The Australian Silo Art Trail Series: Wimmera-Mallee Silo Art Trail, Victoria

The Australian Silo Art Trail stretches from Western Australia, through South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales and ends in Queensland. Since 2015 there are 25 silo’s that have been painted by urban artists, creating Australia’s biggest outdoor gallery. The Australian Silo Art Trail have increased tourism to towns off the beaten track, passing through small working farms and local communities.

We start our blog series with The Silo Art Trail aka The Wimmera-Mallee Silo Art Trail, an incredible drive through the Wimmera and Mallee Regions of Victoria. The trail begins in Patchewollock, Lascelles, Rosebery, Brim, Sheep Hills and ends up in Rupanyup covering over 200 kilometres of country Victoria.

The Silo Art Trail was conceived in 2016 after the success of the first silo artwork in Brim, a small community project by the Brim Active Community Group, GrainCorp, Juddy Roller and artist, Guido van Helten. The Silo Art Trail was created as a partnership between Yarriambiack Shire Council, Juddy Roller, Victorian Government, Australian Government and GrainCorp.

The (Wimmera-Mallee) Silo Art Trail begins with Patchewollock, here you can find Silo Art by Brisbane artist Fintan Magee. For inspiration Fintan booked a room at the local pub and spent his time chatting to the locals and finding out about the local community. Fintan’s subject for the 1939 twin silo was farmer Nick “Noodle” Hulland who exemplified the no-nonsense, hardworking spirit of the region.

The second Silo in The (Wimmera-Mallee) Silo Art Trail takes you to Lascelles, and is painted by Melbourne street artist Rone. Rone painted for two weeks the images of a local couple Geoff and Merrilyn Horman on the 1939 Graincorp silos. Their families have lived and farmed in the area for four generations. Born in the district, the couple married in Lascelles in 1967 and together with their two sons (and their own families) have continued the family traditions of wheat farming and strong community involvement.

The next (Wimmera-Mallee) Silo Art Trail is in Rosebery by artist Kaff-eine. On one silo she captures the image of a young female farmer, a strong woman who is used to the hardships of the land, and on the other silo is a typical Mallee farmer affectionate with his horse.

The (Wimmera-Mallee) Silo Art Trail next takes you to Brim where Brisbane Guido Van Helten initiated the trail when he initially painted the Brim silos in December 2015. The anonymous subject mural is a tribute to the farming communities of the Wimmera and Mallee region and portray a multi-generational quartet of farmers both male and female who show the strength and resilience that is required to be a country Victorian farmer.

Melbourne street artist, Adnate’s artwork tells the stories of the Aboriginal communities across Australia and he continued this story with his artwork on the Sheep Hill silo’s as part of The (Wimmera-Mallee) Silo Art Trail. Adnate spent time among the Barengi Gaijin Land Council in north-west Victoria. Adnate’s mural is of a Wergaia Elder named Uncle Ron Marks, along with a Wotjobaluk Elder, Aunty Regina Hood. They both stand beside two young children, Savannah Marks and Curtly McDonald. Adnate wanted to shine the spotlight on the areas young Indigenous people, but he also wanted to portray their strong ancestral connection that they share with the elders in their communities.

The (Wimmera-Mallee) Silo Art Trail stops at Rupanyup with Russian artist Julia Volchkova. Julia honours the importance of sport in the area and her mural was inspired by the Rupanyup Panthers Football & Netball Club. Julia paints Ebony Baker in her netball uniform and Jordon Wedermann who plays Australian Rules football.

Photo Credit: Street art enthusiast Annette Green, of  Great Australian Adventure. You can connect with Annette Green’s sharing platform Australian silo Art Trail where Annette has collected all of Australia’s wonderful silo art in one place.

The Australian Silo Art Trail is a platform developed by a dedicated enthusiast in 2018, that brings together all the silos across Australia in one place. The Australian Silo Art Trail acknowledges the project creators and artists of each artwork, in each state, these include Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.” 

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