Brisbane has quietly become one of the best street art cities in Australia. Over ten years the Brisbane Street Art Festival documented more than 320 murals across 34 suburbs, painted by over 730 artists, and the council has commissioned dozens more. The catch is that they're spread out. This guide sorts the city's walls by neighbourhood, so you can see the best of them in an afternoon, and points you to the free maps for the rest.
If you'd rather just follow a route, our Street Art & Laneways Trail links Fish Lane, Burnett Lane and Fortitude Valley in a 3.1 km walk.
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Fish Lane, South Brisbane
Start here. Fish Lane runs parallel to Melbourne Street, between Merivale, Hope and Grey Streets, under the shadow of the South Brisbane rail line, and it's the most concentrated stretch of large-scale murals in the city. It's also a dining strip now, so you can make an evening of it.
Look for:
- "Head in the Clouds 2" by Fintan Magee (2017), on the southern side of the building at 70 Hope Street. Magee is Brisbane's best-known muralist internationally, and this is one of his signature pieces.
- "Octopus" by Fuzeillear (2019).
- "A Life Long Promise" by Jodie Connolly.
Murals here change over time, so expect a few surprises. The west-facing walls are at their best in the late-afternoon light.
The Pillars Project, South Brisbane
A five-minute walk from Fish Lane, under the Merivale Street bridge where it meets Montague Road. The bridge's concrete pillars were painted in 2014, when Brisbane hosted the G20, and they became an outdoor gallery of some of the country's best names: Fintan Magee's "Flood", Gus Eagleton's "Humming", and work by Mik Shida and Gimiks Born, with Adnate, Rone, Guido van Helten and Claire Foxton also reported among the artists. It's an odd spot, under a road, but the scale is extraordinary.
The CBD: Burnett Lane and beyond
The city centre has fewer big walls but plenty of detail if you look for it.
- Burnett Lane, between George and Albert Streets, parallel to Queen Street Mall. Hunt for Mace Robertson's tiny red door and Blu Art Xinja's blue duck and birds. Blu Art Xinja is the local artist behind the blue sculptural pieces that turn up around the city.
- "Self-Isolation" by Gus Eagleton (2020), at 62 Mary Street.
- Claire Foxton's blue portrait of Alethea Beetson, at 280 Elizabeth Street, a striking photorealistic piece.
- The council's Outdoor Gallery puts art into laneways and car parks using light boxes, banners and display cases. The current exhibition, "AMPLIFY ME!", runs until 25 October 2026 across Eagle, Edison, Hutton and Fish Lanes, among others.
Burnett Lane is also the start of our Laneway Café walk, if you need a coffee first.
Fortitude Valley
The Valley has more murals than any other suburb in Brisbane: the festival alone documented 73 of them. It's also where the walls change fastest, so treat any list as a starting point.
- The 4ZZZ building on Barry Parade, painted by Beastman in 2010.
- Rone at The Constance, 14–20 Constance Street. Rone's large faded portraits of women are instantly recognisable.
- "The Future Looks Bright" by Drapl and Treas, on Wickham Street.
- The rotating wall at Brunswick and McLachlan Streets, repainted regularly.
- Winn Lane and Bakery Lane, the Valley's independent laneways, best wandered without a fixed plan.
West End
West End's walls are scattered through a suburb that's worth a wander anyway.
- Fintan Magee's fox mural, 126 Hardgrave Road. One of the most photographed walls in the city.
- "In Honour of Alice Eather" by Drapl and Treazy, 100 Boundary Street.
- More by Sofles on Boundary Street and Gus Eagleton on Ashington Street.
Further out
If you've caught the bug, these are worth the trip:
- Brisbane Powerhouse, New Farm: Gus Eagleton's "Afternoon Stroll" (2021) and Benjamin Reeve's "Toxic Fish" (2019). Combine it with a riverside walk through New Farm Park.
- Kangaroo Point: Jess Kease's "Tropical Flora" (2017) in the Thornton Street underpass, a council commission.
- Bowen Hills: 34 murals along the Showgrounds walls, painted between 2021 and 2024.
- Hamilton and Northshore: 23 festival murals, including work by Fintan Magee and Sofles.
- Woolloongabba: 16 murals, many around the Cross River Rail works.
- Brisbane Airport: Gus Eagleton's five-metre "Your Point of View", on Level 1 of the domestic terminal car park. A good first or last look at the city's art.
The traffic signal boxes
Keep an eye on the grey metal boxes at intersections. Since 1999, the council's Artforce program has had volunteers paint more than 1,200 of them across Brisbane, so street art follows you everywhere here, even at the lights.
Is the Brisbane Street Art Festival still running?
Not right now. The festival ran every year from 2016 to 2025, mostly in May, and it's responsible for a big share of the city's murals. Its organisers have put it on hold, with no date set for the next edition. The murals it left behind are still there, though, and its website keeps a full map of them.
Free maps
- The Brisbane Street Art Festival's interactive map at bsafest.com.au/map, filterable by suburb, artist and year, with suggested walking routes.
- Brisbane City Council's street art map on its public art pages, which includes the council's Brisbane Canvas murals.
Want to paint, not just look?
You can, legally, at the council's free street art walls. Our guide to legal graffiti walls in Brisbane has the four locations and the rules.
Prefer a guide?
Our self-guided trail is free, but if you'd like a local to show you the murals, this small-group tour pairs Brisbane's street art with its small bars, with a drink along the way.
Booked experience · via GetYourGuide
Small bars and street art tour with a drink
3 hours
Good to know
- Go in daylight. Murals are best seen, and photographed, in good light. Late afternoon flatters the west-facing walls at Fish Lane.
- Look up. The best work is often several storeys high.
- Respect working artists. If someone is painting, watch from a polite distance and ask before photographing them.
- Things change. Murals get painted over and buildings come down. If a wall here has gone, tell us through the contact page and we'll update the guide.