The North East Silo Art Trail

My latest project whilst ‘down south’ is to follow the Silo Art trails, initially, in Victoria. These have started popping up in unexpected places since 2016, and it seems are bringing new life to regional areas which have embraced the concept.

There are two main trails in Victoria, one in the north-west of the State and one in the North East. There are others that I am aware of in Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia, and Western Australia. which all form a part of an Australian Silo Art Trail.

My first venture was to Rochester in north east of Victoria.

My understanding is that The Rochester Silo Art Project was an initiative of the Rochester Business Network (RBN), supported by local businesses and families of the Rochester community. The silo canvas and support services were provided by GrainCorp.

The silos were painted by Jimmy DVate in 2018 and from my online research it seems where possible Jimmy will choose a plant, bird or native animal that is either endangered or threatened, with his ultimate aim to raise awareness of conservation issues. He has painted others in Victoria and also overseas.

The concrete silo depicts the endangered Squirrel Glider, which is the largest of three gliders that inhabit this region of Northern Victoria. The Azure Kingfisher is depicted on the adjacent metal silo. It is the brightest coloured of all four kingfishers found in northern Victoria and measures 18 centimetres from tip of its beak to tail end.