Smith Street Streetscape improvements

Artist: Denise Quall, Artwork: Hermit Hustle, Photographer: Helen Orr

Two new road murals have been installed on Smith Street, marking the completion of City of Darwin’s Smith Street Streetscape project.

The murals are the final element of the Smith Street Streetscape project, which has delivered new trees and landscaping, better pedestrian and active transport access, new seating and lighting and public art along Smith Street.

Humidity Rising, designed by Darwin visual artist Minna Leunig, has been installed at the Smith Street and Edmunds Street intersection, while Hermit Hustle, designed by Larrakia artist Denise Quall, features at the Smith Street and Searcy Street intersection.

Lord Mayor Peter Styles said the completed murals provided a colourful finishing touch to the broader Smith Street improvements.

“Smith Street is an important part of our city centre and these new murals bring another layer of colour and character to the area,” Mr Styles said.

“It is particularly fitting that the final element of the project celebrates local artists and their connection to Darwin and the environment around us.

“It was also great to have local creative expertise behind the delivery of these works, with Proper Creative helping to bring the artists’ designs to life.

“Proper Creative has a strong track record of delivering public art across the NT and this team regularly deliver the Darwin Street Art Festival, and their involvement is another example of local talent contributing to the look and feel of our city.

“With the murals now complete, the Smith Street Streetscape project is finished, delivering a greener, more welcoming and better-connected city precinct.

“We know delivery of the project caused disruption for businesses and the community at different stages, and I thank traders, residents and visitors for their patience while the works were completed.

“These improvements are about creating a Smith Street that is greener, more inviting and better connected, supporting a vibrant city centre for locals, businesses and visitors,” he said.

Hermit Hustle highlights the importance of community cooperation through a playful scene of hermit crabs crossing the street, offering a fresh perspective on the everyday hustle and bustle of life.

Humidity Rising is a playful depiction of Larrakia Country and celebrates unique and diverse Australian ecosystems, drawing on Minna’s practice of creating works inspired by native landscapes.

Proper Creative is a Darwin-based company specialising in murals and creative projects, best known for its decade-long delivery of the Darwin Street Art Festival, with the Smith Street artworks marking its first road surface murals.

Community engagement undertaken in 2024 helped inform the Smith Street Streetscape design, with the project focused on creating a cooler, greener and more dynamic pedestrian hub in the heart of Darwin’s city centre.

The Smith Street Streetscape project was funded by the Northern Territory Government and delivered by City of Darwin as part of the Darwin City Deal.

For more information about the Smith Street Streetscape project, visit darwin.nt.gov.au/projects/smith-street-streetscape-improvements

Artist: Minna Leunig, Artwork: Humidity Rising, Photographer: Helen Orr

As part of the Smith Street Streetscape improvements project, the rainbow crossing at Knuckey Street will be refreshed and updated to feature the Inclusive Progress Pride Flag.

🛠️ Works will commence:

📅 Monday 22 September – Wednesday 24 September 2025 (weather permitting)

⏰ From 7:00 pm to 7:00 am

🚧 Detours will be in place during the work, please follow signage and directions for your safety.

The Pride Flag reflects our commitment to building a welcoming, inclusive, and vibrant city. The refreshed crossing will continue to celebrate and recognise Darwin’s diverse community.

👉 The Smith Street Streetscape improvements project is ongoing.

Local Darwin company DEC Installations has been engaged to complete the planned Smith Street Streetscape improvements developed in consultation with feedback from the community.

The project will see greening and cooling elements added to the stretch between Knuckey and Whitfield Streets, including additional trees and landscaping, improved pedestrian and active transport access and enhancements made to amenity.

Micro mobility lanes will be installed, running next to the footpath, and there will be new pedestrian crossings added at Whitfield Street, Searcy Street and Edmunds Street.

Some car parks will be removed to make way for more trees, in line with the community’s desire to see a cooler, cleaner, greener area created.

The rainbow crossing, alternatively referred to as the Pride Flag, will be replaced with the Inclusive Progress Pride Flag, with the refreshed design determined in consultation with peak representative bodies.

We are also excited to see the public art components come to life, with works from local creatives, including Denise Quall, Lee Harrop, Amina McConvell, Katy Moir and Minna Leunig, included in the final design.

Work is expected commence on Monday 31 March 2025 and to be completed by July 2025.

Check out the Flythrough video below developed by our design consultant GHD.

For more information on the results, you can read our engagement report at the top of this page.

The project is funded by the Northern Territory Government and delivered by City of Darwin.

Five local artists have been selected to help transform the heart of the city centre through City of Darwin’s Smith Street Streetscape project.

After a competitive expression of interest process, five talented artists have been selected by an independent panel. The artists selected are Denise Quall, Minna Leunig, Lee Harrop, Amina McConvell and Katy Moir.

Lord Mayor Kon Vatskalis said he was thrilled with the quality of artists selected.

The artists and work that will be featured include:

• Hermit Hustle - road mural (Smith Street and Searcy Street intersection), created by Denise Quall - Denise Quall is a Larrakia woman who has lived in Darwin her entire life. Her dreaming is the Danagalaba - the saltwater crocodile and her totem is Nagandji Nagandji, the Brahminy Kite - Sea Eagle. Hermit Hustle highlights the importance of community cooperation and features a playful and imaginative scene of hermit crabs crossing the street, offering a fresh perspective on the everyday hustle and bustle of life.
  
  
• Foundation Stone - mobility hub installation (Smith Street and Edmunds Street intersection), created by Lee Harrop – Lee Harrop is an ecologically-oriented artist who was awarded a PhD at Charles Darwin University and has a Master of Fine Arts. Foundation Stone draws attention to the geological material used in its creation, Mt Bundey granite, exploited in the construction of Darwin City roads, footpaths, building facades, flooring and furnishings.
  
  
• Rest. Stop. - seating nodes (at various locations down Smith Street), created by Amina McConvell and Katy Moir – Amina McConvell and Katy Moir’s collaboration is based on their intersecting visual arts practices and shared aesthetics. Katy has an architectural background, and Amina has a fine arts background. Both artists work with the language of abstraction and geometric conceptualism. In this work Amina and Katy have fused the functionality of street furniture objects into a sculptural installation. Their artwork uses geometric shapes and patterns to create colourful passages and places of connection for pedestrians.
  
  
• Humidity Rising - road mural (Smith Street and Edmunds Street intersection), created by Minna Leunig - Minna Leung is a visual artist living and working on the traditional lands of the Larrakia people in Darwin. Painting both on canvas and large-scale public murals, Minna creates wild and playful images inspired by the unique beauty of native Australian landscapes. Humidity Rising is a playful depiction of Larrakia country and a celebration of the unique and diverse Australian ecosystems.

The EOI’s were selected by an independent assessment panel, consisting of six members with creative expertise, including MAGNT’s Senior Curator, Bryony Nainby; Outstation Gallery Director, Matt Ward and Garawa Creative Director and Co-Creator, Genevieve Grieves.

The Smith Street Streetscape project is a further commitment towards City of Darwin and the NT Government’s common vision for Darwin’s future as a liveable and tropical capital city.

Minna LeungDenise QuallKaty MoirLee Harrop

Smith Street Streetscape improvements project update

In June 2024, City of Darwin sought community feedback on upgrading one of Darwin city's busiest streets.

In light of your feedback, Council gave the project the green light to go to detailed design.

The project will deliver additional greening; improved pedestrian and active transport access; and enhancements made to amenity.

We're now getting ready for the construction phase and will be seeking a proponent to come on board for construction.

We'll continue to share information and exciting updates about the project as it progresses in the New Year.

Construction is anticipated to commence in March 2025 with works expected to be completed by the end of June 2025.

The project is funded by the Northern Territory Government and delivered by City of Darwin.

• Survey sentiment was positive and in support of upgrading the space.
• Greening, shading and cooling were listed as the top design priority.
• Of the two concept options, the majority of respondents preferred the Concept 2 design.