Trugo Mural at Yarraville Village

Painted by Peter McMahon in 2003, this Mural celebrates the Sport of Trugo.

Trugo is played Outdoors on a Pitch similiar to that of Lawn Bowls - 90 feet or 27.4 meters for Men and 70 feet or 21.3 meters for Women. The object is to score more Points than your Opponent by striking the Black-rings (called Wheels) with the Mallet through Goalposts. The 'catch' being the Mallet is swung through the Player's legs, much like Tunnel Ball. Each Player has a total of 24 Shots (or swings), with 12 from each end. The Player with the most Goals wins the match. Scoring 24 is akin to achieving a 300 in Ten Pin Bowling.

The Game was invented in the 1920s by Railway Workers at the nearby Newport Railway Workshops using materials at hand in the Workshops. These materials inlcuded : the length of the Pitch determined by the length of a Railway Carriage, the Goalposts being the distance between Carriage Seats, the Mallet used was a Sledgehammer and the Black-rings an internal rubber based component of Railway Buffers. Rules are straightforward and the beauty of the Game was that anyone could Play and it is very inexpensive to particpate.

In Melbourne, there are still at least half a dozen Clubs that participate in this uniquely Western Suburbs of Melbourne devised Sport. The first Trugo Club was based at Yarraville. Present day Clubs, as I understand, are now based at Port Melbourne, Sandridge, South Melbourne, Brunswick, Ascot Vale and Yarraville. Sadly, a number of Clubs have closed in recent times that have included: Williamstown, Reservoir, Preston, Newport, Coburg, Carlton and the second oldest Club based at Footscray, which ceased in only 2009.

As a Child, I would occassionally accompany my maternal Grandmother, and watch Trugo. I readily recall the cheerful, friendly banter and easiness of the Players. It was like being with a group of old Mates genuinely pleased to see each other with Trugo the reason for catching up.

The Mural itself depicts a 'Red Rattler' - a suburban Electric Train of past years (these no longer operate on the Train Network) along with a group of Workers watching from the sidelines. Along with the Player you can see him swinging a Mallet and what appears a 'can' presumably to hold the 'Wheels'.

You will find this huge and boldly coloured Mural near the Art Deco Sun Theatre and Bookshop in Canterbury Street, Yarraville (a western suburb of Melbourne). Both the Theatre (one of the few remaining suburban Theatres) and the Bookshop are worth a visit alone.

It's one of my favourite experiences in Yarraville and never fails to delight.