Old Thomson River Bridge gets a new lease on life with help of Queensland College of Art

Longreach Regional Council has joined with Griffith University and the community to create a colourful masterpiece on the Old Thomson River Bridge in Longreach.

The project is one of the final stages in a series of works to improve facilities around the Apex Park precinct on the Thomson River at Longreach, supported by Commonwealth Local Roads and Community Infrastructure funding.  Six students and two staff from the Queensland College of Art (QCA) travelled to Longreach to install a colourful mural on a pipeline at the Old Thomson River Bridge.

The design process for the mural has consisted of workshops with the community and students from the college, and the final design will truly reflect the history as well as the future of the region. 

Mayor Tony Rayner said that the mural works would be a very visual part of the upgrades to the area. 

“We are excited to see the transformation of this pipeline, and we are proud that we have been able to partner with Griffith University to turn a piece of otherwise plain infrastructure into a beautiful and useful amenity for the community.

“It’s exciting to be collaborating with the Queensland College of Art and building a relationship with an institution like Griffith University. It’s a partnership we’re interested in growing, because we see potential for good outcomes for the community and students alike.”

Griffith University Queensland College of Art (QCA) Dr Simon Degroot said Griffith University embraced opportunities to travel to regional areas of Queensland to help make communities better. 

“We are proud that we are able to partner with Longreach Regional Council on projects such as this because they help make our communities brighter and better,” Dr Degroot said. 

“Large-scale public artworks can be a visual contribution as well as a reflection of the community they are part of, so we were delighted to work with everyone from the local area to help inform the design as well as giving our students the experience of installing public art in a real-world setting.” 

“Collaborating with regional communities to develop a program of creative activities is a meaningful way to connect and share cultural and creative knowledge. Through projects like this, we are working together as co-creators for mutually beneficial creative outcomes that are socially and culturally relevant.”