The latest of these has transformed Hillside Lane, which is located behind the Canberra City YHA in Akuna Street, by bringing the excitement, adventure, and energy of international travel to a previously drab wall.

Commissioned to undertake this work, in a cooperative arrangement between the YHA, In the City Canberra (ITCC), and the ACT government, was local artist Dai Cameron.

"I did this last winter, and it often rained, and on one day it even snowed, but I'm really happy with how it's turned out," said Cameron, who has been a graffiti artist for as long as he can remember.

He began pencil sketching at age two, but was drawn to graffiti while in Year 5 at Yarralumla Primary School when a skateboarding friend showed him a book on "spray can art", and he's been hooked ever since.

"I loved the freedom of the style, where you could create anything, without rules or boundaries, and started doing it in my sketchbook and some other places, which was probably a bit naughty at times," Cameron said.

Since then Cameron has turned a passion into a career and created professional graffiti art in hundreds of locations around Canberra, and even internationally in China.

"Graffiti is in high demand and people who can do it well are few and far between and it's awesome to be earning a living from something you love," Cameron said.

The Hillside Lane project took many months to complete, with extensive preliminary design work to develop the international travel concept and visual elements, and the painting was done over a six week period during which Cameron would work solidly for five hours per day on his own.

So how did he feel when it was all finished?

"Definitely relieved, and you get a bit of a rush when it's done and you know others will see it, plus it's really worked well for the YHA, and the wall has been used as a backdrop for photo shoots many times," Cameron said.

ITCC CEO Jane Easthope was equally enthusiastic about the result.

"It's fabulous. We do this to move away from the 'planned corporate look' and to give the city vitality and make it more interesting. It shows we're generating a unique character and helps to steer creative expression in positive directions," Jane said.

"And there are many other laneways in the city and Braddon that could do with more colour, so we'll keep moving forward with this, together with government, as long as it's OK with the business owners."

The next big street art project for ITCC is in Braddon and will involve more than a dozen artists, including Cameron.

Street art is also being planned for the skate park wall adjacent to the Canberra Centre carpark, which will be jointly funded by the Canberra Centre, ITCC, and the ACT government.

"I'm thrilled to be involved because graffiti never stands still, it's always evolving, and Canberra is really progressive in embracing this art form; I've never seen anything like it, neither interstate nor overseas," Cameron said.

With his enthusiasm for the art form, he hopes to eventually teach his techniques to others, focussing especially on disadvantaged people and Canberra's youth.