“Surprising” because I wasn’t planning a blog for this trip. An orienteering trip to SA. But I’d decided to check out the Silo Art Trail in western Victoria and decided it’s worth recording the day I’ve had today.
It’s a part of Victoria I’ve hardly visited. An overnight stay in Stawell. The shopping centre is at the top of the hill with the old Powder Magazine a feature in one of the main streets. The usual chaotic street plan I associate with old gold mining towns.
Then headed north – past some old serious aqueducts – I wonder what agriculture they were supporting? And on to Rupanyup – where my friend Max was a primary school teacher in the early 1970s. So I had to drive past the school on the way to the silos. Then a bit of wander in the town. You could buy a serious tractor here!
Onwards north to Minyip, billed as the centre of Victoria’s Wheat Belt. It has a very handsome timber Lutheran church – the German influence all through here is evident in the road names. But no art on the silos here – OK check the map again. Got to go a bit further …
Sheep Hills is a bit off the main road. Silos, railway line, Mechanics Institute Hall, and a large (closed?) Hotel.
Hey, I’m loitering. I’ll never get to Renmark at this rate. The road goes through Warracknabeal – I remember one of our Dip Ed lecturers extolling the virtues of Warracknabeal but I’ll have to leave any exploration to another day.
Now on the Henry Highway heading north. The first silo art in Victoria was at Brim, completed in early 2016. Since then the other five in this area have been completed by different artists who all spent time in the local community before selecting models for their artwork. The trail is being well publicised and has good signage at each site and pamphlets available at Rupanyup.
North through Beulah ( the barley centre of Victoria) to Rosebery – like many locations in the Wimmera-Mallee, named locations have not much more than silos and a railway siding.
The country is looking pretty good. Dark green of wheat on one side of the road, yellow canola on the other, alternating. But what is that crop? Sort of looks like legumes? And right on cue is the informative sign at Rosebery – the main crops in the southern Mallee: wheat, barley, canola, chick peas, field peas, lentils, oats and vetch. OK, so what I saw was probably lentils.
I’m going to need fuel – perhaps Hopetoun. That will be bigger … but the apparent petrol station looks derelict and despite the 24 hour sign, I drove past.
Next to Lascelles at the junction of the Henry and Sunraysia Highways.
Finally got fuel in Speed – an automatic 24 hour payment system, but this place looked more loved!
Then west to the final silos on this trail at Patchewollock. Now definitely in the Mallee.
But I’ve still got to get to Renmark – via Walpeup (doubt that it broke any Met Bureau records today) and Murrayville, almost on the SA border. Years ago when the high school there was trying to attract teachers, they advertised as “surrounded by hundreds of square miles of rolling desert”. But despite the public holiday (nothing open all day to now) the cafe is open and with a very extensive menu – next time you’re in Murrayville!
Over the border to Pinaroo and then north to Renmark.
travellingkathy 