Fieldey’s newest mural, Retro Roots & Suburban Boots, is a love letter to the working-class charm of Perth’s northern suburbs from the 1970s through to the 1990s. With Retro Roots & Suburban Boots, Fieldey offers a vibrant, layered response to place—celebrating the working-class identity and rich suburban culture of Perth’s northern suburbs from the 1970s through to the 1990s. Situated in Craigie, where the artist first settled after moving to Perth, the mural interweaves personal narrative with community-sourced memories to tell a collective story of time and belonging.

The design centres on a retro-themed drive-in movie scene, where a couple (complete with resplendent mullet and Farrah Fawcett waves) enjoy a date night with their beloved Kelpie and choc-milk in tow. It’s a loving nod to classic car culture, iconic hairstyles, and the all-terrain status of Ugg boots—details drawn directly from Fieldey's own experience of life in Craigie.

The creative process behind the mural was equally rooted in community connection. Fieldey reached out to residents via local Facebook groups, inviting them to share their memories of growing up in the area. The nostalgic and often hilarious responses inspired many of the mural’s key features: home milk deliveries, horse-shoe rolls, the Binishell dome, black cockatoos and banksias, and even the infamous creepy clown swing. These stories were lovingly woven into the composition, ensuring the final piece feels both personal and collective.

A team of three artists joined Fieldey to bring the mural to life over six days of painting. Together, they transformed the site into a flowing visual narrative that embraces the curve of the wall and is visible from both the freeway and nearby carpark. A dynamic green line snakes through the composition, connecting each element and referencing both physical travel and the deeper idea of intergenerational connection. The artwork’s bright, retro-inspired palette was developed from the Main Roads colour schemes for Hepburn to Whitfords and Whitfords to Ocean Reef, with a splash of bold pink added to modernise and unify the work.

True to its name, Retro Roots & Suburban Boots is more than a nostalgic throwback—it’s a reflection on how much has changed, and how much remains. Classic cars still cruise the streets, mullets have made their comeback, and Ugg boots are as essential as ever. The mural captures that sense of enduring identity, playfulness and local pride with boldness, humour and heart.