The resilient town of Yarram in Victoria’s Gippsland area, a little over 220 kilometres south east of Melbourne, has over the years been known for its dairy production, timber industry, historic architecture and now more so, as home to a gallery of murals that adorn the town, thanks to Mongolian-Australian artist Heesco Khosnaran.

In an effort to bolster visitors to the town, residents of Yarram commissioned the artist to create a series of murals, between the years 2020 to 2023 which have since led to the town also becoming known as Heesco town. The murals now number 25 individual pieces.

His murals cover topics including historic periods of the town, its past industries, prevalent citizens as well as contemporary themes and they feature on walls of various business and also on the town’s water tower.

The tower mural reflects the environmental beauty of Yarram and its surrounds, with the top section featuring the nearby coastline and whales, forests, fauna and flora, and waterfalls. The bottom part of the tower includes a design by Sandra Patten, a local indigenous elder of the Gunaikurnai people, and features hands adorned with indigenous symbols, reaching up the tower, representing inclusion and reconciliation. The design also includes five shields which represent the five different indigenous groups of the region.

Other murals to find around town include:

On the Yarram Tyres and Exhausts business, a mural of a blacksmiths workshop and working horses which refers to the history of the building when it housed a blacksmith and stables for working horses.

The Yarram mechanics’ institute hall building built in 1860 has a mural of Ada Crossley who was born in 1871 near Yarram, and the mural refers to elements of her fame. In 1894, she travelled to London, to study opera and after performing for Dame Nellie Melba, was recommended to the best operatic vocal tutor of the time in Paris.

In 1898, she sang for Queen Victoria, and became a favourite of the royal family, singing at many ceremonial occasions as a soloist, including at the funeral of King Edward VII in 1910.

One of the songs she made popular was ‘Nearer My God To Thee’, reportedly the song that was being played as the HMS Titanic sank in 1912. She was invited to perform at the Titanic Memorial Concert held in 1914 at Sir Royal Albert Hall. Ada Crossley died on 17 October 1929 in Buckinghamshire UK and was buried in St Marylebone cemetery, East Finchley.

On the Men’s Shed, you can find a sepia toned depiction of local men from the town who over the years were involved in building some of the houses, and shops in Yarram and surrounding areas, many of which still stand today.

Another mural depicts a well-known suspension Bridge at the nearby Tarra Bulga National Park. This mural also features Kara Healey who became the first female park ranger in Victoria in 1952. The lyrebird symbolises the many native animals and birds that frequent the park and forests of the area.

These are just a few of the murals by Heesco to find in Yarram. Make sure to stop in and search for them all when passing through the area and take time to notice some of the historic buildings in town too, including the old South Gippsland Creamery and Butter Factory which features beautiful ornate lettering from its past life where cream, butter and other dairy products were processed. Part of the building now houses the Yarram & District Historical Society.

Enjoy Yarram

Glenys