Don’t Just Mourn for Oxford Street’s Rainbow Crossing – DIY One

Prepare for a serious rainbow chalk shortage in Sydney: DIY chalk rainbows are popping up across the city in Newtown, Paddington and Redfern following the State Government's removal of the rainbow crossing on Oxford Street.

The movement started with a Facebook photo of radio presenter James 'Breko' Brechney colouring in a chalk rainbow outside his home. The photo soon led to Brechney creating the Facebook group DIY Rainbow Crossings and the #DIYRainbowCrossings hashtag going viral on Twitter.

"I was pretty down like a lot of people when the Rainbow Crossing was ripped up," said Brechney. "The DIY chalk crossing idea really just came to me overnight ... I got my sister and housemate in on the act and when we finished our one in Surry Hills we took a few photos for Facebook and the whole thing went crazy. Everyone's now doing their own DIY Rainbow Crossings all over Sydney and I love that because it's less work for me!"

The Oxford Street crossing was initially created by the City of Sydney Council as part of the 2013 Mardi Gras celebrations, and soon became a much-loved attraction, with people posing for photos while walking across it. Despite calls to make the crossing permanent from the community and local politicians such as Lord Mayor Clover Moore and State Member for Sydney Alex Greenwich, NSW Roads Minister Duncan Gay made the decision to remove the crossing.

Community radio station FBI Radio has decided to get in on the action as well, chalking up their own rainbow outside the front door of their station in Redfern. "It's just a fun, little nice thing, a sign of how Sydney people are joined together when they think a wrong has been done," said program director Caroline Gates, who was inspired to join Brechney's 'chalk revolution' after seeing his Facebook photo.

"We've got a volunteer group, and I just said 'Hey, anyone want to make a rainbow?'" she says. "I think a nice thing about people getting out a bit of chalk and making their own is just saying 'Screw the government, this is what we feel and what our community is'."

The removal of the crossing took many Sydneysiders by surprise after road workers in Ultimo were redirected to Oxford Street to perform 'emergency road works' late on Wednesday night, as passers by booed and shared photos of the disappearing rainbow on social media.

"I think people really connected with some vibrancy in our city," said Brechney. "I think the State Government has really got themselves pigheaded about removing it when it was clear, even to people initially opposed, that it was truly a fabulous addition to Oxford Street."

DIY rainbow crossing behind the Newtown Hotel.

DIY rainbow crossing behind the Newtown Hotel.

DIY rainbow crossing in front of FBi Radio.

Photography by Anita Senaratna and Rima Sabina Aouf.