14.10.2025 The Mural

It looks like the last wall to be painted has been painted and Kuranda’s new mural is finished.
It’s not what we expected to see when we first saw the signs go up but it’s what we’re stuck with.
It’s definitely better than it was – a blank often graffiti-ed wall, however it could have been much more Kuranda appropriate we thought...
We had envisaged a vibrant, bright, colourful mural with scenes depicting some of the local wildlife visitors to Kuranda may see whilst they are meandering through and around the village, as is stated in all the media releases Mareeba Shire Council has put out on the subject – like the Kuranda Paper this month (October 2025 Page 6): “Artist Violet Shaban has been busy painting vivid murals depicting animals and plants endemic to Kuranda.”
Really?
We’re going to take a deep dive and ask some questions about it and the process involved…
The first we knew about this mural was the day we walked past and saw the sign – how about you?
The mural was paid for through an RADF Grant although we don’t remember seeing it or how much the grant was for anywhere on the Council’s website – if we missed it please share.
We’re not sure what the turn of events were – did the Council contact the artist or did the artist contact the Council with her proposal?
We’ve had a look at Violet Shaban, the artist and what she does, and she’s very good at what she does, painting murals around Cairns amongst other things, however we have to question the process, who ended up making the final decisions around what was actually painted - the subject matter and the colours chosen. Was it ALL up to the artist or was there communication between the artist and the Council on what the finished product was going to look like?
Where was the community consultation on this project?
Do you think if there was ANY community consultation regarding this mural, Kuranda may have ended up with a more appropriate selection of plants and animals ‘endemic to Kuranda’ in the finished product?
Whilst we do see the odd monitor lizard down along the riverbank we wouldn’t of thought it was a species endemic to Kuranda.
If you happen to be here at the right time of year you may see a flock of Red-tailed Black Cockatoos flying over Kuranda on their way to the coast – they come to the coast when food is running low in the interior, they are not endemic to Kuranda nor do they spend any quality time here...
Brush turkeys on two walls?
A frilled neck lizard?
Pandanus and bottle brushes on two walls?
Sure nothing wrong with a brush turkey – but three of them on two walls?
Nothing wrong with a Pandanus either but two on two walls?
A Cassowary, that in a few months time will have a $90,000 4m ‘giant Cassowary’ installed in the park virtually next to it, literally only a few metres away…
All of a sudden the 4m ‘giant Cassowary’ doesn’t seem to be that giant anymore does it...
Was anybody out there involved in ANY community consultation regarding this project with either the artist or Mareeba Shire Council?
We’d envisioned such creatures as Ulysses Butterflies, Cairns Birdwing Butterflies, Wompoo Fruit Doves, Water Dragons, Sulphur Crested Cockatoos, Orange Footed Scrub Hens, Emerald Doves, Echidnas, green tree frogs or maybe even a python or tree snake making up some of the animals more endemic to Kuranda and much more likely to be seen by the many visitors to Kuranda than most of what has been painted…
We’d envisioned a bright, colourful mural that stood out from a distance – a mural that would draw your eye and make you want to take a picture, not one that blends in with its surrounds so well that the eye just skips past it.
It shows us there was a lack of communication or a breakdown in communication about what was required – or does it?
What it does show us is a real lack of creativity on behalf of both the artist and the Council in our opinion.
What about a Jade Vine or a tree fern or a swamp orchid…
Instead of a brightly coloured mural that immediately grabs ones attention and holds it, we have a mural that many people, who drive in and out of town daily or even weekly, still haven’t even noticed it’s there yet…
In our opinion it could have been so much better if only Mareeba Shire Council had sought input from our community.
We make no apologies when we clearly state that this mural would look 100% better on a building in Mareeba.
Who’d of thunk it…
May all beings be happy, may all beings be peaceful and may all beings be blissful 🙏
Mark 💖
https://kurandacommunitycouncil.org/?p=1347