A Short Self Guided Newtown Street Art Walk

This Newtown street art walk is perfect for anyone with limited time who wants to check out some of the newest murals in the area. There is also some pretty great food to sample along the way! We have highlighted some of our favourite murals that you can cover in just a couple of blocks.

When you think about street art in Sydney, one suburb immediately springs to mind, Newtown on the western fringe of the CBD. Newtown is ground central of Sydney’s mural art scene.

Since the infamous “I Have a Dream” mural appeared on King Street in 1991, the area has been attracting artists with a message. Several years ago, the local council got on board and began working with local street artists to build on these grassroots efforts by launching the Perfect Match program. This program brings together property owners with blank walls and artists who would like to paint them.

I have written a half-day self-guided tour of the area that is perfect for anyone with more time to spare.

Taking in art, burgers, craft beer, excellent coffee and great cake, this walk can be completed in an hour if you don’t mind ignoring all the food suggestions or punishing your digestion!

If you would like to tour the area with a local guide I highly recommend Local Sauce tours, their guides are experts and also ensure you have a ton of fun!

Newtown Street Art Walk

So let’s begin – start on the corner of King Street and Church Street – a bus from the city is the best way to get to our starting point. Turn left and make your way down Church street to Lennox Street.

2 Lennox Street – Alex Lehours

This wall in the carpark behind the Newtown IGA (supermarket) was painted by Alex Lehours over just a few days as part of the 2016 Perfect Match program. We could not believe our luck to find the carpark empty at 2pm on a Sunday!

8 Lennox Street – Ox King

This wall is on the other side of the previous one. Also part of the Perfect Match 2016 crop it is one of my current favourites. It’s by Steven Nuttall aka Ox King and references the Charles Dickens novel Great Expectations. The main character Miss Havisham is said to have been based on a local woman who was jilted on the day of her wedding and became a recluse who wore her wedding dress until the day she died.

38 Lennox Street – Kyle Hughes-Odgers

This mural by West Australian artist Kyle Hughes-Odgers is on the corner of Lennox and Mary Street. Also part of the Perfect Match program. If you like his style, then check out his website – he has a great range of children’s books. 

Mary Street – Burgers and Beer

Mary Street is well worth a detour if you are up for a damn tasty burger at Mary’s. There is no signage, so look for this graffiti-covered building, and head inside where you eat (beer and music a bonus) or grab some burgers and head back to the park. If burgers are not your thing, then they have some great fried chicken.

The Vote Yes wall came about in the months before Australians were surveyed for their thoughts on the legalisation of same-sex marriage in 2018.

St Stephen’s Church and Cemetery

While cemeteries are not everyone’s cup of tea, this one is pretty cool for a quick stroll. Opened in the mid-1800s for the next 20 years it was Sydney’s main burial ground. These days most of the graveyard has been turned into a memorial park. However, a section has been preserved, and you are free to explore the ruins.

Camperdown Memorial Park – Ox King

The walls surrounding the park and the stone fence of the graveyard provide an outdoor gallery for street artists. This mural, also by Ox King, was part of the 2017 program.

Head back on to Lennox Street and cross the road to the corner of Eliza Street.

84 Lennox Street

Try if you can to walk straight past the Courthouse Hotel on the corner of Australia Street and Lennox Street, the beer garden here is very inviting, so this is no easy feat, but I promise we will be back!

112 Lennox Street – Sid Tapia

Another 2016 Perfect Match mural. This one by Sid Tapia features a kind of cute little aviator.

Continue down Lennox St until you come to Chelmsford Street where you will find a few smaller works and right on the corner, the very colourful Asylum Seekers Centre

43 Bedford Street – Jumboist

Follow Bedford St back into the centre of Newtown until you come to Australia Street. Turn left, and in the next block, you will find three great options that will provide a perfect end to the day.

Time to eat

Will you finish up the walk with

• A slice of watermelon cake from Black Star Pastry?
• A cocktail and tapas plates from Continental Deli?
• A large cold Newtowner from Young Henry’s Brewery at the Courthouse Hotel?

I am not sure this is an either-or choice. If time permits, I suggest you try all three!

Here is a map you can follow if that’s your thing 🙂

Newtown Street Art Walk Map

You will find a map of these spots and a lot more here

Remember, street art is not permanent. While the murals in this post are all part of programs and painted legally, things change and they may not be there forever!

Want to find more Sydney street art, check out this guide that lists lots of other suburbs where you can see great murals.

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