Following the Silo Art Trail in Victoria with Around and About Travel

The first silo art was created in Western Australia in 2015 by Form, a non profit organisation which commissioned two internationally famous street artists (Phlegm and HENSE) to paint wheat silos and water towers in regional areas to bring an element of city culture to the country.

The enormous dramatic artworks did more than that; they drew tourists to destinations they would otherwise never have visited, bringing opportunities for businesses in small towns and giving tourists the chance to meet real life country folk and experience their hospitality. The success of WA’s art trail inspired other Australian states to create silo trails of their own to help struggling farming communities.

Where are the silo paintings in Victoria?

The first silo art in Victoria was the Brim Silo, painted by Brisbane born graffiti artist, Guido van Helten. Brim is a tiny Victorian town, closer to the South Australian border than it is to Melbourne, with a population of under 200. Van Helten’s worldwide fame as an artist drew the gaze of many to this wheatbelt town. There are now 22 locations across the Wimmera-Mallee region and North Eastern part of Victoria where silo art can be found as well as a number of mobile silo art locations.

The mobile art is located in Woomelang, on the sides of moveable field bins (mini silos) that are adorned with the images of endangered animal species. Local, Joe Collins, rallied others in the town to donate the bins and artists were commissioned to come and paint them, creating their own little mini trail within their own town. The bins can easily be repositioned.

Most people start Victoria’s silo art trail in Rupanyup, a 3.5 hour drive north west from Melbourne. This trail explores a number of sites in the region and would take about four hours of continuous driving to see every silo. Take your time and book a customised tour with Around and About Travel so you can sit back, relax and enjoy the landscapes and the stunning artworks as they appear on the horizon. Chat with your friends and families about the towns and the things you see along the way, without having to worry about paying attention to the road. Our drivers know exactly where to go to find the next stop on the tour.

 The artists have tackled themes like hope for the future, celebrating the local Indigenous communities, and immortalising the farming communities. From giant owls, to sunburnt farmers, from threatened species of flora and fauna and young children to Indigenous elders, the range of ideas explored is extraordinary and remarkable. Take your cameras along on this journey. You will need them!

Best accommodation on the Victorian art silo trail

If you’re interested in our Grampians and Halls Gap Tour, it would be a breeze to add on an overnight trip to visit the silo art trail, starting at Rupanyup, only 78 kilometres (approximately an hour’s drive) away. We could arrange luxury accommodation at Icon Central in Hall’s Gap, or book in some budget accommodation at the Halls Gap Grampians Eco YHA or the Lake Fyans Holiday Park, for those who want to be a little out of town and have a view of the lake.

Where to find more information about the silo art trail in Victoria

If you’re interested in art and you want to learn more about the 200 kilometre road trip that follows the Victorian silo art trail check out the website here. Get in touch with Around and About Travel to arrange your tour of this incredible cultural addition to the Wimmera Mallee region.

Have you seen any amazing silo art that we’ve missed in this article?

Please share your finds with us so that we can add them to our list of tour destinations.  If you liked this article please share: