Sadly, this influx has come too late to save the pub in the adjacent town of 171 people. While we're parked by the silos, several other visitors arrive in cars and motorhomes. They're infused with life, each figure bearing an enigmatic expression. The four figures of local farmers were rendered with aerosol paints in a translucent style, and seem to grow out of the curving concrete surfaces. When van Helten painted this at the end of 2015 there were issues, says our guide: "He had a fair few dramas with high winds, dust, heat." The wheat industry's loss is our gain, however, and our third art stop of the day is at the famous silos of Brim. It's the storage method which replaced the silos, and is thoroughly unromantic. On the way in Justin drives down a side street, points to a tiny house with a tiled roof and says: "Nick Cave lived here as a kid." Then, passing a roundabout decorated with statues of sheep: "You haven't had a night out in Warracknabeal, until you've ridden one of those home." It's clearly more of a party town than its quiet streets would suggest.Īfter dining we pass a sprawling bulk storage facility, in which harvested wheat is piled under a huge blue cover within a low concrete wall. Lunch is at a pub in what passes for the big smoke, the town of Warracknabeal (population 2438 – there really aren't a lot of people in this part of Victoria). It turns out my fellow tour member once worked for a paint company and still paints houses, so he knows what he's talking about. The word "amazing" appears often, along with longer comments reflecting on its beauty.Īs I chat with one of the Phillip Islanders, he expresses admiration for the silo artists, battling high winds and fluctuating temperatures while working aboard cherry pickers. I flick through the guestbook that sits within a sheltered box, and am moved by how visitors react to the art. These huge murals are worthy of a grand setting, and in the plains of the Wimmera they have it. The people depicted at each site are from the area, the silos from its farming heritage, and they're set against the broad green landscape which has been here forever.Īdd in the chilly breeze, and it's a completely different experience from standing within the tame walls of a gallery. I'd expected to enjoy the art, but only now realise how important is the setting.
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