This mural is part of an initiative in partnership the Swallowcliffe Children’s Precinct. An initiative designed to bring together schools, services, and creative programs with a purpose: to create better outcomes for children.

The mural reflects the energy, dreams, and stories of the Davoren Park community. We thank and acknowledge the many contributors who made this possible: the children and communities of Swallowcliff Primary School, NACYS Childcare, Hope Street, HIPPY, Pom Pom, City of Playford, and the Children in the North Alliance. This mural belongs to all of you. 

Hello! My name is Abbey Murdoch, and I’m one of the two artists behind this mural. Working on Kaurna Land (Adelaide), I explore socially engaged themes through sculpture, installation, and film. My practice focuses on storytelling and community, particularly around the complexities of domestic space, public housing, and community strength. 

I grew up in the northern suburbs and have a deep, ongoing connection to this community—it’s where I found my voice, my passion for art making, and my belief in the importance of community. Being able to return to this community and work with young people from the same neighborhoods I grew up in has been an incredibly meaningful experience. We created this mural in close collaboration with young people of the Davoren Park community. I am so proud to present it as a vibrant and lasting symbol of connection, community, and creativity. 

This mural is more than paint on a wall—it is a patchwork of memories, imaginations, and dreams contributed by children aged 3 to 13. Every tile and brushstroke is a celebration of individuality and connection, created across five community workshops. Together, we shared stories, created memories, and painted a collective portrait of who we are as a community. 

I was lucky to work alongside Hari, a talented muralist and painter based on Kaurna Land (South Australia). Hari’s monochrome artworks explore the connection between built and natural environments, using a distinctive blend of hard and organic shapes to create a sense of controlled chaos—his signature visual rhythm. As a mentor on this project, Hari supported and guided both myself and the young artists involved, helping bring structure and insight to the process while encouraging experimentation and authentic creative expression. His presence in this project was invaluable. 

1. Community BBQ & Collage Workshop 

We launched this project at the local end of the school year BBQ on December 13 with a community collage-making workshop. Community members were invited to chat with us about what makes their neighborhood special, reflect on local identity, and create abstract collages using shapes and colors that represented their stories. These collages formed the core visual language of the mural. 

2. NACYS Kids Club Tile Workshop 

We spent time with children from NACYS Kids Club, where children explored the mural themes through tile painting and discussion. Kids created bold, imaginative tiles reflecting their homes, families, and aspirations. These tiles were later installed upon the mural, amplifying their voices as part of the visual landscape. 

3. Pom Pom Workshops: Collage & Tile Painting 

At Pom Pom, a creative space for young artists, we hosted workshops that combined both tile painting and collage. Again, the children’s collages directly informed the shapes, motifs, and compositions that appear in the wall. The tiles they painted also became part of the mural’s physical structure. 

4. Swallowcliffe Primary In-School Workshops 

We ran a series of classroom-based workshops at Swallowcliff Primary, where students worked individually and collaborated in pairs to paint ceramic tiles. Each child was encouraged to create imagery that expressed who they are and what they love—family, space, gardens, sunsets, dreams, and more. This was the heart of the project: children expressing their inner worlds through painting. 

5. Mural Painting Sessions 

In the final stage, students, members of Nacy's kids club and pom pom participants returned to help paint the mural itself. Working alongside me and Hari over the course of a week, they added textures,layers, and lines, learning mural techniques while seeing their earlier work come to life at scale. These 

Each tile in the mural holds a story. Created by students aged 3–13, these pieces reflect everything from dinosaurs and outer space to gardens and love hearts. Each one represents a child’s voice and story. Here’s what they painted: 

● Pamela (11): A big garden of flowers, love hearts, and her name. 

● Oliver (5) & Lachlan (10): A fiery tile full of energy. 

● Amber (10) & Savannah (4): A wave, flowers, hearts, the sun, and people. 

● Hunter (5) & Rumasa (10): Bright smiley faces and their names. 

● Amanda (10) & Ben (5): People and places, painting together interactively. 

● Piper (11) & Thang Thang (4): All the things they love combined. 

● Emilia (10) & Lakea (4): Pure creative freedom! 

● Leah (11) & Hunter (5): A mansion on a hill with Miss Chloe, Annabel, a butterfly in the sky. 

● Alexis (11) & Calea (5): A giant butterfly, dinosaur, mum and dad, clouds, donuts, bunny Buster, and flowers. 

● Chelsea (7½): The sun, love hearts, flowers, and clouds. 

● Gideon (7): A soccer match with his friends. 

● Fitztus (7): His family walking in the sunshine with grass and hearts. 

● Tyler (7): Planets and stars with himself in a rocket. 

● Reyhan (7): Outer space and planets. 

● Natasha (7): Flowers from the local park. 

● Willow (7): Sunflowers, butterflies, and stars. 

● Tilly (7): A sunset with a hiding fairy. 

● Paige (6): Her family and herself surrounded by love hearts. 

● Johara (7): Rockets and space. 

● Addy (7): Her mum, surrounded by love hearts. 

● Hadi (7): His family in the sunshine beside a big tree. 

● Suzana (7): A big apple tree, sunflowers, the sun and the moon. 

● Ashlyn (7½): God and praying—she just became a big sister! 

● Delea (6): Stars, hearts, sunshine, and skateboards. 

● Bethlehem (6): Love hearts, swirls, her cat, butterflies, and her Roblox character. 

● Mary (7): Clouds, the ocean, and the sun. 

● Neveah (7): A heart with her family, butterflies, and a big border. 

● Caleb (7): Airplanes battling a giant with clouds and birds overhead. 

● Diana (7): A world made of chips with stars and a border. 

● Sophie (7): A sky full of butterflies—her favourite! 

● Victoria (7): Water at sunset, with birds and stars and a path through them. 

● Temperence (7): A large love heart with stars and an arrow, framed beautifully. 

● Pasha (7): A police car chasing a bad guy—what he wants to be one day. 

● Nimbus (7): A ghost truck at a grave under the moon and stars. 

● Bailey (8): A motorbike and helicopter, just like something he saw once. 

● Amim (7): An abstract car-person with a giant ‘A’ for Amim. 

● Rhylee (7) & Zahlia: Love hearts, flowers, and an axolotl. 

● Matthew (9) & Aric (7): A broken heart, the sun, a heatwave, and a science experiment. 

● Ruby (7): A flower and love hearts. 

● Alyssa (9) & Lilly (8, almost 9): Hearts, sunsets, paw prints, flowers, stars, names, and handprints. 

● Katherine (8) & Charlie (9): A spooky Halloween scene—Charlie’s birthday is near Halloween! 

● Ashaya (9): Herself making art. 

● Jaylynn (9): A tattooed man standing in the summer rain. 

● Kayne (10): A lizard on a journey. 

● Ostara (9): Where she used to live with her dad and go to school. 

● Setemi (8): Her garden at home and all its flowers. 

● Kenzi (9): All her favourite things, her family, and what they all love together. 

This mural is a tribute to the power of collaboration. It’s rooted in a belief that art is for everyone, and that young people deserve to see their stories represented on the walls of their community. Every tile, every shape, and every color was chosen with care and meaning—whether it was a child’s favorite flower, a tribute to their family, or a dream of becoming a police officer. 

As you stand here and take it in, we invite you to look closely. What you see is more than just a painting—it’s a living document of collective creativity, made by and for this community.