Fernvale lies at the southern end of the region of Somerset, in the valley of the Brisbane River, west of Brisbane, the capital city of Queensland, Australia. For some time local artists had been planning a mural depicting local history and wildlife, to stand in the Fernvale Memorial Park on the site of the former Fernvale Railway Station which closed in 1993. Following the disastrous 2011 Brisb
ane River flood, in which some two hundred local houses were inundated, it was decided that the planned mural should become a community recovery project. Funding became available under the Community Development and Funding Package, which is a joint initiative of the Australian and Queensland Government under the Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements. Planning of the murals was undertaken by a team comprised of community members and local artists, and the original concept of one mural has developed into a provisional plan for three murals, the first to illustrate the early history of Fernvale, the second to depict the former days of the railway station and yards on whose site the murals will stand, and the third will show the flora and fauna of the area. The first panel of the first mural was mounted on a steel easel made by Rob Scully from the Men’s Shed in nearby Lowood and members of the Fernvale community joined with artists to block in Gina Anderson’s preliminary sketches. Community painting days will continue to take place in the morning of the first Sunday of each month at the Fernvale Futures Complex between 9am and 12noon.
