Wungong Dam had a visit from a local artist in order to create a mural, bringing it to life.
Inspired by local birdlife and after being hired by Water Corp, Brenton See created the mural on the Wungong dam about 10 kilometres out of Armadale.
Wungong dam is a popular tourist spot for scenic views and the recreation lake at the bottom of the dam wall.
Surrounded by natural bush trails, the surrounding parks are popular for hiking and bush walks.
The mural is 13-metres wide and is designed to highlight the local environment and features the Australian wood duck, red-tailed black cockatoo, nankeen night heron, yellow-billed spoonbill, Australian shelduck, Australasian swamphen and sacred kingfisher.
Brenton spent time at the dam to observe the wildlife, using only species found around the area to construct the piece.
“I try to educate people on Western Australian wildlife through my work,” he said.
“I prefer to paint species native to the area so they have the chance to see the wildlife in person after they’ve seen my work.
“The more people know about their surroundings, the more I hope they will care for their environment.”
Prior to the painting, the platform was grey and Brenton added colour to create a fresh appearance, using photos of the wildlife.
“I use photographs I’ve taken or people I know have taken. I want to make sure my work is accurate and photographs help with that,” he said.
Birdlife at Wungong Dam is common with sightings of finches, wrens, robins and the occasional eagle all year round.
Kangaroos and wallabies are also present in the area.
Brenton’s work focuses on Western Australian native flora and fauna inspired by time he spent volunteering for native animal rescue.
“It’s important to me to stick to what I’m doing with the native flora and fauna, I’ve gotten to a place where I can refer people to an alternative artist if they want something beyond my niche.”
