It is the sort of thing that stops you mid-sentence. A tram glides through the intersection at Bourke and Swanston, but instead of the familiar green and gold, its entire flank carries ochre and charcoal figures of women in possum skin cloaks. The painting was made by Wurundjeri leader William Barak in 1897. For the past year it has been moving through Melbourne’s streets on tram number 3532, and if you have not seen it yet, your time is running out.
Six First Peoples Melbourne Art Trams have been rolling since June 2025 as part of the RISING festival. The wrapped D and D1 class trams are the fifth consecutive year of a program that, since 2021, has turned the network into a gallery exclusively for Victorian First Peoples artists. The 12-month wraps are now nearing their end. New designs for 2026 are already being commissioned and these six will soon disappear from the tracks.
Mutti Mutti, Yorta Yorta, Boon Wurrung and Wemba Wemba artist Maree Clarke has a tram of her own in the fleet. She described the work as part of a deeper revival. “My art is about regenerating cultural practices… we haven’t lost anything; some of these practices have just been laying dormant,” she said.
Clarke’s piece stretches across a D2 class tram that regularly works routes 6 and 19. Like all six, it carries a QR code that links to the full story of the work and the artist. Patsy Smith, a Taungurung woman, created ‘Parliament Forrest’, which she said “tells the story of First nations people, always walking in two worlds… As First Nations peoples we are held responsible by the Westminster law and we are guided by our responsibility to our Elders for our Lore on country.” Her tram, number 5002, also serves routes 6 and 19.
The most arresting piece belongs to the D1 class tram 3532. Its wrap reproduces Barak’s 1897 painting ‘Corroboree (Women in Possum Skin Cloaks)’, a work returned to Victoria in 2022 when the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Corporation purchased it with state support. For much of the past 128 years it was held in private collections and far from Country. Now it sits on a tram running the 5, 6, 16 and 72 routes, seen by thousands daily without a ticket price or a gallery door.
RISING senior curator Kimberley Moulton led the First Peoples curatorial group that selected the six works. “It has been a privilege to bring together the First Peoples curatorial group who are deeply community connected with extensive experience in contemporary art, culture and public installation,” she said. The group drew from State Library Victoria, Museums Victoria, and community archives to create a line-up spanning 1897 to the present day.
The full set also includes Wemba Wemba and Wergaia artist Kelly Koumalatsos, Gunaikurnai, Bidawal and Ngarigo artist Jennifer Mullett, and a collective work from Kaiela Arts by Laurel Robinson, Amy Briggs, Cynthia Hardie and Rochelle Patten. Each tram works a regular service rotation across routes 5, 6, 16, 19, 48, 70, 72, 75 and 109. If you want to find a specific design, the tramTRACKER app lets you follow individual vehicle numbers such as #3532 or #5002.
Minister for Treaty and First Peoples Natalie Hutchins said featuring First Nations artwork on the world-famous trams is “a powerful way to celebrate the history, culture and contributions of Aboriginal Victorians here in Melbourne.” Yarra Trams chief executive Vincent Destot described the network as “a moving art gallery” honouring Indigenous artists and their connection to Country. Those statements carry weight. But the tram that pulls up on Swanston Street does the real work. A commuter glances up from their phone and there, for a few seconds, is a 125-year-old painting moving alongside them.
The designs change annually. Do not assume the art you saw last winter is still out there. Scan the QR codes while you ride. They unpack the artist’s story, the cultural meaning of the work, and the community it comes from. It is the difference between seeing a striking image and understanding why a Taungurung woman painted a forest that represents walking between two legal systems.
Applications for the 2026 First Peoples Melbourne Art Trams are open now for Victorian-based First Peoples artists. That means the six trams currently on the network have only weeks left. The Barak tram, the Clarke wrap, the Kaiela Arts collective work. They are still moving through the city right now, but soon the new designs will take their place and these ones will be gone from public view.
Riding the routes is straightforward. The artworks appear on lines that crisscross the CBD and inner suburbs. Use tramTRACKER to find the specific vehicles and pair the trip with a visit to the State Library Victoria or the Koorie Heritage Trust, where related collections and exhibitions deepen the context. During winter, the RISING program and other activations also fill the city, so a tram ride becomes part of a larger cultural circuit.
By the time the new wraps launch later in 2026, the current fleet will feel like a well-kept secret that closed its doors. For now, the doors are still open and the trams are still running.
Quick Facts
RISING
Melbourne’s major winter arts festival presenting ambitious contemporary works, performances and public installations. It partners with government and cultural organisations to deliver large-scale projects including the Art Trams program.
Yarra Trams
Operator of Melbourne’s tram network, the largest in the world. Partners on the Art Trams initiative to wrap vehicles with public art and promote cultural visibility on the transport system.
Public Transport Victoria
Victorian Government agency responsible for public transport planning, coordination and passenger information. Co-partner in the First Peoples Melbourne Art Trams program alongside Yarra Trams.