North East Art Silos

While I was in Wangaratta for the textile Exhibition and Festival I decided to catch up with the new Art Silos in the North East> all towns about 10minutes  part and the whole trip took an hour with stops.

All easy to find If unsure which way to turn follow the rail tracks!! 

The easy route

 The Devenish Silo Art is a a tribute to the 50 or so local men and women who enlisted into military service during World War One

.It represents the sacrifice people make for others whilst in military service – Over 3,000 Australian women volunteered as military nurses in that conflict and the silo art acknowledges both the historical role of nurses and modern-day military medics, whilst highlighting the role women play in military service.

The Australian Light Horse were tough horsemen who served as mounted infantry brigades during World War One particularly in the Middle East from 1915 to 1918 during the Gallipoli, Sinai and Palestine campaigns against the Ottoman Empire. At the start of the war the 5th and 7th Light Horse Brigades were based in Victoria and included the 17th (Campaspe) Light Horse Regiment which was based in the region near Devenish.

 The St James Silos were painted by Local artist Tim Bowtell

with draughthorses and an old truck that once carted bushels of wheat to the silos, and local businessmen including Sir G. J. Coles whose name is synonymous with Coles Supermarkets today (the Coles family made a substantial donation to paint the 1943 era GrainCorp silos)

The silo bunkers at St James were built in 1943, with bushels of wheat originally delivered to the site via horse and cart; a motif that will be displayed in the artwork.

 The GrainCorp silos are being decorated with a mural of Sir George Coles, the founder of Coles supermarkets who was a local to the St James township.

The Pub opposite 

Tungamah  Silo was the beginning of the north-east Victoria, Silo Art Trail  and is privately owned and painted by West Australian Artist Sobrane Simcock in 2018. She is the first Australian female silo artist.

 The dancing Brolgas and the Kookaburras are loved locally by the community and Brolgas can sometimes be seen in low lying swamp lands.