Western Queensland Road Trip #10
Australia’s rural landscape is dotted with silos used for storing grain and silage, while water towers dominate the skyline of many country towns. Most are simply utilitarian structures, not given a second glance. But it’s becoming more common to see both silos and water towers being used as giant canvases.
The first painted silo appeared in Northam in Western Australia in 2015. Now, right across the country, there are 35 silos and 40 water towers decorated with scenes and characters typical of each region. This constantly growing collection is known as the Australian Silo Art Movement.
We came across two rural masterpieces on our road trip. The first was in Cunnamulla and was still being completed. The artist, Guido van Helten, was working high above the street on a blank section of the water tower.
The painting features young football players and celebrates an annual competition between teams from Cunnamulla and Charleville.
Our first glimpse of the silos at Thallon came as we drove along the highway. Even from this distance, across the bare drought-browned paddocks, the vivid colours in the paintings glowed .
The artwork titled “The Watering Hole” highlights a brilliant sunset over the Moonie River. Two pale-headed rosellas perch in a gum tree on the bank of the river. A mob of sheep in a dusty paddock represent the agricultural industries of the local area and a scarred tree acknowledges the traditional owners of the land.
The entire collection of painted silos and water towers can be viewed on the Australian Silo Art Trail website. If, like us, you’re planning a road trip in Australia make sure you download the map. You won’t want to miss any of these amazing works of art.
Oh wow, these are great. Especially love “The Watering Hole”. What a lovely sight to come upon while driving.
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It was fantastic to see it from the highway but even more amazing close up. Check out the rest on the website. They are wonderful.
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Aren’t they stunning, they’re all on my must see list. I saw some in WA and the ones in Coonalpyn in SA are by Guido Van Helton too. Brilliant work.
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We’ll be on the lookout for more from now on too. The artists are so talented.
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Of course I love the colourful scenery 🙂 Wouldn’t that be fabulous to come across after a long drive.
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We did a day trip to Thallon specially to see their silos, but the Cunnamulla water tower was a nice surprise.
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These Silos are real works of art….love them 😉
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I can’t imagine how the artists transfer their ideas to such a large scale project.
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True. Amazing though. 😊
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What a great idea, and it certainly brightens up the view. My thoughts are with the many Australians battling the horrendous bushfires at this time.
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Thank you Denzil. The fires are horrific and the worst thing is they are indiscriminate. We just don’t know where the next one will start. Luckily there are none near to us at the moment.
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The detail on the footballers is wonderful, Carol. I can’t imagine working on that scale, (or at that height!). Fabulous works of art! 🙂 🙂
Australia is so big that I struggle to fit things into the larger picture, but like Denzil I’m horrified by the fires.
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I can’t imagine how they are able to transfer what must start as a small design into such a huge panting. So clever. Yes, the fires are terrible and the numbers of homes and other buildings lost keeps increasing. Sadly some people have died too. It’s heartbreaking.
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Brilliant idea to use the ugly silos as a base for great paintings. Transformative and they look great.
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I suppose we’re used to seeing silos so I don’t really think of them as ugly, just utilitarian. But they do look very attractive painted like this.
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I love how they’ve painted them and taken something drab looking and made it art!
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Yes, they’ve done an amazing job on these two structures. I’m hoping we get to see more on our travels.
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These are beautiful. What a wonderful idea/movement. I must say it was lovely to see your bright and beautiful post today after seeing so many photos of the horrible fires.
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The fires are awful and things aren’t going to improve any time soon. I’m glad you enjoyed this post though. 🙂
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Now this is the type of movement I love!
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Hopefully there will be more and more over time. They’re a great tourist attraction.
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That would be wonderful 🙂
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aren’t they marvellous? and how amazing are the artists to go so high and manage to work out what they need to do up there. it astonishes me how street artists can paint their works on these huge canvases. cheers sherry
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I can’t imagine transferring an idea from a small design to one as large as this. So clever.
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EYE SORE BECOMES A WORK OF ART, MAGIC
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They really do! And then people will travel to see them and spend money in the community. It’s a great idea.
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Aren’t they fabulous?! I love the trend to decoration these days.
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These utilitarian buildings may as well look attractive and the artists do an amazing job.
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I would love to see these! What a brilliant idea to use these giant structures as art installations. I absolutely love it.
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We really loved seeing these and did a special day trip to Thallon just to see theirs. We made sure to spend some money at the general store too. The locals are doing it tough in the drought.
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Fantastic Artwork/ usage of silos as canvas. The painted sunrise is stunning giving artists wider opportunities. Never seen these kind , though I visit Australia/ cities.
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You’ll need to travel into rural areas to see these silos Veena. Look on the website and you’ll see where they are located.
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Great information and great photos – happy travels.
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Thanks. 🙂
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Love these. Can’t imagine trying to paint at that height while clinging to a ladder. But certainly appreciate the talent. And the coordination. Great post
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I think they use cherry pickers to reach the sides of the buildings. The one we saw was doing that.
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I am hardly ever at a loss for words, but this defies adjectives. I used the link to view all the silos and water towers and wish I could comment with words that express how in awe I am of those talented artists. These are truly amazing works of art and people must just stop their vehicles when they come upon one. We have murals – you have large art canvases. I am impressed. Thank you for sharing because I won’t have a chance to visit in person, but I certainly enjoyed my on-line visit. One word in summary – WOW!
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Judy, I’m so pleased you followed the link to look at the rest. Aren’t they spectacular. Murals are becoming more popular here too and there are even weekends dedicated to creating more on the sides of buildings. It’s a wonderful way to nurture talent and beautify our towns and cities at the same time.
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These are so awesome, Carol. The artists are so talented to be able to deliver such wonderful artwork on this grand scale. It’s jaw-dropping to say the least.
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It’s amazing to think they must start with a small drawing and transfer it to this huge size.
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Fabulous, thank you. Once I’ve done the street art of Rome, I’ll have to do the silo art of Australia. 🙂
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Great idea! Come and visit. 🙂
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Wow! I love those painted silos. Especially that colorful group of four silos. Thanks for the website; if I ever make it to Australia, I would love to take the route to see as many as possible! 🙂
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Don’t forget Australia is the same size as USA. You would have to choose one area and see all of those. I hope we see more on our road trips in the future.
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Sometimes I do forget that. I would have to approach it much the same as I plan my road trips here, picking one area. Even that one trip through the Dakotas and Nebraska in September took me over 7,500 miles of driving! I love a road trip, don’t you?
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That’s the strategy we use. One small part and do it well. We do love a good road trip, especially with the caravan.
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I bet it is great with the caravan. I keep trying to convince my husband, but it is a big investment. Hopefully I’ll eventually win out. 🙂
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I hope so too. You don’t need a big one. Ours is only 17 feet long and it is perfect.
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Sounds wonderful!
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Whoa I love these, what a great idea to brighten up the landscape!
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They really do give a great focal point and attract a lot of tourists to areas they might not otherwise visit.
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These are awesome. Love discovering all the different silos on our road trips. And this silo art movement must be boosting the local economies too by drawing in more visitors.
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We went there specially to see the silos and made sure to spend some money.
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I love the ones at Thallon. 🙂
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Aren’t they special.
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