, editorial work and illustrated maps. After decades of working traditionally in watercolours, she now also likes to work with digital mediums.
The artwork: Caroline has lived centrally in Ballarat for nearly 20 years and enjoys the town's walkability, having learnt early on from a poster at her daughters' kinder that "there is no bad weather, only bad clothes".
Her art trail piece captures the lifestyle she loves, of having access to beautiful heritage architecture, theatres, galleries, cafes and restaurants all in close proximity to peaceful nature trails and a vibrant lake. And a keen eye will be able to spot the Victorian ghost!
Abbie Matthews
Location: External wall of The Unicorn, Sturt St
The artist: Known for her Cubist-inspired paintings and contemporary portraits, Abbie Matthews' practice explores the value of quiet moments, often featuring her connection to people and the natural world.
The artwork: Abbie’s depiction of Ballarat is based on a memory of her and her daughter at Lake Wendouree — a place where they would often wander, take their time and enjoy the slow moments together.
Brigid Corcoran
Location: External wall of Parent Place, Albert St
The artist: Brigid Corcoran is a mixed media artist from Ballarat on Wadawurrung Country.
Working mostly with paper and paint, Brigid's artworks commonly feature images of Australian cities, landscapes, Australian fashion and culture. She repurposes these familiar scenes to shift our focus back to the Australian bush.
The artwork: Brigid Corcoran's vibrant, majestic work celebrates our local wildlife and landscapes.
Ben Sanders and Cam Ross
Location: External wall of Timezone, Bridge Mall
The artists: Ben Sanders is a Ballarat author and illustrator whose works are published across the globe and translated into over a dozen languages.
His children’s books include Agent Harrier, I’ve an Uncle Ivan, Clive Penguin and Pincho. Ben has created an earlier large-scale depiction of Ballarat which hangs prominently in the Ballarat Town Hall.
Ballarat sculptor and songwriter Cam Ross (moniker Dishpan Fingers) creates sculptures which have featured in Craft Lab 25, the Infuse Art Prize 2025 and 2026 and a series of White Night festivals.
Cam is a teacher and a visual artist whose drawings and sculptures of Ballarat have informed the panoramic landscape of the collective mural.
The artwork: Ben and Cam have envisaged a joint initiative that reflects the underappreciated beauty of hidden architectural gems spotted throughout this beautiful city.
They have referenced the spectacular warmth of Ballarat’s rich architecture through building facades, gilded signage and disused train station signal posts.
Three black cockatoos weave their way through a panoramic industrial landscape of sawtooth factories and smoke plumes.
Their work features a unique collaboration between Ben's creative talents and Cam's industrial imagery.
Both artists have chosen to use a muted colour palette of mutually-inspiring director Wes Anderson, dropping perfectly aligned hues to contrast the black and white imagery of this historically rich city — the place both artists love to work, live and call home.
Scott Leonard
Location: External wall of Timezone, Bridge Mall
The artist: Scott Leonard is a Ballarat-born illustrator and graphic designer.
Fascinated by the city’s distinctive architecture and natural landscapes, Scott draws inspiration from its streets and buildings, local wildlife and the people who have called Ballarat home.
The artwork: Scott's work celebrates the familiar details that shape the town's layered history.