In May 2024, Council signed a grant agreement worth $3.5 million from the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, and the Arts (Federal Government) under the ‘Investing in Our Communities’ program. The grant aims to boost business and highlight Harris Park as a destination by celebrating the connections to South Asia and introducing Indian inspired decorative elements such as murals, overhead lighting, public art, and other streetscape improvements.
In mid-2023 as part of the grant application, Council invited the Harris Park community to get involved and have a say on proposed upgrades to the cultural and food precinct in Wigram Street, Marion Street, and Station Street East (the focus area for the proposed improvements).
Council received a significant amount of community feedback which we used to develop a refined Concept Plan and an Indian inspired welcome treatment. Public exhibition of the Concept Plan and proposed public art took place in mid-2025. Thank you to everyone that had their say.
Project update – Harris Park mural upgrade works commence (March 2026)
The City of Parramatta Council and the Australian Government have commenced installation of a series of new murals along Station Street East which celebrate Indian culture and local stories. These artworks will add colour, vibrancy and a strong sense of identity to the precinct, marking the start of a broader program of improvements.
To create a landmark community led mural for Harris Park’s Little India precinct, this project brings together three accomplished artists whose shared commitment to meaningful public art enriches the vibrancy, identity, and connection of shared spaces. Engaged by the City of Parramatta, the artist team includes Gauri Torgalkar, Em Hatton and Patrick Hunter.
The artists are deeply committed to understanding and responding to Harris Park’s rich cultural heritage and the unique identity of Little India. Their shared vision is to create a mural that emerges authentically from the community’s voice, promoting inclusion, cohesion and harmony while celebrating the vibrancy of the precinct. The team engaged with the local community to get to the heart of a shared experience of place, identity and values to be represented in this mural series. Amongst the shared themes of food, family, celebration, flora and fauna, and (of course) cricket, lay one central theme summarised brilliantly by a community respondent: “Everyone brings something to make a beautiful tapestry”. What the team aspires to create is a public artwork that celebrates the diversity of Harris Park and the stories within it.
The mural reflects the identity, culture and evolution of Harris Park from our First Nations to colonial settlement, waves of Greek and Lebanese migration, to the modern day melting pot that is Little India. Using colour and motif, the mural will transport visitors from a sunrise over the Parramatta River, to daytime where we gather and share culture, to night where the food and festival experience of Harris Park comes alive.
Please note that the design below is indicative only at this stage and may be altered as painting progresses.
Harris Park Mural
Harris Park mural concept - Gauri Torgalkar, Em Hatton and Patrick Hunter
To access a larger version of the mural, please click here, and to learn more about the artist team behind the mural, please click here.
Other exciting changes coming to Harris Park in 2026!
Following public exhibition in mid-2025, Council resolved in November 2025 to progress a simplified overhead gateway for Harris Park. The gateway will contribute to a welcoming arrival experience along Marion Street and complement the proposed overhead decorative lighting corridor. Design development has now commenced, and the final form of the gateway will be shaped by a local Western Sydney artist, guided by Council’s resolution and the cultural character of the precinct.
Streetscape upgrades are also planned for later in 2026. Marion Street will receive refreshed paving, new street furniture, and new street trees. Additional tree planting and improvements are also proposed along Wigram Street to enhance shade, comfort and overall amenity for the community. Site establishment for these works is expected to begin mid-late 2026.
Construction and installation across the precinct including streetscape improvements, decorative lighting and the gateway are anticipated to take place between August and December 2026, delivering an even more welcoming and vibrant public realm for Harris Park.
Please FOLLOW this page for updates.
This project is proudly funded by the Federal government’s Investing in Our Communities grant program and delivered by the City of Parramatta.
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