STUDENTS at St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School in Crib Point are celebrating after their new mural was named the Victorian winner of the 2026 Paint Australia Beautiful School Mural competition.
The mural was painted and designed by Year 5 and 6 students and is a nod to the biodiversity of Western Port Bay.
The school transformed an existing art piece in its kitchen garden into a celebration of local wildlife, sustainability and the importance of protecting the environment.
It features illustrations of plants and animals around the area including a kookaburra, crabs, and the mangroves.
The teacher who led the project, Dominque Taylor, said the project builds on the school’s strong environmental focus.
From Year 3, the students at St Joseph’s participate in a program called ‘The Sea is Our Best Friend’, which includes fortnightly excursions to different outdoor environments to learn about the biodiversity of Western Port Bay and other areas.
“When [the program] started, we discovered the children didn’t actually know what was in our area, they didn’t really know their local area at all,” said Taylor.
“They didn’t know the mangroves, and they didn’t know about Woolley’s Beach, so every fortnight the Year 3s and 4s walk to Woolley’s beach and we work with our local ranger doing numerous activities down on the beach.”
The school also teamed up with Ozfish, an organisation aimed at helping restore fish habitats and waterways, and secured grants to propagate, replant and regenerate mangroves at Woolley’s Beach.
“We do really have a strong focus and dedication to our biodiversity here at St Joseph’s,” said Taylor.
“We’re trying to create young stewards of our earth and hoping that everything we do with these children, they will then, in turn, get older and aim to look after our local and global environment.”
The mural painted by the students will now be in the running for the National Paint Australia Beautiful School Mural competition in the biodiversity category.
“The students really enjoyed being part of this because we had a real community while painting the tree,” said Taylor.
“It’s the children being able to leave their footprint on the school after they leave.”
You can read more information and vote for St Joseph’s Primary School mural in the national competition at: kab.org.au/paint-australia-beautiful/schools-2026/
First published in the Mornington News – 3 November 2026
