Apollo Bay-sticker scene

 Almost three hours drive from Melbourne and you'll find yourself in a bustling little coastal town. Apollo Bay sits nestled in the Otway's with coast, heathland and some of the wettest Rainforest in Victoria. Regional towns that have a high influx of seasonal visitors brings a diversity of backgrounds. The surf and skate scene are often interwoven with graffiti. These towns often have greater emphasis on artistic and environmental scene that can give rise to these localised graffiti scenes in unexpected places. Just back up the road is the famous Bells Beach for surfing near Torquay. Apollo Bay is just one of a string of coastal hamlets situated along the Great Ocean Rd where international descend upon in droves. All trying catch a glimpse of the eroding and disappearing Twelve Apostles. Whilst there is a general absence of traditional aerosol graffiti the sticker scene is thriving in town. There's an acceptance that this fits in with the local streetscape of the town. 

Nearby Cool Temperate Rainforest of Triplet Falls

Byron Bay

Bryon Bay is possibly Australia's most cliched town. It promotes itself as a progressive alternative laid back destination. Upon entry you greeted with the "Welcome to Bryon Bay, cheer up, slow down and chillout" sign. Which is a total joke, given you need spare 2.8 million dollars just to reach the median house price. This hype town is guarded fiercely with exclusivity. Its symbolic of the growing divide wedging the working class in Australia. Go no further to find the housing crisis, a classic situation replicated throughout coastal regional towns. The same issue found when searching for rentals in places like the Surf Coast in Victoria. Bryon maintains a larger than life status catering primarily to visitors, with a small population nudging 6,000 people. Everyone in Australia knows about Bryon even if they've never been. It's long departed from its counter-culture roots transformed from a sleepy surf village. The rich and famous of Bryon in 2025 chase clout as the modern form of currency. 

Bryon Pay

Source

   

But now to the graffiti and street art culture. There is potentially no other town in Australia quite like it. Small towns of this size rarely have a graffiti scene or culture. However Bryon's different. Despite the few privileged multi-millionaire residents it still pulls creative types as travellers. It's known as a hub for arts and music. Graffiti seeps through the town on back walls and onto industrial buildings. Comparable towns elsewhere in Australia might have a few scruffy tags on a back-alley way or a mural on a silo if they're lucky. Bryon however, holds its own and fortunately the scene remains organic and not over-run with street art murals.  

Sitting on the highpoint in the landscape the Bryon Bay water tank is a prominent standout feature. The tank was originally painted Ian Walker in 1989. For three days a week for a whole year he painted the water tank. It contains the depiction of Bryon Bay through many elements of coastal lifestyle and history with quirky character. 

Sofles

Getnup known for reaching up to paint blockbuster rollies

 

Original mural

Water tank in 2007

now