Dindi Arts Trail (Kinglake Ranges)
The Dindi Arts Trail is a series of murals, some painted on water tanks, located throughout the Kinglake Ranges, each telling their own unique story.
There are 10 different murals spread over six different locations in Toolangi, Kinglake, Kinglake Central, Kinglake West and Flowerdale.
Dindi Arts Trail Map
1. Toolangi murals
Location: 1717 Healesville-Kinglake Rd, Toolangi (LAT 37.538233 / LNG 145.473992)
2. Dhulangi mural
Location: 1717 Healesville-Kinglake Rd, Toolangi (LAT 37.538233 / LNG 145.473992)
3. Wumindjika Lyrebird mural by Jimmi Buscombe and Tim Honey
Our Wumindjika lyrebird is singing a song of welcome. Kinglake is on Taungurung country and for centuries Taungurung and Wurundjeri peoples traditionally met on this land. In Taungurung language the word Wumindjtha means welcome.
The male lyrebird is renowned for its elaborate tail, courtship dance and amazing mimicry. The lyrebird is viewed as a bird of peace by First Nations People as it copies sounds and speaks all languages, communicating with all. Superb lyrebirds have been known to imitate car alarms, chainsaws, and any sound within their habitat.
The male lyrebird has 16 tail feathers and two outer feathers, the lyrates, which resemble the shape of a lyre.
The lyrebird is a ground dwelling bird and a great cultivator of the forest floor, increasing the rate of nutrient cycling in the ecosystem.
Have you noticed the cheeky brush-tailed phascogale in the mural? This marsupial is nocturnal and feeds on various insects and spiders.
Location: 4/1 Victoria Rd, Kinglake (LAT 37.532465 / LNG 145.314206)
4. Local fauna and flora mural by Kirrily Anderson
The imagery includes the Spotted-tailed Quoll, the Peron's Tree Frog and an Australian bush rat.
The animals are set within their natural environment which includes a silver banksia, juvenile eucalyptus leaves, Australian clematis, bush pea, Victorian Christmas bush, flax lily and pink bells and a hollow log with moss.
The Spotted-tailed Quoll (Dasyurus maculatus) is a carnivorous marsupial and is listed as a threatened species in Murrindindi Shire due to habitat loss, predators and baiting.
The Peron's tree frog (Litoria peronii) is also known as the emerald-spotted tree frog and forages in trees and shrubs near creeks. It is 30mm-60mm in size and has a distinctive cross-shaped pupil.
The Australian bush rat (Rattus fuscipes) is a small nocturnal animal and is a common indigenous species of rat. They are omnivorous and eat small insects, fruit, seeds, fungi and nectar.
Location: 1 Extons Rd, Kinglake Central (LAT 37.507522 / LNG 145.31452)
5. Bunjil and Waa mural
Note: Painting of the design will commence around 17 February, 2024 (if the weather is suitable).
Location: 1 Extons Rd, Kinglake Central (Completing 2023/24) (LAT 37.507522 / LNG 145.31452)
6. Ngarrak yilam mural by Aimee McCartney and Tim Honey
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Aimee McCartney is a proud Taungurung, Wotjobaluk, Wemba Wemba and Boon Wurrung woman. As a contemporary Aboriginal artist, Aimee's vibrant approach to life coupled with her ancestral and cultural identity allows her to create unique artworks that speak a strong symbolic language.
With assistance from local mural artist Tim Honey, Aimee's recent mural on the wall of the Kinglake Sports Stadium invites the community and its visitors to connect with Taungurung Country and the areas cultural significance.
Centre of the design are concentric circles representing a gathering place which is fitting noting the site is a very popular gathering place for sports activities, markets, Anzac memorials, and meetings. To depict people and community members, Aimee uses U shapes surrounding the meeting place and the meandering creek (gumang) is a symbol of an important life source, nourishing all. On either side of the creek is the Mumong or Yam daisy which was and continues to be an important staple food for the Taungurung people and other members of the Kuhn Nations.
The contour lines highlight the steep mountain range (ngarrak) in ochre colours touched by the warmth of the sun, a strong energy force promoting life and growth The lines also represent Taungurung people's connection with the landscape - its knowledge, customs and traditions that have remained in place for tens of thousands of generations.
On both sides of the design, Aimee has used leaves (djerrang) of trees to emphasise the importance of the bush in smoking ceremonies, which is used to welcome guests onto country and ensure safe passage.. A pivotal part of the design is the blue sky symbolising the openness of the sky in Kinglake and the fresh air available to all and which is vital to the growth of country and its people. The sky is accompanied by stars depicting the Southern cross and paying homage to the ancestors watching over those below.
Location: 1 Extons Rd, Kinglake Central (LAT 37.507522 / LNG 145.31452)
7. Celebration mural
Location: 1 Extons Rd, Kinglake Central (200m up the Arts and Heritage Trail (LAT 37.50580 LNG 145.31333)
Note: The Celebration mural is still being painted and the panels will be installed mid 2024. It will be located on a shed at the southern perimeter of the Middle Kinglake Primary School.
8. Kinglake Historical murals by Tim Bowtell and Tim Honey
'Mountain Rush' Gold Diggings (circa 1862)
In 1861 gold was discovered in the Mountain Creek on the Great Dividing Range north of Queenstown (now St Andrews) and there were soon over 200 diggers on the 'Mountain Rush' goldfield. Pictured here are Harry Thomson and Maurice Power, both of whom later took up land and established their families in the Kinglake district.
Kinglake Timber Railway (circa 1915)
Sawmills were established in the Kinglatle rainforest from 1890. Damage to the unmade roads by heauy timber wagons resulted in sawmill owners being required to build a wooden railway for horse-drawn trolleys to take sawn timber to the Whittlesea railway station.
Kinglake State School Excursion (circa 1910)
The children of the Kinglake State School were taken on nature walks to the largest tree, known as 'Big Ben', in the nearby bush to see how many of them it took, linking hands, to encircle the tree.
Local midwife, Mary Burton (circa 1900)
Isolated in this mountain district, far from the nearest doctor or hospital, many pioneer families were grateful for the services of Mary Burton at homebirths.
Location: 1055 Whittlesea-Kinglake Rd, Kinglake West (LAT 37.481 / LNG 145.25859)
9. Orchids mural by Barbara Hauser
This mural depicts four indigenous orchids found in the Kinglake Ranges. Orchids need to be protected and remain in their natural environment. Removal from their natural habitat usually results in death. They are dependent on complex symbiotic interactions between fungi and pollinators.
A. Caladenia clauigera or Clubbed Spider-orchid
10-40 cm high. Flowers September to November.
B. Caladenia parua or Small Spider-orchid
5-15 cm tall. Flowers September to October.
C. Caladenia oenochila or Wine-lipped Spider-orchid
20-40 cm tall. It is listed as critically endangered and is impacted by habitat clearing, grazing weed invasion and development and relies on microscopic underground fungi to germinate. Flowers August to October.
D. Chiloglottis reflexa or Autumn Bird-orchid 5-15cm tall. It has two broad leaves and a single greenish-bronze or purplish flower with an ant-like callus covering most of the top of the labellum. Flowers March to August.
Location: Amenity Block, Forest Road, Kinglake West LAT 37.47513 / LNG 145.23635)
10. King Parrots mural by Geoffrey Carran and Tim Honey
The male King Parrot is the only Australian bird with a completely red head. The female King Parrot has a completely green head and breast. Both birds have a red belly and green back, green wings and long dark blue tail. The birds are 43cm in length including the tail.
While this mural was painted, flocks of King Parrots flew overhead investigating the unfolding artwork. This area offers a natural habitat for the King Parrots who dwell in wet sclerophyll forests where they forage for seeds and fruit. These birds lay their eggs in deep hollows of tree trunks and the breeding season is from September - January.
The town of Flowerdale is located in the aptly named King Parrot Ward of the Murrindindi Shire.
Location: 3325 Whittlesea-Yea Rd, Flowerdale (LAT 37.3195 / LNG 145.28836)
Web Links
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