Sony RX Series Some Silo Art Taken On My Way To Sydney

[Richard A]

So, I finally got some time to sort out some pics from my road trip to Sydney. These were all taken on the way. This art is becoming popular in some country towns. First one is at Lameroo which is about 210km east of Adelaide on the Mallee Highway & about 40km from the Victorian border.

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Next one is a small town called Walepup which is on the Mallee Highway in Victoria about 147km further on from Lameroo.

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These next ones are at Hay which is where we stayed overnight. Hay is on the Murrumbidgee River in NSW, about 654km from Adelaide. These are actually water tanks by the river which is just behind the trees in the background of these pics.

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• DSC-RX100M7
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• DSC-RX100M7
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Thanks for looking...

 

[Tim Mayo]

Very cool. Great artwork and nicely captured. I'm guessing they are remembering fallen soldiers?

 

[iamdlewis]

Not sure what all of those are for but I like the idea of them. I fear here if we did that more than the very few that I know have art it would turn more politically ugly.

 

[Richard A]

The one at Walepup is a tribute to the Australian Light Horse. It depicts Harold Thomas Bell, who signed up in 1917 at the age of only 16! He was killed in the charge at Beersheba. His brother was also killed in the war. There were a huge number of young lads from the bush who went overseas during the war. Among the allied countries, Australia lost the most men per head of population.

On the water tanks at Hay, 5 individuals are depicted from WWII, from surrounding areas. They are (roughly in order of the images I have posted): Victor George Murray; Clifford Leslie Farlow; Lorna Margaret Whyte; Norman Charles Flack and William George Cannon.

After the wars, many returned servicemen were given land grants in these areas for farming.

 

[Tinopener]

I wonder how long it took to paint those silos .....

 

[Richard A]

The Walepup silo was painted in May 2023. Quoting from Street Art Utopia, "This project took 5 years in the making and preparation and only took a few weeks to paint."

 

[Ralph]

There now is an Art Silo Trail. Funny that all it took was one and now there are just so many of them.
And like these dedicated to the war efforts. Many have the community on them and or Birds. The ones in Swan Hill are to the Sea Plane, as they done their training there, or something like that.
Some true talent by the painters who painted them as you have shown.

 

[AlphaWorld]

The one at Walepup looks like it is also a tribute to the horses they took to war (called “Walers”) as well as the LightHorsemen. I don’t know if Walepup has any connections to the Walers.

 

[Richard A]

I'm not sure about that. I do know that they didn't bring any of the horses back.

Also, most of these young lads from the bush were very good bushmen & horsemen. That's why a lot of them went straight into the Light Horse (and other cavalry) Regiments.

 

[AlphaWorld]

I'm not sure about that. I do know that they didn't bring any of the horses back.

Also, most of these young lads from the bush were very good bushmen & horsemen. That's why a lot of them went straight into the Light Horse (and other cavalry) Regiments.

Yes, 30 000 horses went to WW1. None returned.

I had a colleague many years back who was in the Army Reserve in a regiment descended from a Light Horse regiment. They still remember Beersheba every year. It was one of the few (only?) cavalry charges executed by the Light Horse (they were normally fast moving mounted infantry - they didn’t have swords or lances for fighting on horseback). A big success but they didn’t have a famous poet to commemorate it.

 

[DaveC Oz]

Great images of the silo's Richard. All of the silo/water tank art that I've seen relates directly to the people, past or present of the area around the silo's or to animals from the area. A good friend of the family who lives in Queensland is part of a group dedicated to preserving the Whaler breed. In his younger years he also was an active participant in the Light Horse re-enactment / parade organisation. I'm wondering if the towns of Walpeup, and Hay have found a way to incorporate the art work into their Anzac day services. I hope so.

 

[evacguy]

The Walepup silo was painted in May 2023. Quoting from Street Art Utopia, "This project took 5 years in the making and preparation and only took a few weeks to paint."

I was going to ask how these are actually done? Is it a single artist or a team? Is a template or stencil used? How long do they last? How much do they cost? Who pays for them? I love these art pieces and have seen images of these in the USA, Canada and Australia. Where and when did the idea originate and do we know where the first one was done. Sorry for all the questions, I do like these works of art and I love your photographs.

 

[Richard A]

Thanks @evacguy. Some of these are painted by a single artist but quite a few are done by a pair. I guess they would have some sort of team for assistance. I don’t really know much more than that. I don’t have any info on the first one or where the idea actually originated.

This is a pic I took a few years ago at Kimba on the west coast of South Australia. There was a thread on here with a few other pics.

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This is the first silo art I came across. Here is a bit of a blurb I posted with this:

Viterra, which was previously known as the Australian Wheat Board, owns the silos at Kimba as well as the one at Sea Lake, as the sign says. The silos at Kimba are fully operational as I would guess most of the others are as well. The art at Kimba was funded by various grants from Country Arts SA, Grants SA, Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal, EP Community Foundation and community donations and sponsorship. As barley is by far the most grown grain here, I assume that is what is stored at Kimba. BTY, the barley grown in South Australia is the best in the world which is pretty incredible considering how dry it is here.

Also, never be sorry to ask questions. I appreciate your interest.

 

[AlphaWorld]

Without the art, these silos are grey concrete. They are large buildings in rural areas, and I don't know who first thought of using them for art, but I applaud the idea.

Thank you, Richard, for publicising this.

 

[DaveC Oz]

I believe that the original idea came from a rural town in West Australia the funding for that first one was community sourced, and it was completed in 2015. It very quickly became so popular that other towns started looking at the idea. By 2016 their was a silo art trail in WA, and the Victorian town of Brim had commissioned and completed the painting of their silos. The project proved very popular and quickly gained funding for continuing expansion from rural development bodies, commercial sponsors, public funding, and the owners of the silos. Now the art is found not just on silos, but also on water towers/tanks. Many towns also have several extra murals around, usually complementing the style and theme of the silo art.

 

[Richard A]

I have some pics, just taken on my old iPhone, of the silos in Waikerie, which is up in the Riverland. I'll post them here if I can find them. Also, I know there are some at Karoonda, which is about 150km east of here & I plan to go & have a look at those in the not too distant future.

 

[AlphaWorld]

You just reminded me, Dave - Healesville Sanctuary has a platypus mural on their water tower.

 

[Richard A]

Here are the pics from my iPhone XR. I've managed to get them looking ok.