Silo Art Trail

Day 1 – Tuesday 17^th May ‘22                 Horsham            (D)

Cardwell’s Coach Travel welcomes you aboard for an informative and interesting Silo Art Trail tour. Today we travel to Kyabram to admire the first artwork on our list – the water tank. The Kyabram Water Tank was painted by Jimmy D’Vate (one of Australia’s most well known mural artists) and completed in March 2021. The water tank mural highlights the wetlands at the Kyabram Fauna Park, a crucial tourism and environmental feature of Kyabram. Then it’s off to Rochester to view their magnificent Graincorp Silos which was also painted by Jimmy D’Vate. Whenever Jimmy takes on a commission, where possible he will always tries to feature local endemically threatened species and in this case he chose the Azure King Fisher and the Squirrel Glider. We journey on for our morning tea stop at Colbinabbin and another opportunity to view an amazing artwork which depicts the significance of the Railway to the Colbinabbin district. We depart and travel on to St. Arnaud. The Silos at St Arnaud were painted by Ktorney Art, aka, Kyle Torney. Titled ‘Hope’, Kyle has told the story of three pioneer residents of St Arnaud, a former gold mining town, situated between Ballarat and Mildura. We stop here in St. Arnaud for lunch before continuing on to Rupanyup. Rupanyup’s silo art is the work of Russian mural artist Julia Volchkova, who turned her attention to the town’s youth and great love of team sport. The work vividly captures the spirit of community and provides an accurate insight into rural youth culture. It’s time for the next silo as we head to Sheep Hills. When you round the corner in Sheep Hills and see the silos for the first time, you are absolutely blown away by the colours and the sheer splendour of these GrainCorp silos. Adnate, who is a Melbourne based artist, has spent much of his career telling the stories of Indigenous people and their native lands by painting wonderful murals of them throughout Australia. We take a break from the silo artworks to visit the Murtoa Stick Shed. The Stick Shed (previously known as the Murtoa No. 1 Grain Store) is the only remaining emergency grain store built during World War Two. This structure is an enduring testament to iconic Australian bush ingenuity and a symbol of the growth and strength of the Australian wheat industry. Murtoa’s Stick Shed’s ghostly unmilled tall poles and central aisle draw the eye upward towards the roof as light spills into the space through skylights as if through a stained-glass window. After a busy day we arrival at our overnight accommodation in time for freshen up before dinner - Best Westlander Motor Inn, Horsham.

Day 2 – Wednesday 18^th May ‘22               Horsham-Home                     (B)

Following breakfast we depart Horsham. It’s a great start to the morning as we travel via Warracknabeal to Brim Silo Art. Guido Van Helten captured the imagination of Australia in December 2015 when he undertook a gigantic painting on the Brim Silos. The Brim Silo Art generated inspiration for the Silo Art Trail and Guido's mural will remain an iconic tribute to the farming communities of the Wimmera and Mallee region. We then visit the Silo Art at Rosebery, artist Katie Kaff-eine started this project in August 2017 and is the most recent addition to the Silo Art Trail. We then travel on to Patchewollock to view the Patchewollock Silo Art and enjoy a morning cuppa. The silo in Patchewollock, painted by street artist Fintan Magee, depicted local, Nick “Noodle” Hulland. Hulland, a local sheep and grain farmer has lived in Patchewollock his entire life. After meeting the local, Magee chose to depict him due his connection to the agricultural aspects of the region, his heritage and standing in the community. Lascelles Silo Art is our next stop on tour. The  more than 30 metre high, photorealistic art at Lascelles is a little different from the other art projects on the stunning silo art trail of the Wimmera-Mallee as it features art on two sides of the silo. Next we visit Woomelang and view the mini silo art. In June 2020, the town of Woomelang invited seven artist to transform mini silos into a tourist attraction for the town. The artists included Jimmy D’Vate, Andrew J Bourke and Kaff-eine to name a few. Featured on the silos are the likes of spotted tail quolls and other endangered species of the area. We stop here for our lunch break. After lunch we travel to Sea Lake to view the next silo. The artwork is a celebration of the still and silence found in outback Victoria, and the associated feelings of wholeness and freedom. The young girl, swinging from a Mallee Eucalyptus, looks over Lake Tyrell and reflects on her Indigenous heritage. Nullawil Silo Art is our next artwork and it’s an amazing one! Prominently featured on this silo is Jimmy the kelpie dog as he sits with a close companion. We stop for a brief cuppa at Boort before continuing on to Picola. When you visit Picola to view the silo art the artist has a challenge for you. In by-gone days Picola was known as 'the hook' because it was on the end of the line, meaning the railway line.  Artist Jimmy has included a hook hidden in the painting. See if you can find it! Then it’s time to head for home after an interesting and enjoyable Silo Art Tour.

Price $450 per person, based on Twin Share.

(Single Supplement $70)