Silos as a canvas

This unique project aims to turn rural landscapes into an open-air art gallery. Northam, Western Australia, was the first official silo artwork in 2015, created by Phlegm and HENSE. However, the Silo Trail concept was initially launched by the Yarriambiack Shire Council in 2016. Since then, talented artists from Australia and all over the globe have been invited to paint these silos with their artistic interpretations.

The painted silo artwork is by famous street artists such as Rone, Adnate, Dvate, Guido Van Helton, Kaff-eine and others, who use these towering silos as their canvases to create impressive artworks that celebrate the local communities, culture, and history.

The Silo Art Trail

The original Silo Art Trail in Northwest Victoria started in 2016 and stretches 350km across regional Victoria, where the silos are strategically located in small towns along the trail. The artwork celebrates the people and culture of the region and adds an artistic touch to the picturesque countryside. Towns that feature painted silos (in driving order) are:- St Arnaud, Rapanyup, Murtoa, Horsham, Sheep Hills, Brim, Lascelles, Walepeup, Sea Lake and Nullawil, with more being added all the time.

North East Silo Trail

The North East Victoria Silo Art Trail began in 2018 and spans 132km. It starts just outside Benalla and takes approximately two hours to complete. Talented artists, including Guido Van Helten, Sobrane, Cam Scale, Adnate, Dvate, and Tim Bowtell, a local artist from Benalla, created the silos along this trail. The first town, Goorambat, has four works of art, including the interior wall of the Uniting Church.

From there, it goes to Devenish, St James, Katatamite and Tungamah. The CFA Water tank at Winton Wetlands is a must-see on returning to Benalla. A North East Trail map is available for download.

Winton Wetlands

The Winton Wetlands Art in the Landscape project aims to improve the visitor experience and raise awareness about the ecological significance of the wetlands by incorporating art installations and sculptures throughout the area. Among these installations are the CFA water tanks. The tank depicts the faces of three CFA firefighters on its side. While in Winton, they are still part of the North East Silo Trail.

Guido Van Helton was commissioned in 2016, as part of the Wall to Wall Street Art Festival in Benalla, to paint the water tank in the heart of the Winton Wetlands.

Echuca-Moama Silo Trail

Echuca Moama and its surrounding regions house four silo and water tank art installations. The Echuca-Moama trail can be done in a full day, but can also be split it into two half-day drives. The total driving time, without any stops, is roughly between 3.5 to 4 hours.

From Echuca, it’s a short 25-minute drive to Rochester where there are two silos painted by Jimmy Dvate. While n Rochester check out Iddles Lane featuring murals painted by Tim Bowtell celebrating Ron Iddles one of the state’s most respected detectives

It takes approximately 25 minutes to drive from Rochester to Colbinabbin. In 2020, artist Tim Bowtell painted the silos in Colbinabbin, showcasing important moments from the town’s history. These moments include the town’s connection to agriculture, community, environment, and the construction of the railway.

The final destination is Picola, which is located 35 minutes away, again painted by Jimmy Dvate. The artwork showcases the culturally significant Barmah National Park and the various wildlife that inhabits it. After visiting Picola, it will take another 30 minutes to return to Echuca.

Woomeland Field Bins

Explore Woomelang’s unique Mini Silo Art Trail, which offers a creative twist on the well-known Big Silo Art Trail. This trail features eight Mini Silos (Field Bins) scattered throughout the town, providing a fun and exciting way to discover the area. The Mini Silos celebrates the endangered species of the Mallee region.

In June 2020, a group of seven artists, including Jimmy DVate, Andrew J Bourke, and Kaff-eine, converted mini silos into a popular tourist attraction for the town. The mini silos showcase endangered species that are native to the area.

The Silo Art Trail showcases the transformative power of art in enriching communities. This painted silos project has revitalised rural Australia by using ordinary grain silos as canvases for extraordinary murals, providing an unparalleled cultural experience for both locals and visitors. As you travel along the trail, you will witness breathtaking artwork and become part of the collective effort to preserve the essence of regional Australia.

The Silo Art Trail symbolises resilience, creativity, and the indomitable spirit of the Australian outback. So, pack your bags, hit the road, and let the vibrant stories told by the silos take you on an unforgettable adventure!

The post Canvas of the Countryside: Victoria’s Spectacular Painted Silos appeared first on Bevlea Ross Photography.

Rupanyup

The first stop of the day was Rupanyup, 63kms to the east of St Arnaud. Twin steel silos painted by Russian artist Julia Volchkova in 2017 depict two young people, Ebony, who plays in the local netball team and Jordan, a footballer.

Sheep hills

Starting our run North, the second stop was 36kms up the road at Sheep Hills. Painted by Matt Adnate in 2016, it depicts Wergaia elder Uncle Ron Marks and Wotjobaluk Elder Aunty Regina Hood. Between them are two children, Savannah Marks and Curtly McDonald. Adnate’s artwork celebrates the area’s indigenous culture, and his depiction of the night sky represents the ‘dreaming’ element and highlights the strong ancestral connection indigenous children share with their elders.

brim

Heading off again, our third stop was Brim, another 42 kms up the road. The Brim silo, completed in 2016, was the first one to be painted in Victoria and the second in Australia after Northham, WA. Following the completion of the Brim silo, the town enjoyed newfound energy and optimism through the widespread attention towards Brim and the Wimmera, from both local and international media. It was from the success of the Brim silo that the Silo Art Trail was born. Guido’s work depicts four anonymous farmers, three men and one woman.

Rosebery

Just a short 24kms up the road, we came to Rosebery. Completed in 2017 by Kaff-eine, her artwork on the left depicts a female sheep farmer in a workshirt and cowboy boots. On the right is a horseman and his mount. The horseman wears an Akubra hat, bogs boots and oilskin vest – common attire for mallee farmers.

Patchewollock

Our next stop was Patchewollock. At 63 kms further north, it’s the longest distance between silos. As you drive down the road with endless flat fields and huge open skies on either side of you, you can’t help but reflect on the isolation of the land, the lack of ‘city’ conveniences and the continual hardships the farmers endure against droughts and fires. Patchewollock silo depicts local farmer Nick “noodle” Hulland. Completed in 2016, it shows the archetypal Aussie farmer in a faded blue flannelette shirt and worn jeans.

Fintan painted him with a solemn expression and squinting gaze to embody the harshness of the environment and the challenges a mallee farmer faces.

lascelles

From Patchellwock, it’s 50 kms south to Lascelles. With no breakfast, and 3 hours on the road, our tummies were rumbling, and we were looking forward to getting to our lunch stop. But, while close, Lascelles wasn’t it. Painted by Rone in 2017, its subjects are a local couple Geoff and Merrilyn Horman, part of a family who has lived and farmed the area for four generations.

Woomelang

A short 15kms further south from Lascelles is Woomelang (pop 150!). Our lunch stop. Being so far away from a major town, we weren’t expecting a sumptuous lunch. Still, given they promote the Woomelang “cafe” and its python mural, its closeness to the silo trail, and the fact that they have a ‘field bin’ trail within the town, we did expect a reasonably passable cafe. No. It’s a general store, combined with a post office and an opp shop that also sells fried food and pizzas. We settled for a potato cake and a couple of dimmies and sat outside as there was no tables or chairs inside.

Field Bins

The young Vice President of the Woomelang and District Development Association, Joe Collins (19 yrs old), had originally wanted their silo included in the trail. But, being privately owned, it couldn’t be included. He then came up with the idea for street art on the general store wall to boost the economy. Locals thought he had been in the sun a bit too long. Determined to forge ahead, he contacted Juddy Roller, who had started the silo art trail and was put in touch with Sirum. Sirum came back with a draft idea of the endangered carpet python.

A town meeting was called, and while many locals were against the idea of a snake on the wall, Joe prevailed. Once the python was painted and tourists started calling into town, the opposition vanished, and the townsfolk started looking at more ways to bring visitors to the town. They liaised with the Wimmera Catchment Authority, and eight new endangered animals were chosen to grace eight mobile field bins. Call into the general store to pick up a map. I would, however, suggest taking a cut lunch with you, rather than buying from the “cafe”.

Before leaving Woomelang, we also stopped by the Shearing shed in Cronomby Tanks Rd. Built of compressed kerosine tins, it stands as a monument to bush ingenuity during the wartime shortage of building materials.

Nullawil

We had one more stop before reaching Sea Lake. Nullawil, 65kms south from Woomelang, is probably my favourite silo. Painted by Smug it features a farmer in an obligatory checked flannel shirt and his mate a black and tan Kelpie.

Sea Lake

Turning north again, we covered the last 50 km to arrive at Sea Lake and the end of our days driving. The Sea Lake silo features a young girl on a swing looking over Lake Tyrell. Painted over three weeks in 2019, the silo embodies the wide-open sky of Lake Tyrell, the indigenous name of which is ‘Tyrille’ meaning ‘space opening to the sky’. After viewing the silo, we drove around town, capturing the murals on walls of stores. We didn’t go to Lake Tyrell before dinner, as our group were booked to do that on the sunset tour. Both decisions turned out to be huge mistakes—more on that in the next post.

Days End

After leaving St Arnaud around 8 am, we had made it to Sea Lake by 3.30 pm and covered the entire silo trail plus Woomelang and its field bins in 407 kms. We booked into Sea Lake Motel and dinner at the Royal Hotel. The old pub, built in 1910, burnt down in 2017. The only other pub in town had closed, and drastic action was called for. You can’t have a pub with no beer or a town with no pub. Locals started the Royal Hotel Co-op at $5000 per share and raised enough money to purchase the old pub. Seven months and 28 loads of rubbish to the tip later, the pub reopened in June 2019, providing 16 local jobs staffing the hotel.

Coming up next Sunday: Day Three is off to Mungo NP

The post Outback Road Trip Day Two – St Arnaud appeared first on Bevlea Ross Photography.