Moe & Newborough Town Murals

Moe & Newborough Town Murals

Where blank and untidy walls once ruled, an incredible transformation is underway. Steve Bechaz is on a mission to transform Moe and Newborough with his passion, creativity, and community pride.

Steve Bechaz (centre), Mural Artist: @bechazartdesigns (behind)

You just need to take a drive around the two towns to get an up-close look at what we’re talking about.

Decorating Narracan Drive, the Moe Botanical Gardens, and several walls in Moe’s CBD and Newborough’s Boolarra Avenue, you’ll find Steve’s remarkable murals – of animals, people, and colourful characters – each telling a unique story while they brighten spaces for the community to enjoy.

Recognising the need for a larger platform to create and celebrate art, Steve founded the Show me some Art Festival, held in Moe every two years.

On the side of Style Lush in Kirk Street Moe, the vibrant image of a girl looking into the distance is a favourite of Steve’s.

Artists @Candel.colours & @refuz_paint

“Melbourne based artist who goes under the name Paink, got a lot of news coverage at the time for this piece. Paink has done a lot of art pieces of world-famous sporting legends for the Australian Tennis Open.” Steve said.

The Art Festival not only shows off Steve’s and other local artists work, but it also attracts international talent, turning the town into a lively hub of creativity that celebrates diversity.

“The Show me some Art Festival brings together talent from all over the world. At all three Art Festivals so far, we’ve had Columbian artist Camilo, aka Refuz participate, creating murals for Moe,” Steve shared.

The murals that adorn Moe walls also celebrate local heroes, with one of Steve’s most recent artworks honouring our Returned Services League servicemen and women at the Moe RSL.

“The soldier on the right was Moe local legend Wally Johnson, who had just been wounded from a Japanese grenade. It’s an iconic image taken from World War Il,” Steve recalled.

Just in time for ANZAC Day, Steve proudly reflected on his biggest piece to date.

“I’ve never had so many compliments whilst painting a mural, I think a lot of it was the respect the people have for the veterans and what they did for our country,” Steve said.

“I wanted it to coincide with the ANZAC Day service. This is attributed to all the servicemen and women – the Navy, the Airforce and the Army.”

Another piece created in the spirit of remembering local legends is the bright mural featuring Uncle Lionel Rose, humbly yet boldly displayed on the wall of local business, Paid Forward – Sorensen Cleaning & Support.

Artist: @bechazartdesigns

“They wanted something indigenous. My mate Ray Thomas was busy, so I asked another mate Bradley Boon about some well-known locals I could paint, he mentioned a couple, one being his late Uncle Lionel Rose, a Gunditjmara man, who grew up near Warragul,” Steve said.

Uncle Lionel Rose holds many important memories for those across Gippsland, where he grew up, and was the first Australian Indigenous man to become a world champion and Australian of the Year at only 19.

When talking about his murals, one thing really rings true for Steve. And that’s how much these pieces and the Art Festival mean for the community.

“The community really supports me to do this. They offer help by cleaning walls and buying supplies for me. Or they let me paint walls on the side of their businesses. Many people have supported the Show me some Art Festival committee, with businesses supporting and sponsoring the event. And the community is always so stoked and full of pride when another one is complete,” revealed Steve.

Artist: @anarmillas

“They’ve really become something Moe and Newborough are now known for.”

Ready to take a tour of Moe and Newborough’s now famous murals? Work your way through our handy map that points out some of Steve’s most well-known pieces.

You’ll also be able to spot Steve’s work across several local small businesses, like Sumo Skate, Stadium 34, Infintea, Butchers on George, and Kebab N More, just to name a few.

To check out more of Steve’s creativity, follow @bechazartdesign