Summer Road to Saltwater

Next date: Wednesday, 06 August 2025 | 10:00 AM to 04:00 PM

To celebrate the opening of the new Civic Precinct, artworks from the City of Maribyrnong’s Art and Heritage Collection are on display throughout the recently restored Footscray Town Hall.

Summer Road to Saltwater charts the development of the municipality, from the nineteenth century to the present day. Once reliant on Melbourne for its prosperity, and only accessible during summer months, Footscray quickly became a place of opportunity.

Focusing on the area once known as Saltwater, the art display reflects how identity and place is formed and transforms over time. The region’s changing landscape, including the Maribyrnong River, has drawn artists to document both its magnificence and deterioration. Climate change, industrial development and natural disasters have affected the City’s river, which was once its main attraction and a source of survival.

Through a diverse range of media, including photography, painting, glass and textile, Summer Road to Saltwater reflects on the shifting character of our municipality and the current challenges facing our environment.

Location: Civic Precinct and Community (corner Hyde and Napier Streets, Footscray)

Viewing times: Wednesdays and Fridays, 10am - 4pm, from 7 March - 3 October 2025.

Group bookings: Groups larger than 5 people are encouraged to book a tour via arts@maribyrnong.vic.gov.au

Curator's guided tour: 3pm on the first Thursday of the month. Bookings essential.

Book for Curator's tour now

View exhibition catalogue at this link

Image credit: Chrisy Dennis, Maribyrnong River, Tributaries to the Sea 1988, watercolour.

When

Location

Civic Precinct and Community Hub, 61 Napier St, Footscray, 3011, View Map