A new public art work by local artist Kirsten Moegerlein celebrating the Loddon River is to be installed at Newstead.
The work has been commissioned by Mount Alexander Shire Council and will be a wrap–around mural on Panmure Street in Newstead on the soon-to-be refurbished toilet block.
Kirsten is an emerging artist, experienced designer and researcher living on Djaara Country, based in Yapeen.
She paints landscapes, has a PhD in participatory design and has exhibited work locally, including at Artpuff and in Melbourne.
Kirsten will work in partnership with Newstead Landcare to design and paint the mural over the next three months, celebrating over 30 years of revegetation work on the Loddon riverbanks.
Mayor Toby Heydon said that council is proud to support a local artist and celebrate the natural beauty of the river.
“Kirsten is a wonderful artist and brings great skills in collaborating with the community. We look forward to seeing how she commemorates the transformation of a degraded river habitat into an oasis of plant and animal life.
“We’re delighted that Kirsten will celebrate Newstead Landcare’s hard work restoring the riverbanks and create this mural to brighten up a well-used corner of Newstead.”
Kirsten was selected from a pool of 26 artists who responded to an expression of interest in early 2026.
The commission follows community engagement where Newstead residents showed strong interest in telling the story of the Loddon River and revegetation.
Kirsten’s artwork will connect with wider community celebrations of the river.
On the other side of the riverbank, Newstead Arts Hub has developed ‘Weaving the River’, a program which includes a month-long exhibition and the River Story Day on April 26, in the lead up to the creation of a public artwork on the arts hub fenceline.
Together, both the council mural and Newstead Arts Hub’s fenceline artwork will create a cohesive, collaborative celebration of the river on both sides of the Loddon.
Kirsten will be sharing her concept design for the Panmure Street mural at the River Story Day Sunday April 26, 10am to 3pm, at the Newstead Arts Hub, 8A Tivey Street Newstead.