Kids add to a mural that grows across Brimbank libraries all week

A collaborative mural is taking shape across four Brimbank library branches this Reconciliation Week, and your children are invited to add their piece. There is no fixed masterpiece to admire – instead, the artwork grows each afternoon as kids pick up a brush and contribute to a shared canvas that will travel between Sunshine, St Albans, Keilor and Sydenham.

From 27 May to 3 June, the after-school mural sessions form part of the council’s regular Activity Zone program. Each drop-in gives children a chance to paint, draw or collage onto a communal artwork that reflects the national Reconciliation Week theme “All In”. The idea is straightforward: reconciliation needs everyone, and the youngest members of the community have a place at the centre of it.

While small hands add colour, the library team has pulled together a selection of picture books and junior fiction by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authors. Children can flick through the books between brush strokes, or take one home afterwards. The combination of hands-on art and storytelling is deliberate – the council’s libraries team wanted to offer a way for families to learn through making, not just listening.

The mural itself will move branches over the course of the week, which means the artwork your child creates at Sunshine Library on a Wednesday becomes part of something other kids will add to at St Albans on the Thursday. The finished piece will carry the marks of dozens of young artists from across the municipality.

Sessions run during after-school hours at four locations: Sunshine Library (301 Hampshire Road, near Sunshine station), St Albans Library (Alfrieda Street, a short walk from St Albans station), Keilor Library and Sydenham Library. All events are free and no bookings are needed – you simply turn up with your child and they can stay for as long as they like within the session time. The council recommends checking specific times on the library website before heading out, as each branch sets its own afternoon schedule.

If you plan to drive, be aware that some branches have limited parking. Sunshine Library’s location next to the station makes the train a sensible choice, and St Albans is also easy to reach on foot from the rail line. Buses service Keilor and Sydenham, though a quick look at the PTV app for a route that suits your afternoon is worth a few minutes.

While you are at the library, you might double up with another free activity. Sydenham Library is running tote-bag making as part of its Reconciliation Week offer, and every branch has a dedicated display of First Nations children’s books to browse. Borrowing a couple of the curated titles turns the mural visit into a longer afternoon without spending anything extra.

The mural project is one of several ways Brimbank City Council is marking Reconciliation Week, which runs nationally from 27 May to 3 June. The council acknowledges the Wurundjeri and Bunurong Peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which the libraries stand. For families, the takeaway is simple: a rare chance to have your child’s artwork travel around their own neighbourhood and become part of a community response to the “All In” call.