With the new Cheltenham Road underpass now open to vehicles, the project has teamed up with a Melbourne artist to bring a splash of colour to Dandenong.
Located along the walking and cycling path under the rail bridge in Woodcock Reserve, Ways of Wandering is a mural celebrating the ways green spaces and the natural environment bring communities closer together.
Melbourne-based artist Angharad Neal-Williams held workshops with locals and students from Dandenong South Primary School to explore themes of nature, togetherness and community.
The colourful mural features plants, flowers and birdlife found along Dandenong Creek, Dandenong Park and Woodcock Reserve.
Angharad's hand-painted artwork also features on signal boxes and electrical cabinets at the corner of Dow Court and Princes Highway-Lonsdale Street, and Cheltenham Road and Hammond Road.
She said the artworks were designed to reflect the different ways the local community moved through the area, depicting “scenes of quiet movement” and time spent with others.
"The combination of elements in the artwork create a warm, serene design that has a sense of play, togetherness, joy and wonder, all embedded in nature and community," she said.
"I hope everyone can see themselves in the artwork, or they feel a sense of familiarity to the characters in the design."
Built as part of works to remove the Webster Street level crossing, the 450-metre road underpass extends Cheltenham Road to provide a direct east-west connection between Princes Highway-Lonsdale Street and Cheltenham and Hammond roads for the first time. The project also includes a new signalised intersection at Princes Highway-Lonsdale Street to boost safety and ease congestion.
The four-lane road connection under the rail bridge has been painted in vibrant greens, reds and yellows to reflect Dandenong’s diverse and colourful character, complemented with more than 30,000 native trees, shrubs and grasses planted across the surrounding area as part of the project. The road opening and Webster Street level crossing removal marks Melbourne’s 96th level crossing removal.
