First Nations art to feature on Suburban Rail Loop tunnel boring machines

Two tunnel boring machines set to carve the first section of Melbourne’s Suburban Rail Loop East will carry the work of a Wurundjeri and Dja Dja Wurrung artist, with the Victorian government unveiling Aboriginal artwork designed for the machines’ giant cutterheads. The artwork will be seen above ground before tunnelling begins.

The design, titled Footsteps of the Past, was created by Hayden Roberts and will appear on the rotating steel faces at the front of the tunnel boring machines as they dig twin tunnels through Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country between Glen Waverley and Box Hill.

Roberts, who works as a bush ranger trainee with the Wurundjeri Woi‑wurrung Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Corporation, said the commission was a chance to bring Country into a major piece of public infrastructure. “I really wanted to express Wurundjeri Country through this artwork” he said, according to project materials released through Victoria’s Big Build.

Roberts described the scale of the project as a rare opportunity for visibility, saying: “Seeing something of that size with my artwork on it is a really exciting opportunity for me.”

Project information released with the announcement says the work reflects an enduring connection to Country and the way stories, footprints and knowledge are carried across generations – themes the artist says are shaped by time spent on Country and work in cultural heritage and land management.

The Suburban Rail Loop Authority says construction is already under way on SRL East, which will connect Cheltenham to Box Hill via new underground stations and is designed to reshape how Melbourne grows around transport corridors. The state government says the project is expected to create jobs and training opportunities, including for First Peoples, while also supporting new housing around stations.