Stunning silo art sets scene at Wirrabara

The wood cutter and red-capped robin inspired art on the towering cement canvas was the work of Melbourne artist Sam Bates – known as Smug – unfolding across several days and finished on October 21. Word, and spectacular images, of the silo art was spreading fast the very next day.

“Wirrabara is a small rural community that has taken a few hits in recent years,” Wirrabara Tourism, Community and Development Group treasurer Nicole Pilmore said.

“At the end of last year our primary school shut and the Bangor fire four years ago was another tough blow.

“To have this magnificent project completed and to see this great silo art is so good for our district.’’

Wirrabara secured an $80,000 grant through the Fund My Neighborhood scheme and the District Council of Mount Remarkable helped deliver the silo art project.

“With the Fund My Neighborhood grant, we were successful in getting that by just two votes,” she said.

“Everyone in town has their ‘two vote’ story – how they got this project over the line.”

Ms Pilmore said the new artwork had delivered a real boost to Wirrabara and they were looking forward to plenty of visitors coming to the area to see it and enjoy the town.

The Silo Art Trail, with towns including Coonalpyn, Kimba and Tumby Bay, is proving a great drawcard for country towns.

The Silo Art Trail was conceived in 2016 after the success of the first silo artwork in Brim, Vic.

What started as a small community project by the Brim Active Community Group, GrainCorp, Juddy Roller and artist, Guido van Helten resulted in widespread international media attention and an influx of visitors to the region, and the idea for a trail was born.

The WTCDG also has signed a lease on the kitchen garden section of the former primary school and will be working on a project with the facility, described by Ms Pilmore as “another opportunity”.