Australia So Much to See

A. Did you know that this art, which has proven so popular with tourists and used as a way of attracting tourists, began in Western Australia? Since then the quality of artwork appearing on silos across Australia has gone from strength to strength. These are all working silos, and you may not be able to get right up to them, particularly in harvest season.

It all started in Western Australia, at Northam, a rural centre almost a hundred kilometres east of Perth.

In March 2015 as part of FORM’s 2015 PUBLIC festival of art and activation, two international artists, Phlegm (from the United Kingdom) and Hense (from the United States of America) each painted on four 35 metre high silos at either end of the Northam CBH grain silos. Phlegm painted imaginative flying machines, drawn from the Northam area being a popular hot air ballooning location. Hense painted colour filled abstracts. The silos can be seen from the Northam Toodyay Road, approximately three kilometres west of the town.

In August 2017, Western Australian street artist Kyle Hughes-Odgers painted four of the eight silos at Merredin. Two silos of plant growth represent the agriculture of the area, and a man and a woman adorn two more silos. The woman has stylised representations of significant structures, whereas the man is representation of granite outcrops and salt pans. The colourful geometric designs can be seen from the Great Eastern Highway on the western side of town.

In June 2018 Newdegate, Perth mural artist Brenton See painted the four upright silos. From left to right there is a stylised raindrop, with abstracts representing the crops grown with the much-needed rain, and a pattern drawn from the earthy colours of the land and the scrub.

The mallee fowl features next with a salmon gum tree in the background. The tiny mammal, red-tailed phascogale is featured next, together with a frog at the bottom of the picture.

In August 2018, the three upright silos at Pingrup were painted by Miama street muralist Evoca1. These feature a racehorse, representing the community’s annual race day, a farmer holding a merino lamb, with other sheep breeds Dorper and Damara included, and a tractor with the popular breed of farm dog, kelpie. These can be viewed from Jolley Road, south west of the town, where you can pull over on either side of the road to park for clear viewing.

New South Wales:

Barraba, Dunedoo, Grenfell, Gunnedah,

Harden (Murrumburrah flour mill silos),

Merriwa, Portland (cement works silos),

Quirindi, Weethalle.

Queensland:

Biloela, Three Moon (9 km south of Monto),

Thallon, Yelarbon.

South Australia:

Bute, Coonalpyn, Copeville, Cowell, Eudunda,

Farrell Flat, Galga, Karoonda, Kimba, Kingscote, Lameroo, Owen, Paringa, Tumby Bay, Waikerie, Wirrabara.

Victoria:

Albacutya, Arkona, Avoca, Brim,

Brunswick Melbourne (plaster works silo),

Colbinabbin, Devenish,

Fyansford near Geelong (cement works silos) demolished in April 2020 #,

Goroke, Goorambat, Horsham (flour mill silos),

Kaniva, Katamatite, Lake Boga, Lascelles, Murtoa, Nullawil,

Patchewollock, Picola, Rochester, Rosebery,

Rupanyup, Sea Lake, Sheep Hills, St. Arnaud,

St James, Tungamah, Walpeup, Werrimull (field bins – mobile silos), Woomelang (again not silos as such, but a series of eight painted field bins on farms).

Western Australia:

Albany, Merredin, Newdegate, Northam,

Pingrup, Ravensthorpe.

Updated 26th April 2024

In 2016 Fremantle based artist Amok Island painted the Ravensthorpe silos, the first to be painted on both sides, with stylised artwork representing the six stage of the local Banksia species, Banksia baxteri. Look for the paintings of the main pollinator the New Holland Honey eater, and the Honey Possum. There are two honey possums in the photo at right. These paintings can be seen while passing through the town on the South Coastal Highway.

During March 2018 at the Albany Port, Brooklyn street artists Yok & Sheryo painted the north western end of the block of silos with a stylised seahorse, representing the Leafy Seadragon, and the more recently discovered Ruby Seadragon which was only confirmed as a new species in 2015. Both species occur in the southern waters off Albany. This artwork on the silos at the port can see seen from vantage points in the town, and is at its best when illuminated at night.

A western bearded dragon, from which the nearby nature reserve Dragon Rocks takes its name, together with stylised cowslip orchids which are also found in the Dragon Rocks nature reserve, along with a wealth of other wildflowers. There is a large unsealed area for parking and silo viewing, accessed from Maley Street as you drive through the town. Best viewed in the afternoon sun.

Painted silos Australia wide

See more on our Travelogues 2018.

See more about these animals on our Travelogues 2018.

December 2018 Updated January 2022

See more Western Australian Public Art on the next page.

# The faces painted on the Fyansford silos were "removed" prior to the demolition, with plans that they be reproduced and donated to the Geelong Art Gallery