Shepparton Arts & Culture Touring Route
Explore Greater Shepparton's arts and cultural attractions by using these tools (see links below) - you can take a self-guided touring route, or pick and choose points that interest you and explore at your leisure.
This guide is designed for visitors to follow as a self-guided touring route, or to pick and choose points of interest according to their own plans and time available.
General opening times are shown where applicable, public holidays may differ.
Guide
Greater Shepparton Visitor Centre
33 Nixon Street, Shepparton
Daily 9.00am- 5.00pm (closed Christmas Day)
Meet the Visitor Experience Enthusiasts - volunteers who happily provide you with detailed maps and information on special events and exhibitions.
William Cooper Memorial Statue
Queen's Gardens, Nixon Street (between Wyndham and Welsford Street), Shepparton
William Cooper, a Yorta Yorta man born in 1860, dedicated his time to helping not only his local community, but the wider Aboriginal community across Australia. He established the Australian Aborigines' League, the National Day of Mourning and is recognised as the Father of National Aboriginal and Islander Day Observance Committee (NAIDOC). The statue depicts Uncle William holding a petition defending the human rights of Jewish people which was presented to the German Consulate in December 1938, as an act of protest against the persecution of Jewish people by Nazi Germany.
Shepparton Art Museum
70 Welsford St, Shepparton. (03) 5832 9861 10.00am-4.00pm, Public Holidays* 1.00pm to 4.00pm *Closed Christmas Day, New Year's Day and Good Friday
The art museum collection includes Australian and International Ceramics, historic and contemporary Australian landscape paintings, prints and works on paper, and a growing collection of Australian contemporary art. Next door is Riverlinks Eastbank - drop in to the box office to find out about the performing arts and theatre hosted in this and other venues throughout Greater Shepparton. The auditorium plays host to the biannual Australian National Piano Awards.
Private Daniel Cooper Mural
Riverlinks Eastbank, 70 Welsford St, Shepparton
Painted by well-known artist Cam Scale, this mural features Private Daniel Cooper, a Yorta Yorta man who fought for Australia during World War I. Private Cooper died on a European battlefield in 1917. He was just 21 years old and is buried in Belgium. He was the son of Yorta Yorta man Uncle William Cooper and Agnes Hamilton. Uncle William Cooper was recognised during stage one of the Aboriginal Street Art Project and is featured alongside Sir Douglas Nicholls on the GV Water wall.
Helping Hand & Mateship Sculptures
Corner Welsford and Fryers Street, Shepparton
Two fine sculptures are located at Shepparton's war memorial and the landscape and site design itself won an award for urban designers Urban Initiatives. WWI is commemorated by the Helping Hand sculpture by Charles Web Gilbert, and WW2 by the Mateship sculpture by Bela Angyl - based on a battle photo by journalist Damien Parer.
Shepparton Community Mural Project
Tirana Walk, 113 Welsford Street, Shepparton
This mural captures some of Shepparton's history (including the iconic Furphy Water Cart). Lead artist, Vern Alcorn, can be seen in a self-portrait, at the rear, depicted on top of a wall, which he appears to be demolishing under him.
Moooving Art
Monash Park, Coiner High and Fryers Street Shepparton.
Monash Park hosts the largest collection of Moooving Art - the ever-changing public art using a unique 3D canvas - life-sized cows! Scattered throughout the region in parks, gardens, public spaces and businesses, there are over 90 ever-changing colourful fibreglass pieces.
Furphy Memorial
122 Welsford Street, Shepparton
Joseph Furphy came to Shepparton to work in his brother's foundry. At night he would write and some say his novel Such Is Life (written in the 1890s, published in 1903) is the best prose work by an Australian writer, excelling anything by Patrick White or Henry Lawson.
Monash Underpass Mural
Monash Park to Shepparton Heritage Precinct
Installed in 2012, this mural was part of a Greater Shepparton graffiti reduction project. Community members submitted designs and the public voted. The chosen design is titled 'Shepparton Shared Pathway, Connecting with Nature', designed by Stephen Crowe.
Shepparton Police Community Murals
Shepparton Police Station, 155 Welsford Street, Shepparton
This collection of seven murals about togetherness was created to illustrate the strong community involvement with Shepparton Police. Six were painted by local artist Tank, better known for painting Moooving Art cows. The seventh was painted by artist, Neva Atkinson, depicting two turtles representing the land of the Yorta Yorta Nation and denotes police and aboriginal people working together for better outcomes.
Aunty Geraldine Briggs & Aunty Elizabeth Morgan Mural
172 Welsford Street, Shepparton - on the wall of the DHHS building
Painted by well-known artist Adnate and depicting the late Aunty Geraldine Briggs and the late Aunty Elizabeth Morgan, this mural is part of the Aboriginal Street Art Project. Both ladies are highly regarded Yorta Yorta Elders and were heavily involved in the advocating of rights and support for Aboriginal people.
Stay the Duck at Home Street Art Mural
26 Fryers Street, Shepparton
The work of locally renowned artist TANK, this mural documents the COVID-19 pandemic situation, depicting self-isolating ducks at home, in caravans stacked on top of each other, surrounded by characterful mice; a reminder of the need to stay at home during the restrictions.
Shepparton Street Art Mural Locations
- GOTAFE, 152 Fryers Street
- Maude Street Mall, Stewart Street opposite the tower
- Aussie Hotel, 73 Fryers Street (mural on Maude Street)
- Star Bowl, rear carpark Stewart Street
Common Ground Mural & the Shepparton Story Wall
Maude Street Mall, Shepparton
The Common Ground mural was installed in 1997, made by Angie Russi and commissioned by Urban Initiatives who designed the mall. The Shepparton Story Wall is a hebel wall located adjacent to the Telstra Tower - it was designed and built by 1st year TAFE art students in 2000.
William Cooper & Pastor Sir Douglas Nicholls and Margaret Tucker & Nora "Nanny" Charles Murals
Laneway next to GV Water, Fryers Street, Shepparton
These Aboriginal Street Art Project murals painted by artist Adnate these murals depict the late William Cooper and the late Pastor Sir Douglas Nicholls KCVO OBE MBE, leaders who made major contributions to the region and Australia; and two significant past local elders Aunty Margaret Tucker (MBE), one of Australia's first female Aboriginal rights activists, and Nora "Nanny" Charles, one of the earliest and well-known local Aboriginal midwives.
Kaiela Arts
135-137 High Street Shepparton (03) 5821 9842.
Tuesday - Friday 9.00am to 5.00pm or by appointment
This shop and gallery for local Indigenous artists, provides artists with access to cultural arts practice, professional development and skills-building opportunities. The gallery promotes the south-eastern Australian Indigenous linear art form and educates local Indigenous artists and the wider community about this style of art.
Shepparton Showgrounds - "The Farmer"
Corner High Street and Thompson Street, Shepparton
SPC Ardmona generously sponsored a sculpture at the showgrounds site by artist Dean Bowen. This piece represents the worker on the land and reflects the labour and efforts of generations of farming families in the Goulburn Valley. Installed 2007.
St Georges Road Shopping Precinct & Murals
St Georges Road, Shepparton
A vibrant cultural shopping strip on the edge of the CBD this area is host to the St Georges Road Food Festival that aims to showcase Shepparton's rich diversity, to be enjoyed by the local community and visitors. The murals surrounding this location in Hayes Street and Swallow Street were created by artists Art by Sophletta and Bula, and businesses include an authentic spice mart, bakery, international supermarket, butcher and barber.
Bangerang Cultural Centre
1 Evergreen Way, Shepparton. Phone to check hours (03) 5831 1020.
The first Aboriginal Cultural keeping place/museum developed and managed by the local Aboriginal community in Australia. Learn about Aboriginal culture through dioramas depicting trade, food gathering and cultural gatherings, as well as exquisite artefacts and artworks. Formerly part of the Shepparton International Village (1974 To 1980's) which showcased the culture of many groups represented in Shepparton's multicultural society.
Cudgee Park
The Boulevard, Shepparton
Cudgee Park, meaning "a very good place to visit" is home to the Indigenous Community Garden developed in 2008, and Aboriginal totems that signify their clan areas of Kialla.
Federation Sculpture
Victoria Park Lake, Wyndham Street, Shepparton
By artist Peter D Cole, this sculpture was funded by Arts Victoria, SPC Ardmona and McPherson Media Group and installed in 2002. Commissioned by Greater Shepparton City Council to commemorate the Centenary of Federation, Cole responded to key elements in the local landscape, he has included a yellow pear, a red apple, an irrigation wheel and at the base of the sculpture an open newspaper. The elements in the artwork make direct reference to those contributing to the artwork and their interests.
Gurdwara Sahib Sikh Temple
240 Doyles Road, Shepparton East
Gurdwara Sahib Shepparton is a Sikh Temple (Religious Place of Worship For Sikhs). From the mid 1980's a significant number of Sikhs settled in the Goulburn Valley.
Campbell's Soup Can
55 Lemnos North Road, Lemnos
In 1964, Campbell's opened a manufacturing facility at Shepparton, Victoria. Today, this state of the art facility creates soups, stocks, sauces and juices for Australia, New Zealand, UK and some Asian markets. A giant can of Campbell's soup can be found towering over the factory on the outskirts of Shepparton.
Dookie Flowering Sugar Gum
Mary Street, Dookie
This iconic tree is the last of 20 sugar gums planted along Mary Street in 1894. After a hot, dry summer in 2013 the tree died and the top of the enormous tree was removed to make it safe. In a project funded through Dookie Arts and Greater Shepparton City Council, local artist Andrew Sands created red aluminium blooms - symbolising regeneration, optimism and inspiration - and attached them to the tree.
Chinaman's Garden Reserve
McLennan Street, Mooroopna
Ah Wong, a Chinese immigrant, set up a market garden, selling vegetable produce to Mooroopna and surrounding residents. Chinaman Garden Reserve is the site of this former vegetable garden and provides views of the Goulburn River.
Private Robert Mactier Memorial
Mactier Park, Hogan Street, Tatura
Renowned Australia sculptural artist Terrance Plowright completed the larger-than-life bronze of V.C. recipient, Robert Mactier, unveiled in October 2014.
Tatura Mosaic Murals
Stuart Mock Place, Francis Street, Tatura
Glass Murals depict the history, development and project the future of Tatura, emphasizing the importance of the Sun, Earth and Water.
Tatura Bollards
Lake Bartlett, Francis Street, Tatura
Adjacent to the Scout hall, over 20 bollards are on display here, painted by local artists and community groups.
Web Links
→ Online Touring Map
→ Many Great Things Publication - Art and Culture (PDF)
