Coast to Coast: Artist MAST on the Road in Australia

After two intense weeks on the road, MAST has returned to the United States from his Australian coastal road trip—bringing back more than just miles traveled. Along the way, the Brooklyn-based graffiti artist produced over a dozen vibrant pieces, made possible with the support of Montana Cans, using Montana BLACK and GOLD throughout the journey. Traveling down Australia’s coastline, MAST moved from spot to spot, responding to his surroundings and letting each location shape the work. MAST himelf says “I’d been looking forward to visiting Australia since I was a ’90s kid watching BMX Bandits and Crocodile Dundee.” Read more in the artist’s own recap below.

MAST – Australian Escape

The plan was to link up with writers along the way during the two-week road trip down the east coast of Australia from Byron Bay to Melbourne. After some minor hurdles leaving the States, I landed, picked up paint and hit the road. I pulled up to Byron Bay and got things back on track for the long tour ahead. I linked up with Akuze and Teaz and rocked two pieces, dodging raindrops as we painted the second spot.

Newcastle was the next stop, where I linked with Mile and Taske. We got a lot of painting in—hitting multiple spots and rocking a mural in downtown Newcastle by the tram station. It was dope to paint my characters Squirt and RadioHead large and in charge downtown and leave that mural behind. At this point in the trip, I started noticing how on-point Australian coffee and breakfast were. Like any graff trip, it’s always a great idea to have a big breakfast because you never know where the day will take you, and all the cafés and breakfast spots didn’t disappoint.

Moving on to Sydney, Taske rolled with me and we were able to rock two spots and take in some sights in downtown Sydney, including a ferry ride to Manly Beach. The first joint was a quick one with KADE when we arrived in the afternoon. The next day was a larger wall with a bunch of local talent, including Taske, Slur, Phibs, Pudl, and myself. The wall’s unifying element was the orange and black background, and I don’t know if I was triggered by the Halloween colors, but I took a dive into a haunted theme once I found a cool pic of Vampirella on my phone.

Taking the train into town after painting, I got to see how rocked the tracksides were. Taven had a ton of work up and Break had some fresh joints on display. Sydney was dope and definitely had a healthy scene—even the fries came with a side of izm.

Melbourne was the final stop after a grueling 10-hour drive, avoiding all the hidden speed traps along the way. On the first day, I linked up with Shem, followed by walls with Sage, Renks, Slor, and Memos. Linking up with old friends made Melbourne the party city of the visit—painting during the day and eating and drinking around the city at night. A visit to The National Archive was dope, and before I knew it, I was driving my rental to the airport, realizing I hadn’t even seen a wombat in the wild. I’ll have to save that for the next visit.

After the experience, one thing was certain: Australian hospitality was in full effect. Thanks to everyone who made this trip smooth and productive!

Piece & Love!
Mast

About the Writer – MAST is a mural painter based in Brooklyn, New York. Active in New York City’s graffiti scene since the early 1990s, he is known for combining aggressive letterforms with stylized characters. His strong attention to detail and focus on traditional graffiti structure continue to shape his evolving visual language. With a background as an editorial art director, MAST brings a refined sensitivity to typography, composition, and color to both his fine-art practice and large-scale mural work. He continues to paint internationally, working across public walls, collaborative projects, and commercial spaces.