Behind the scenes: parklets, art seats and planters

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Here are the stories behind the parklets, art seats and planter boxes that have injected pockets of green and splashes of colour in Murwillumbah's CBD.

The Tweed Green Parklet, Public Art and Activation Project saw the installation of two temporary parklets and eight new cylinder-shaped art seats and planters providing a unique public space while adding to the street amenity in Murwillumbah's CBD.

Thanks to the NSW Government putting $100,000 towards the project as part of its Streets as Shared Spaces initiative, with Council providing $37,000.

The very positive community sentiment has prompted us to develop this page to share the behind the scenes, which we think you'd appreciate.


The local artists

We commissioned M|Arts to engage six local artists to deliver the public art on the art seats and planter boxes, which can now be viewed on the corner of Murwillumbah and Brisbane streets as well as on the north and south sides of the pedestrian crossing on Murwillumbah Street.

The artists' brief included a strong focus on 'greening' the streetscape and making it more vibrant and colourful and that's just what the each artists delivered.

The central theme of artwork is to encourage appreciation of and reflection upon the shire's natural environment. As such, the artists were tasked as follows:

Jason King
Jason's water themed art seat and planter box can be viewed on the corner of Murwillumbah and Brisbane streets.
Judy Oakenfull
Judy's land themed art seats and planter box can be viewed on the south side of the pedestrian crossing on Murwillumbah Street.
Mealie Batchelor
Mealie's water themed art seats and planter box can be viewed on the corner of Murwillumbah and Brisbane streets.


Mitch Schultz
Mitch's land themed art seat and planter box can be viewed on the south side of the pedestrian crossing on Murwillumbah Street.
Cam Scale
Cam's sky themed art seats and planter box can be viewed on the north side of the pedestrian crossing on Murwillumbah Street.
Phillip Hay
Phillip's sky themed art seats and planter box can be viewed on the north side of the pedestrian crossing on Murwillumbah Street.


The local suppliers and contractors

The following local suppliers and contractors were used:


The overwhelming community support

While we water the plants at the parklets, a big thanks to Tweed Fruit Exchange, The Den Expresso and Patrick Egan Optometrist for volunteering their time to water the flowers (planters) regularly so they stay nice and healthy for all to enjoy.

When we installed the Brisbane Street parklet in September, it was intended as a temporary installation. By the time we installed the second parklet in Queen Street, the community's passion for these vibrant dashes of colour was clear.

This project was very popular on social media, which is something we predicted based on the experiences we had when taking photos for our social media channels. People were stopping us to say how wonderful they are and that we should install more of them.


Project evaluation

Your feedback will inform the evaluation of the project, which is being conducted by the Northern NSW Local Health District to gauge the community benefits associated with improving public spaces. This will help determine how activating initiatives, such as this one, can help improve streets to support healthier, safe and more vibrant communities.

Go to yoursaytweed.com.au/parklet to find out more about the project.


Here are the stories behind the parklets, art seats and planter boxes that have injected pockets of green and splashes of colour in Murwillumbah's CBD.

The Tweed Green Parklet, Public Art and Activation Project saw the installation of two temporary parklets and eight new cylinder-shaped art seats and planters providing a unique public space while adding to the street amenity in Murwillumbah's CBD.

Thanks to the NSW Government putting $100,000 towards the project as part of its Streets as Shared Spaces initiative, with Council providing $37,000.

The very positive community sentiment has prompted us to develop this page to share the behind the scenes, which we think you'd appreciate.


The local artists

We commissioned M|Arts to engage six local artists to deliver the public art on the art seats and planter boxes, which can now be viewed on the corner of Murwillumbah and Brisbane streets as well as on the north and south sides of the pedestrian crossing on Murwillumbah Street.

The artists' brief included a strong focus on 'greening' the streetscape and making it more vibrant and colourful and that's just what the each artists delivered.

The central theme of artwork is to encourage appreciation of and reflection upon the shire's natural environment. As such, the artists were tasked as follows:

Jason King
Jason's water themed art seat and planter box can be viewed on the corner of Murwillumbah and Brisbane streets.
Judy Oakenfull
Judy's land themed art seats and planter box can be viewed on the south side of the pedestrian crossing on Murwillumbah Street.
Mealie Batchelor
Mealie's water themed art seats and planter box can be viewed on the corner of Murwillumbah and Brisbane streets.


Mitch Schultz
Mitch's land themed art seat and planter box can be viewed on the south side of the pedestrian crossing on Murwillumbah Street.
Cam Scale
Cam's sky themed art seats and planter box can be viewed on the north side of the pedestrian crossing on Murwillumbah Street.
Phillip Hay
Phillip's sky themed art seats and planter box can be viewed on the north side of the pedestrian crossing on Murwillumbah Street.


The local suppliers and contractors

The following local suppliers and contractors were used:


The overwhelming community support

While we water the plants at the parklets, a big thanks to Tweed Fruit Exchange, The Den Expresso and Patrick Egan Optometrist for volunteering their time to water the flowers (planters) regularly so they stay nice and healthy for all to enjoy.

When we installed the Brisbane Street parklet in September, it was intended as a temporary installation. By the time we installed the second parklet in Queen Street, the community's passion for these vibrant dashes of colour was clear.

This project was very popular on social media, which is something we predicted based on the experiences we had when taking photos for our social media channels. People were stopping us to say how wonderful they are and that we should install more of them.


Project evaluation

Your feedback will inform the evaluation of the project, which is being conducted by the Northern NSW Local Health District to gauge the community benefits associated with improving public spaces. This will help determine how activating initiatives, such as this one, can help improve streets to support healthier, safe and more vibrant communities.

Go to yoursaytweed.com.au/parklet to find out more about the project.

Page last updated: 10 May 2021, 01:49 PM