Tucked away in bushland on Western Australia’s south coast, a World War II relic has been brought back to life as a sprawling gallery for street artists.
The towering concrete walls of seven abandoned wartime fuel tanks just outside Albany are drawing creatives from all over the world.
In turn, these artists are helping to shine a spotlight on a once-vital site that was shrouded in secrecy.
The towering walls of the tanks create an echo chamber. (ABC Great Southern: Astrid Volzke)
“It was somewhere that was forgotten about, left to just go to waste, and we just reclaimed it really,” local artist Chad Marwick said.
“And then the history of the place itself gets talked about as well.”
The tanks attract admiring visitors. (ABC Great Southern: Astrid Volzke)
Marwick said the tanks included work from artists from near and far.
“You get people who just love to travel, you know, from all over Australia, even international artists have been in there,” he said.
Art and history
The decommissioned tanks were once vital wartime infrastructure in the Great Southern city.
Part of the immersive experience of the tanks is the way the art interplays with the natural light. (ABC Great Southern: Astrid Volzke)
Local historian Malcolm Traill said censorship during the war meant very little information about the tanks was shared publicly, even though they loomed out of the bush.
“They’re a reminder of that time more than 80 years ago during World War II,” he said.
The tanks were once under threat of demolition, but local advocates fought to preserve them because of their historical significance.
The work ranges from intricate stencils to more traditionally styled pieces. (ABC Great Southern: Astrid Volzke)
The street art is now also helping increase public awareness about the site, which Mr Traill says is a “good thing”.
The art reflects off the surface of large pools of water inside the tanks. (ABC Great Southern: Astrid Volzke)
“Street art is a modern phenomenon and I think it brightens things up,” he said.
“Grey concrete is not the most exciting thing to look at.
“If it brings people in and gets that story out there, then it’s got to be a good thing.”
Documenting the past
In addition to the street art, community organisation Veterans Assist has spent the last two years installing signs at the site.
Jane Mouritz says the tanks are worth preserving. (ABC Great Southern: Astrid Volzke)
Project leader Jane Mouritz said the tanks carried significant historical importance that was worth documenting and preserving.
“They tell a story of some of the hardship that was felt domestically during World War II, when there was fuel rationing and there was fear of invasion,” she said.
“That’s why it was very important to write the history of these tanks and have it on signage.”
Veterans Assist project leader, Jane Mouritz said it was important to write the history of the tanks.
(ABC Great Southern: Astrid Volzke)
Inside the tanks, the art stretches up to 20 metres high.
Layers of graffiti transform the cold concrete interiors into immersive chambers of colour and sound.
Ms Mouritz described the experience as “unreal”.
“This whole tank is one moving artwork,” she said.
“Who would have known, in 1941 when they built tanks to hold fuel, that we would repurpose it in 2026?”
Graffiti gallery
Graffiti artists often work covertly, facing hefty fines and even jail terms if they are caught.
But for them the risk is worth it and the tanks are evidence of their artistic evolution.
There are some remarkable pieces at the site. (ABC Great Southern: Astrid Volzke)
“We first stepped in there about 20 years ago, and there was only one, two, maybe three little pieces in there,” Marwick said.
“It was hardly known. It was just left for nature to take over pretty much.”
Graffiti is writing or drawings marked on walls or surfaces in public view. (ABC Great Southern: Astrid Volzke)
While the graffiti art is not formally identified as part of the site’s recognised cultural heritage significance, the ABC understands the City of Albany has no plans to remove it.
As such, efforts are being made to make the site more accessible, with the Keep Albany Beautiful Committee and Veterans Assist working on building pathways to connect it to nearby public trails.
Marwick hopes that making the site better known, however, will not damage its unique status as a living street art space.
“Because there’s nowhere in town that offers any walls, at this stage,” he said.
