Sealife, bike-riding gang-gangs, whimsical cloudscapes, abstract pieces, and colourful Latin American style murals now adorn the temporary bus shelter at the Woden bus interchange, turning it, as one artist said, into “a beautiful outdoor gallery”.

The Woden temporary bus interchange opened in January, and will operate until the new public transport interchange opens in 2025.  

But a row of white shipping containers isn’t quite the artistic vision the ACT Government has for the interchange.

The Suburban Land Agency engaged nine Canberra artists to “provide some colour and life to this temporary facility,” Yvette Berry, ACT Minister for Housing and Suburban Development, said. “Otherwise, it would be quite bland…

“It really lifts what the Woden Centre looks like now, but also imagine what it could be.”

One of the artists featured is Tracey Hall, who has painted ocean scenes depicting turtles and whales, with a quotation from American activist poet Amanda Gorman.

Ms Hall said she was proud and excited to see her artwork here. “All the people that are coming and visiting Woden get to come and see it, and also get to see some of the messages that local artists want to send out.”

Her messages are about the importance of the ocean, “the lungs of the planet”, and rubbish and environmental issues flowing into it.

“The fact that my children as well get to come and see some artwork is a little bit better than being in a gallery!”

Other artists featured include Mimi Fairall, Dan Magginity (Byrd), Carlos Sanchez, Lawrence Tan, Paul Summerfield, Sarah Murray, Yamile Tafur Rios, and Yanni Pounartzis.