Across Queensland and other regional towns of Australia there is a burgeoning new genre of tourist attraction – public, and very localised art.
“The mural, funded through the Regional Arts Development Fund, a partnership between the Queensland Government and Balonne Shire Council, is a great example of how art can engage and enliven local communities in positive ways.”
Since 2016 when Guido van Helten, an internationally recognised Brisbane artist, began plying his brush to silos (and later buildings) across the nation the idea of telling local stories through public art has gained momentum and has proven a winner for small communities.
Queensland Arts Minister Leeanne Enoch said the mural on the silos in the Queensland rural town of Thallon captivated the community and served as a cultural tourism drawcard.
“Two professional mural artists created a stunning mural titled ‘The Watering Hole’ on Thallon’s giant grain silos,” Minister Enoch said.
The Watering Hole mural by artists Joel ‘The Zookeeper’ Fergie and Travis ‘Drapl’ Vinson represents icons of the district including a majestic sunset, the Moonie River, indigenous culture, wildlife and agricultural heritage.
The mural took three weeks to complete following two years of planning and coordination.
In Brim, where regional Victoria's first mural emerged, tourists continue to stop. It is not unusual for up to 20 vans to park overnight in the town's caravan park. Brim Active Community Group president Shane Wardle said reinvention was important for tourism so, solar panels were installed to power floodlights illuminating the silos at night.
He said a run of six silo murals from Patchewollock in the north, to Rupanyup in the south, was also attracting visitors to the region.
Goorambat Railway Hotel (Victoria) owner Jacqui Coleman said business had turned the corner since the silo artwork completion, with the kitchen cooking as many as 30 meals on a quiet, weekday lunch. Local clubs now regularly stop for lunch, having followed the north-east silo trail all the way to the hotel's doorstep.
Being part of the trail was important to luring tourists into town, she said, with residents all along the route urging visitors to carry on to the next mural.
Guido also visited Coonalypn, another tiny rural town in South Australia where, following completion of the silo art, the town’s manager said dozens of cars were stopping to spend their money and visit the artwork.
“The stopping rate is 40 per hour and we’re getting lots of great feedback from the businesses because everyone is benefiting,” Coorong Council Project Manager Nat Traeger said.
The population of the tiny town of Weethalle, near West Wyalong in NSW doubled for the opening of the Weethalle Silo Art Project by Artist Heesco Khosnaran. The project had a budget of $10,000, a seemingly worthwhile investment given the number of tourists attracted.
Bland Shire Council said it was “thrilled with the attendance at the opening and we are already seeing a huge increase in tourism within the Weethalle community, which is fantastic”.
The Ravensthorpe silos in WA by Perth artist Kyle Hughes-Odgers have attracted hundreds of visitors since 2016. The town’s silo mural has been featured on one of four Australia Post $1 stamps, along with silos in Brim, Victoria, Thallon in Queensland and Weethalle in NSW.
The remarkable painted grain silos have revitalised the local towns, many of which have suffered from drought or population attrition. These murals have put small country towns firmly on the national and international map, attracting an increasing number of visitors,” Australia Post philatelic manager Michael Zsolt.
Rochester, in Victoria's north, is the latest community to pin its hopes for economic rejuvenation on a silo artwork. Nearby is the dormant Murray Goulburn factory, which closed its doors for the final time in January. The dairy giant's departure from Rochester, which left 100 people jobless, was typical of the town's fortunes in recent years.
There are hopes the eye-catching artwork by Melbourne artist Jimmy DVate will encourage more of the 7,000 cars that drive through Rochester every day to stop. It was also the catalyst for the Rochester Business Network to push for its town to join Victoria's growing silo art trail (see siloarttrail.com).
Silo art projects continue to draw thousands of tourists and have recently been recognised in some of the world’s most popular international travel guides.
Article published in the August-September Council Leader magazine. See this edition and past copies online.