THEY’RE just minutes from the city, but the murals in the quiet side-streets of Newtown are a world away from the hustle and bustle.

Newtown in Sydney is a cultural hub, drawing in tourists and artists alike with its mix of good food, clothes stores and art.

A short walk from the station will take you where grunge meets greenery, as tree-lined streets glimmer with graffiti and murals alike.

media_camera ‘The Divine’ by artist Alex Leho is one example of the many murals adorning Newtown’s walls. Picture: Nick Eagar

media_camera Many street artists choose to paint works in Newtown, brightening up even the drabbest of buildings. Picture: Nicholas Eagar.

Local artist Andre Hobday described Newtown as an open gallery, saying it’s a public resource which should be better known.

type_quote_start The public just don’t know how many artists are here, it’s like an untapped resource. type_quote_end

“I think it’s amazing. The public just don’t know how many artists are here, it’s like an untapped resource,” he said.

Mr Hobday has worked in Newtown as an artist for years, now teaching 15 students a week in portraiture.

You might know him as a busker in the city, where he draws renaissance style artworks on the ground while you watch.

media_camera Not just murals, graffiti pieces can be found throughout Newtown. Many street artists had their beginnings as graffiti writers. Picture: Nicholas Eagar

media_camera A stroll through Newtown can often feel like a walk through an open air art gallery. Picture: Nicholas Eagar

These days, he says it is street art, not galleries, where the public seems the most interested.

And it’s no surprise. Newtown is testament to an open space where street art has thrived, encouraging local street artist Dan ‘Ears’ O’Toole to take up the craft as a teenager.

But Dan, who has been self-employed as an artist since 2008, worries that developments in Newtown are pushing creatives out.

media_camera on Phillip Lane. Picture: Nicholas Eagar

media_camera A skull etched into a wall on Phillip Lane. Picture: Nicholas Eagar

media_camera Newtown’s colourful walls make for striking viewing. Picture: Nicholas Eagar

“I feel that gentrification and changes in local business and infrastructure are definitely pushing the creative and grassroots scene out.

“People still gravitate towards it as an artistic centre but it’s certainly harder to live and work in Newtown as an artist.”

media_camera Lennox Street carpark terrace house mural called The Promise. Picture: Nicholas Eagar

House prices in Newtown will likely continue to climb, and owning a home in Newtown restricted to those with a bit more cash to splash around.

But for the rest of us Newtown remains a trendy cultural spot, perfect for a brekkie, lunch or relaxing stroll through Sydney’s very own open air art gallery.

media_camera Ears AKA Daniel O’Toole started out as a graffiti artist but soon became interested in portraiture, citing modernism and abstract expressionism as two of his biggest influences. Picture: Nicholas Eagar

media_camera Newtown’s walls portray a wide array of artistic styles. Picture: Nicholas Eagar.