An interesting place to travel is along the Silo Art Trail in Victoria.
There’s lots to see along the way and it’s popular with grey nomads.
Established by GrainCorp. they say:
‘GrainCorp is proud to support the silo art trail, with our sites providing the canvas for creations that are reinvigorating some of Australia’s smallest regional towns.Since the journey started in 2015 in Brim, we’ve seen artworks blossom across some of the largest and tallest structures in our storage network, from Victoria through to central Queensland.
As one of Australia’s largest regional employers, we believe it’s vital to support local communities in rural and remote areas. Alongside the silos, we provide important safety and operational support to the projects, and we work closely with artists to ensure the artwork represents the character of the local community’.
Guido Van Helten’s silo art was featured by Australia Post on their stamps (designed by Janet Boschen). Guido grew up in Brisbane and has even painted on a nuclear reactor (Chernobyl) and at a winery in Spain at the Solar de Samaniego – The Wine Cathedral!
Guido’s painting shows four farmers and it’s said to ‘exemplify the strength and resilience of the local farming community’.
You can leave the Western Highway and venture up to Rupanyup (population 536)* and end at Patchewollock (population 133).* .
The Silo Art at Patchewollock- is of local grain and sheep farmer, Nick Hulland. He stands tall on the side of the silo – 32 metres in fact!
It’s a great way to see a part of Victoria you may not necessarily have seen before. It’s also a good way of supporting rural communities. Stop along the way, have a coffee, lunch, buy a newspaper!
Take a look:
*2016 ABS Census