Broome Primary School (Grades 5-6)
From freshwater at Jila, through a garden of red pindan earth and out towards the coast, a winding creek connects the story of Broome Primary School’s Paint Australia Beautiful mural.
Along its path are familiar plants, local wildlife, people caring for their surroundings and the waters of Roebuck Bay. Running through the creek are four simple words: We Care for Country.
For Broome Primary School, the mural is more than a colourful addition to its grounds. It celebrates the natural environment, the cultural knowledge and community connections that shape the school, and the responsibility everyone shares to care for the places they call home.
Named Western Australia’s state winner in Keep Australia Beautiful’s Paint Australia Beautiful campaign, Broome Primary is bringing students’ creativity to life in a large-scale artwork that will also become an outdoor learning resource for future generations.
A mural shaped by students
The mural began with the ideas and drawings of 57 students from Year 5/6 and Year 6 classes, working under the guidance of science teacher Mrs Gemma Starcevich. Students were organised into habitat groups, drawing the plants, animals and scenes they wanted to see represented from their local environment. Their individual designs were then brought together into one continuous landscape, following water from Jila through the pindan garden and towards the beach.
The first stage was completed during the Term 3 school holidays, when 26 people came together to prepare and paint the concrete surfaces. Seven students whose designs had been submitted returned with their parents or caregivers to help paint, joined by staff, former students and other family members. The wider school community has continued contributing through further painting sessions. The project has become a genuine team effort. Staff volunteers have included the school psychologist, deputy principal and engagement class teacher, while the science teacher’s own children — both former students — also helped bring the mural to life. One helped develop the design and spent nine mornings painting; the other helped clean and prime the concrete over two days.
With support from Dulux, whose team helped the school select and prepare suitable concrete sealer colours, the students’ drawings have been transformed into a large, colourful artwork across the school grounds. For the students, seeing their own ideas become part of a permanent mural has created a strong sense of ownership and pride.
Following the water through Broome
At the heart of the mural is the creek. Beginning at Jila, a freshwater place, it winds through a garden and continues towards the coast. Along the way, it connects habitats, plants, animals and people, reflecting the relationships between freshwater, land and saltwater that are so important to the Broome region.
The first stage is filled with details for visitors to discover. A blue-winged kookaburra sits among little corellas nesting in a tree hollow. Nearby, a blue-banded bee, butterfly, grasshopper, ta-ta lizards, gecko, frogs, fish and dragonflies bring the creek to life. Hibiscus, bush onions, reeds and lilies fill the surrounding landscape, while a mother duck and duckling make their way through the scene.
The pindan garden features a blue-tongue lizard alongside watermelon, tomato and pineapple plants. Nearby, a sequence shows people mulching, watering and pruning a tree, whose roots reach towards the creek. Beach morning glory grows towards the sand, bridging the garden and the coast. At the water’s edge, a fisherperson releases a blue-nosed salmon. Elsewhere, a recycling bin, a tropical Cable Beach sunset and two girls walking their dog on a leash while looking through binoculars reinforce the idea that caring for Country is part of everyday life. Some of the animals are also represented through their Yawuru names, including walag (frog), gunada (ta-ta lizard), dinydiny (grasshopper), bindabinda (butterfly), birlirri (blue-tongue lizard) and wiyawiya (dragonfly).
The second stage, planned for completion next year, will extend the creek into Roebuck Bay and its surrounding habitats, with a janun (black kite) and gurlibil (turtle) among the planned additions. As the mural grows, so will the story it tells about the connections between the places and living things that make Broome special.
A school with deep roots in Broome
Established in 1901, Broome Primary School is the oldest established government school in the Kimberley. In 2026, it celebrates 125 years of learning, creativity and community on Yawuru Country in Rubibi (Broome). The school’s history is closely connected with the community it serves. Local residents helped build the original schoolroom, and generations of students have contributed to caring for the school grounds and surrounding environment.
Today, around 335 students attend Broome Primary, reflecting the rich Aboriginal culture and diverse multicultural community of the region. The school’s identity is grounded in positive relationships, respect for different cultures, pride in learning and a strong sense of belonging. Its values of Care, Respect, Pride and Success guide the way students learn and interact with one another.
Broome Primary is also a Two-Way Science and Yawuru Language school, connecting scientific learning with local knowledge, language, culture and Country. That connection is visible throughout the mural, where local species and familiar landscapes sit alongside cultural knowledge and the words “We Care for Country”.
The artwork also leads towards the school’s Shooting Stars room and Cultural Centre, helping make the entrance to this important space more welcoming and connecting the natural environment with a place where people can meet, learn and share knowledge.
Rebuilding a place for connection
The mural carries particular significance because of the space it is helping transform. In January 2020, a devastating fire destroyed a significant portion of Broome Primary School. The resilience of the school community, supported by the generosity of the broader community, helped the school move forward through rebuilding. This mural project has provided another opportunity to restore and reimagine a shared space — this time through creativity and collaboration.
The school wanted the entrance to its Cultural Centre and Shooting Stars room to feel inviting, while celebrating the environment and the community’s connection to it. Students, families, former students and staff have all played a part, from developing the original drawings to preparing the concrete and painting the finished design.
The result is something created together: a space that reflects the school’s identity and gives students a visible reminder that their ideas can contribute to something lasting. The mural will be unveiled at Broome Live 125 on Saturday 24 October 2026, as part of the school’s celebration of its 125-year history.
Learning from the environment around us
At Broome Primary, environmental learning extends well beyond the mural. Students help care for a Kindy worm farm and vegetable garden, while the Kindilink bush plant nursery provides opportunities to grow and nurture plants. Garden improvements have made use of free mulch and reused materials such as bricks and cardboard, and an Indigenous-plant yarning circle is being developed. Students also learn through partnerships with local environmental organisations.
At the Broome STEM Festival, they have explored topics including seagrass, benthic invertebrates, wattles and shorebirds with Rangelands NRM, Environs Kimberley and Broome Bird Observatory. Other activities have included cane toad education with local rangers and the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, as well as collecting soap and wattle seeds with Environs Kimberley.
The school has also worked to encourage care for waterways through practical initiatives. Students designed stickers for Keep Australia Beautiful bin signage in 2024, while “Keep Our Bay Clean” stencils at school entrances continue to remind people to prevent rubbish and pollutants from entering waterways. Learning about the Yawuru six seasons has also helped students explore how seasonal changes affect local plants and animals. These experiences give students opportunities to observe the environment, ask questions and understand how their actions can make a difference.
Caring for Country, together
For Broome Primary School, Paint Australia Beautiful brought art, sustainability and student voice together in a way that reflects what the school values most. The mural celebrates local wildlife and habitats, but it also asks people to think about their own role in protecting them. Water connects the creek, garden, beach and bay — just as the actions of individuals connect to the health of the wider environment.
Its message is not limited to students. Families, staff and visitors are invited to stop, look more closely at the plants and animals around them, share their knowledge and consider how they can care for the places they value. As an outdoor learning resource, the mural will continue to support science and other curriculum areas, complementing the school’s Two-Way Science and Yawuru Language learning. Future students will be able to use it to explore habitats, living things, water and human impacts while recognising species and places from their own community.
For a school celebrating 125 years, the project also offers a way to connect generations: the students who helped create the mural are leaving something meaningful for the children who will follow them. And as the creek continues towards Roebuck Bay in the next stage of the artwork, the story will keep growing. From freshwater to the coast, from individual drawings to a shared creation, the mural reflects a simple idea that runs through Broome Primary School’s learning and community life: We Care for Country.