Title: Roots of Tomorrow
Artist: Mountain Ash Creative
Year: 2025
Credits: The MTC Mural Upgrade has been delivered by the City of Melton in partnership with the Victorian Government
Flora and fauna include, flowering Red Gums, Brushtail Possum, Cat Tail reeds, Black Swan and cygnet, Golden Sun Moth, Red Rumped Grass parrot, a spiny rice flower and wallaby grass.
About the art
This mural explores the theme of collective identity, connection to place, and the power of imagination to shape a shared future. The design uses the landscape itself, unfolding from night into day to reflect Melton’s extraordinary biodiversity and its rich potential for growth, renewal, and harmony. The mural transitions from a tranquil nightscape into a warm, hopeful dawn, symbolising movement from reflection into action. As day breaks, the landscape shifts into full bloom. This is a mural about place, possibility, and perspective, a space where the past and present meet the rising light of what could be. By looking to the land and its rhythms, the design invites the community to imagine a future shaped by care, respect, and shared responsibility.
Within the nightscape, a black swan glides across calm waters, a cygnet nestled safely on its back. Together, they move toward the sunrise, a tender image of family, care, and forward momentum. This moment speaks to the heart of community: the responsibility we carry for one another and the importance of nurturing a future that is both inclusive and sustainable. The mural also features a brush-tail possum beneath the moonlight, cattail reeds swaying at the water’s edge, and a soft scattering of glowing orbs rising from billy buttons, gentle emblems of ideas, guidance, and unseen possibilities beginning to stir. As day breaks, the landscape shifts into full bloom. A red rumped grass parrot perched alongside a sun moth, its wings catching the early light amongst Flowering Red Gums. On the ground, a growling grass frog rest near native spiny rice flowers, wallaby grass and Billy Buttons painting a vibrant picture of the local ecosystem in motion. Each plant and creature have been carefully selected from Melton’s native environment, grounding the mural in a strong sense of place. These elements not only celebrate the region’s natural heritage but also point to the community’s deep interconnection with the land. The glowing orbs appear throughout the composition, weaving through the mural like scattered seeds of thought, reminders that small moments of care, creativity, and awareness can grow into lasting change.
About the artist
Daniel is an artist based in the Blue Mountains and Sydney, with over a decade of experience specialising in large-scale murals and conceptual designs. Focusing primarily on painting, Daniel brings a distinctive visual approach to each project, drawing on his surroundings and unique perspectives to create captivating works. His art weaves together styles, symbols, and social messaging, with a strong emphasis on social consciousness. Daniel views murals as a powerful medium to evoke positivity and inspiration, with his creations resonating both locally and internationally. Throughout his career, Daniel has collaborated with a range of enterprises, private companies, and government organisations, including Westmead Children’s Hospital, Amazon, NSW Train Link, SEQ Water, Ryde City Council, Blue Mountains City Council, Parramatta City Council, and Sydney Water.