If you are looking for Sydney’s best street art, then you have come to the right place. We have detailed the suburbs across the city, where you will find a bunch of magnificent murals in our guide below.

Over recent years, more and more street art has appeared across Sydney, and finding the newest murals have become a bit of a hobby for me. I have written extensively about the art of the inner west, but today I decided we should go exploring a little further afield and find out what else Sydney has to offer street art lovers.

Below, we pinpoint a bunch of suburbs where you can find Sydney’s best street art, and we have made it easy by telling you how to get there using public transport.

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So let’s go exploring… 

The Best Street art in the Eastern Suburbs

Bondi Beach

The Bondi Graffiti Wall curves around the boundary between Bondi Beach and the car park. In the late 70s, the Wall became increasingly popular with graffiti and street art. After several years of efforts to paint over the wall, it was finally adopted as a legal space and, for the last 12 years, has been under local government control.

Today artists apply to the council to secure a spot on the wall. These spots are awarded for six months, with new applications being accepted twice a year. As far as I know, only two murals here are permanent.

The first is a memorial work called Frangipani Girl to honour a young local who was a victim of the 2002 Bali Bombing.

And the other is the ANZAC memorial painted in 2003 and redone just this year. Both works are by local artist Droogie 

While you are in Bondi, make sure you check out Icebergs Dining Room and Bar; both the indoor bar and the terrace are great spots to relax and take in the view, drink in hand. If you are here on the weekend, a popular market is held on the school grounds across the road from the beach. Saturdays is a farmers market, and Sundays is a more general market with lots of fashion and accessories from upcoming designers.

Where: Queen Elizabeth Drive Bondi Beach
How to get there: Bus 380, 381, and 382 from Bondi Junction or 333 from Circular Quay and the city.

The Best Street art in the Inner City

Street art in the CBD is less widespread than in other areas in Sydney due to years of regulation banning it. The Sydney City Council only recently relaxed these laws, and as a result, more legal work should appear soon.

The first step is a new requirement for developers to showcase art to any hoardings they put up around their building sites, as you see above. My friend Joanne has written about these on her blog.

Central Business District

One of the most beautiful murals in the city’s centre is of Aboriginal elder Jenny Munro, painted by one of my favourite artists Matt Adnate. It is on the edge of Darling Harbour on the wall of the Novotel. This is a fantastic place to call home while you’re exploring the city, and there are plenty of Sydney CBD hotels. It’s also an excellent base for budget dining with the best Asian food outside of Asia right on your doorstep.

Chippendale

Bordering Central and Redfern, Chippendale has recently emerged as a hot spot in Sydney’s creative arts scene, with contemporary galleries and small businesses joining cute cafes and converted warehouse accommodation.

A stroll here will find work by Scott Marsh, Fintan Magee, and Phibs.

While you are here, look at the White Rabbit Gallery, which showcases the best of contemporary Chinese Art. Some exhibitions are pretty out there and great for stimulating conversation. The tea house is a lovely spot to rest your feet and try one of the many Chinese teas or yummy dumplings.

Where: Abercrombie Street, Chippen Lane and Kensington Street
How to get there: Short walk from Central or Redfern Stations or take any bus that runs to Broadway and get off at Central Park Shopping Centre.

Redfern

Street art has long been part of the Redfern community. The art here has a strong political focus and also explores the social history of its inhabitants. A significant number of indigenous residents call the area home, and it’s a great place to see examples of their work.

One of the most iconic artworks here is the mural “40,000 years is a long time“, which spans the railway bridge directly outside the station.

It appeared in 1983, the work of several artists, including Tracey Moffatt and Avril Quaill. Its restoration was recently completed thanks to funding from the Sydney city council and work by local artists, including Thea Perkins.

Related: Check this list of Fintan Magee murals in Sydney

Where: Lawson Street, Caroline Street, Abercrombie Street and Cleveland Street
How to get there: Take the train to Redfern Station, it’s right in front of you.

The Best Street art in Southern Sydney

Caringbah

A very new addition to Sydney’s best street art suburbs, Caringbah recently hosted a festival called Walk the Walls. Walk the Walls is a joint project between the NSW Department of Justice and Sutherland Shire Council aimed to reduce unwanted graffiti by filling the walls with commissioned murals.

Over 30 murals appeared in one weekend earlier this year with work by lots of Sydney’s best-known street artists, including Mulga, Ox-King, Scott Marsh and Phibs.

So go ahead, download the map and walk the walls. Once you are done, jump on the train and head to Cronulla Beach for an off-the-tourist trail swim.

Where: Park Lane Caringbah
How to get there: Caringbah is on the Illawarra train line about 40 mins south of the city.

The Best Street Art in the Inner West

Newtown/St Peters

Newtown is the original home of the street art subculture in Sydney. From the creation of the famous “I have a dream” mural in King Street in 1991, this inner Sydney suburb has punched way above its weight when it comes to art per square mile.

These days you will find art on the walls on most of the streets running off the main thoroughfare King Street. In between hunting down art, make sure you sample some local beers at one of the many pubs along the way. I also recommend stopping by Black Star Pastry on Australia Street for one of their delicious pies and a piece of the iconic watermelon cake. The coffee is also pretty good too!

If you fancy making a day of it in Newtown, I have developed a self-guided street art walk with a lot of mural locations marked and plenty of tips for what to eat and drink.

Where: King Street and the street running off it from St Peters to Missenden Road. 
How to get there: Take the train to either St Peters or Newtown station. There are also lots of buses from the city that run along King Street.

Marrickville

Just 7km from the city centre, Marrickville is a lot more industrial than its neighbours of Newtown and Enmore. However, there is some excellent art in the area.

A bonus reason to visit is the abundance of craft breweries that have appeared over the last few years, including Batch Brewing, Willie the Boatman and Sauce Brewing Co.

Where: Wander the streets between Sydenham Rd, Marrickville Rd and Victoria Rd.
How to get there: Train to Sydenham Station and there are also express buses back to the city of the station.

Enmore

Enmore is an excellent spot to explore with an empty belly. There are so many good eats here you will be hard-pressed to make a choice, from quick snacks like the mouth-watering dumplings at Chinese Dumpling Master to the delicious gelato at Cow and Moon or the wine and cheese decadence of Stinking Bishops. There is plenty to keep you happy once you have seen enough art!

Gladstone St, Wilford St, Trafalgar Street and the area surrounding them are excellent places to start.
How to get there: The limited-stop M30 bus route from Park Street at Town Hall or a walk from Newtown Station.

The Best Street Art West of Sydney

Katoomba

While the main drawcard in Katoomba is, of course, the Three Sisters, once you have explored the natural beauty of the area, I suggest you head to Katoomba’s main street for lunch and an art walk.

Just behind Katoomba St, off Waratah Place, 30 murals by some of Australia’s top artists are hidden in a back lane.

The laneway is the result of work by Street Art Murals Australia (SAMA), who worked with the local council and business owners and crowded funded almost 20K to bring the project to life.

Where: Beverly Place Katoomba
How to get there: Beverly Place runs parallel to the main street of Katoomba, just a few minutes’ walk from Katoomba train station.

The Best Street Art on the South Coast

Wollongong

For the last few years, the beachside city of Wollongong has hosted the three-day Wonderwall Festival, which has resulted in a vast number of fantastic walls are well worth the 90 minute train ride from the city.

We spent about two hours snapping away when fellow bloggers and Wollongong locals, Paula and Gordon from the Contented Traveller, took some time out to show us around.

Check out their coverage of all the Wonderwall murals here. There is plenty to do in the area while you are visiting, including some great beaches, two lighthouses, and the largest Buddhist temple in the Southern Hemisphere. It’s worth considering staying the night and making a weekend of it!

Where: Wollongong CBD
How to get there: Take an express train to Wollongong Station from Central Station.

Want to find the newest street art in Sydney? Follow the hashtags #Streetartsydney and #innerweststreetart for the latest finds. 

Join a Sydney Street art Walking Tour

If you prefer the idea of a guided tour, award-winning operator Local Sauce offers several tours, including a fantastic tour of Newtown’s best street art.

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