On our Big Lap around Australia in 2019/20 we only headed north as far as Rockhampton on Queensland’s coast before turning west and inland towards Western Australia.
This time we making amends and stopping regularly along the coast from our base on the Sunshine Coast up to Cape Tribulation taking in Bundaberg, Rockhampton, Yeppoon, Agnes Waters, 1770, Mackay, Airlie Beach and the Whitsundays, Townsville, Cairns, Port Douglas and the Daintree, the world’s oldest surviving Rain Forest.
Being a major grain supplier to the world means Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland are littered with giant grain silos. Highly visible from the road and railways and a feature of the Wheatbelt, these bland concrete structures are in need of a makeover. Time then to get the paints out.
The Silo Art Trail
After 3-months in Tasmania we’re back on the Mainland and on the trail of Silo Art. We saw our first painted grain silo back in 2017 on an edition of Australia’s TV show MasterChef. The show’s contestants faced the challenge of cooking outdoors for invited diners beneath a giant mural painted on Brim’s grain silo in country Victoria.
It started in the West
What began as a series of painted silos at CBH Northam Grain Terminal in Western Australia in 2015 soon started a trend attracting Australian and international artists to create these immense works of art across the country. And it wasn’t long before communities and regional councils realised the potential of attracting tourists to their small towns putting them on the map as a destination rather than a town to pass through on the way to somewhere else. And there began the Silo Art Trail.
Back on the Trail
During our Big Lap of Australia in 2019 we stopped at many of Western Australia’s Silo Art locations as we headed south and again after crossing the Nullarbor into South Australia. A family emergency overseas meant we had to skip the many silos of Victoria but now, heading back from Tasmania to our home in Queensland has given us the opportunity to visit many of Victoria’s silos, two in New South Wales and one in Queensland.
Silo Art – Victoria
Horsham – Although not the first silo to be painted in Victoria, Horsham Silo was the first on our trail. Painted by artist Sam Bates (aka ‘Smug’) in May 2022, it depicts the western Victorian aboriginal man, Yanggendyinanyuk, who was one of a team of 13 indigenous cricket players who formed the first Australian cricket team to tour England.
Horsham Silo – Victoria
To the left of the silo, and partly obscured by a steel fence, is another highly detailed mural by Sam Bates, this time of a Red-Tailed Black Cockatoo. Many people were unaware of the second mural and so Sam returned to paint the wall in front of the silo in May 2023 to link both murals together while giving the visitor a rare close-up view of the stunning detail of the artwork.
Red-tailed Black Cockatoo – Horsham
Murtoa – Better known for the incredible Stick Shed, Murtoa has also received the painted silo treatment by Sam Bates. Situated in the town adjacent to the railway line and a series of rusting silos, Sam’s artwork has to compete with the graffiti decorated rail cars. The painting highlights 29 species of bird that can be found in the Mallee region and a radiant bird said to represent the one in 30 Australians who experience a Bipolar condition.
Murtoa Silo by artist Sam Bates – aka ‘Smug’
Rupanyup – Next stop on the trail travelling northwards is the twin silos at Rupanyup. Here a convenient visitor shelter has been constructed opposite the silos detailing the many crops grown in the region.
Rupanyup Silo – Victoria
Created by Russian artist Julia Volchkova in 2017, Rupanyup’s twin silo artwork features local residents and sports members, Ebony Baker and Jordan Weidemann.
Sheep Hills –One of the more remotely located but accessiblesilos is the GrainCorp Silos at Sheep Hills. Painted by mural artist Matt Adnate in 2016, it features Wergaia Elder, Uncle Ron Marks and Wotobaluk Elder, Auntie Regina Hood, looking toward the two young indigenous children, Savanah Marks and Curtly McDonald.
Sheep Hills Silo – Victoria
What sets these silos apart are the vibrant colours Matt chose, the detail in the children’s faces and the deep violet of the sunset blending into the deep-black star-trail sky.
Brim – Completed in January 2016 by Australian mural artist Guido van Helten. The GrainCorp silo in the township of Brim was the first silo to be painted in Victoria and only the second to be painted in Australia. It marked the beginning of the silo art trail of Victoria.
The murals depict four hardy, weather-beaten farmers who share the typical resilience needed to farm in the Wimmera Mallee region.
Brim Silo – Victoria
Guido, a talented mural artist, had been looking for a silo to paint and, working with the help of Juddy Roller Art Management, the owners GrainCorp and the Brim Active Community Group, Guido got the go ahead to create a mural on Brim’s silo. But the weather made the task far from easy with extreme heat, strong winds, a dust storm and lightning. Guido often took a break during the afternoons to escape the worst of the heat before returning to continue during the cooler evenings.
Rosebery Silo – Victoria
Rosebery – Created by Melbourne artist ‘Kaff-eine’ and completed in 2017, the Rosebery Silos are said to depict the region’s past, present and future. The left silo shows the future with the stylishly dressed young female sheep farmer wearing turned-down cowgirl boots, jeans and cotton work shirt. By contrast the right silo displays the current and the past with a contemporary horseman dressed in an Akubra hat, Bog boots and oilskin vest.
Lascelles – Another of the monochromatic style murals, this time in the settlement of Lascelles 26KM northeast of Hopetoun. Painted by Melbourne-based artist, Rone and completed in mid-2017. Deliberately using muted colours similar to the existing concrete so as not to distract from the environment.
Local farming couple, Geoff and Merrilyn Horman were chosen as Rone’s subjects for their family’s four generations as local farmers in Lascelles. Pictured below is just one of the two images.
Lascelles Silo – Victoria
For photographers, access to the site is difficult due to private land and the adjacent railway.
Patchewollock – Another highly detailed mural featuring local character Nick ‘Noodle’ Hulland. Painted by Brisbane artist, Fontana Magee in 2016 who had spent time in the local pub looking for a suitable subject. According to Magee, Noodle was a rugged, no-nonsense and lanky character ideally suited to the narrow 35-metre twin silos. With his squinting gaze and sun-bleached hair, Noodle was a reflection of the harsh and challenging environment of the Wimmera Mallee.
Patchewollock – Victoria
Silo Art – New South Wales
Not to be outdone New South Wales has got in on the silo painting act too and has begun commissioning artists to paint both grain silos and water towers to entice tourists and passing trade in an effort to boost the local economies.
Weethalle – Artist ‘Heesco’ completed painting the silo in July 2017 as a tribute to the agricultural heritage of the small town of Weethalle and the surrounding communities of Bland Shire.
Weethalle Silo – New South Wales
Depicting a typical farming community, Heesco’s image displays the annual task of shearing sheep, a farmer checking the grain readiness for harvest and, curiously, a small flock of sheep standing high on a balcony looking out and enjoying the view.
A dedicated car park with ample space for caravans has been provided to encourage passers-by to stop for a while.
Hay – Like many small country towns in Australia the First and Second World Wars took their toll on the young who took up arms to protect the nation and join the raging wars in Europe and the Pacific. In recognition and memory of those brave soldiers and nurses from the town of Hay in New South Wales, artist Matt Adnate was commissioned to paint five of the veterans from among the hundreds who answered the call. Those selected were Private William ‘George’ Cannon, Corporal Cliff Farlow, Private Norman Flack, Australian Army nurse, Lieutenant Lorna Margaret Whyte and indigenous soldier Private Victor George Murray. Display boards at the site tell the unique story of each of the individuals.
Yelarbon – Closer to home and the last silo on our homeward bound trip. Another of GrainCorp’s silos and one of the largest groups of painted silos. Painted in two stages between 2018 and 2020 by artists Jordache Castillejos and Jordon Bruce from the artist collective, Brightsiders along with Steve Falco of ProcreatiV.
Yelarbon Silo – Queensland
The mural is titled ‘ When the rain comes’ and depicts a young child sailing a paper boat as it crosses the nearby Yelarbon Lagoon and traverses the six smaller silos. The boat is said to have been made from old newspaper cuttings found in the town’s historic jail and symbolises the history of the region.
There’s more to come
There are many, many more painted silos across Australia and the number is set to continue in the years to come. To date we have visited just a small collection of what is surely the world’s largest outdoor gallery.
Stick Shed – a curious and intriguing name for a building but this is in no way any ordinary building – it’s immense. Even more remarkable, it’s the smallest of two giant sheds built in the Wheatbelt township of Murtoa* in Victoria.
Murtoa Stick Shed – view on entry
The Murtoa Grain Store, by its official name, was built in 1941 in just 4-months, a remarkable achievement when you realise the enormous scale of the building. It was constructed to store wheat following a bumper year’s harvest when overseas exports were being severely restricted during Word War II. But, surprisingly at first, there was opposition from the businesses that supplied grain sacks. The reason being they were set to lose out and in a very, very big way.
Hand Built
Measuring 270-metres long by 60-metres wide, the floor of Stick Shed covers an area of 1.6-hectares (4-acres) and every square metre of it was laid in hand-mixed concrete. The enormous corrugated steel roof is supported by 560 unmilled poles, referred to as ‘sticks’, reaching upwards as high as 19-metres along the central ridge line and braced by twisted steel cables.
Calculating the angle the designers needed for the roof, while making best economical use of materials, relied on what is known as ‘the natural angle of repose’. In this case, when piled, wheat creates a natural pyramid shape with a consistent slope angle of 23-degrees and, naturally, that is exactly the angle the designers used for the Stick Shed roof.
Murtoa Stick Shed
Sour Grapes
As mentioned, the grain sack suppliers objected to the construction of a loose grain store arguing, with some credible reasoning that the grain would be exposed to vermin, moisture and potentially rot. However, loss of sales was the real reason and understandably. The Stick Shed was designed to hold the equivalent of 1-million 80KG sacks (3-bushels/sack) – clearly a considerable financial setback for them. The advantage, though, of loose storage meant no manual handling of grain sacks and a considerable saving in labour costs.
Big and Bigger
On completion of construction the first load of grain was delivered on the 22nd of January 1942 and by June it was filled with 3,381,600 bushels (approx 90,000 tonnes) of wheat. A second larger shed was constructed beside the Stick Shed capable of holding an additional 7,500,000 bushels and nearby a further 10,000,000 bushel shed was built. Today, however, just the Stick Shed remains, now preserved for the future and on the National Heritage List.
A Must See
The Stick Shed is one of those buildings that you cannot really anticipate the scale of. It is way, way bigger than you may imagine and guaranteed a ‘Wow!’ as soon as your eyes adjust to the light level.
We’d absolutely recommend a visit for all the family. There is an excellent introductory session by knowledgeable guides before you are free to wander and ample parking available.
The Stick Shed was featured as the location for Australia’s CH10 Master Chef programme on July 6th 2023.
N.B. If you are a keen photographer beware it is quite dark inside and a tripod is very much recommend. However, even on a dull day, smartphone cameras can give excellent results.
* Murtoa is the indigenous name meaning ‘home of the lizard’.
Our 3-month adventure in Tasmania has come to an end and we’ll soon be boarding the Spirit of Tasmania ferry back to the ‘mainland’ and the long drive home with a little detour through the Gold Fields of Victoria.
Brrrrr!
We can probably sum up our time here as becoming increasingly cold as Winter sets in. Very windy too with gales at times strong enough to shake the caravan and loosen fillings. But we’ve also had plenty of sunshine to enjoy the golden leaves of the deciduous trees throughout Autumn. There has been snow and rain too, lots of it, but mostly overnight and it hasn’t stopped us getting out and about and exploring what Tasmania has to offer the independent traveler.
Flora, Fauna and Roadkill
We’ve seen far less wildlife than on our previous visit. Plenty of bird life, sea life, sheep and cattle, the odd snake but also many, many wallabies, pademelons and possums apparently fast asleep on the roads and verges being watched over by hungry crows.
The Tarkine – Land of the Giants
And trees, lots of those too, especially the giants in the Tarkine, Mount Field National Park and Styx Tall Trees Conservation Area. But also not forgetting the beautiful Fagus trees at Cradle Mountain and the Leatherwood and Myrtle trees and mosses and algae everywhere we went. Of course no forest would be complete without fungi and in Tasmania there’s no exception with more variety and colours than I’ve seen anywhere before.
Hygrocybe pseudograminicolor
We did get to see our first wild Platypus and Fairy Penguins – the world’s smallest, which waddle onto land overnight to shelter and feed their young. We saw Pink Robins and Fairy Wrens flitting among hedgerows, Black Swans gliding across the lakes and coastal shores and Egrets and Herons wading in the shallows. Even the Lonely Albatross put in an appearance during a feeding frenzy off the coast of the Tasman Peninsula along with giant Tuna rocketing out of the water chasing after bait fish.
Less popular though were the mosquitoes, seemingly fitted with silencers, putting in a late season appearance when you least expect them. Oh, and heat-seeking leeches ready to climb up your trouser leg if you stand still too long.
History
We’ve experienced the history telling of past explorers; Cook, Bass, Bligh, D’Entrecasteaux, Flinders, Furneaux and Tasman, of the indigenous people of Lutruwita (Tasmania) and the appalling way Truganini was treated. We discovered more about the Australian Convict era and the often petty crimes that brought the unwanted from the UK to Tasmania’s shores. And never to forget the modern day massacre at Port Arthur.
Port Arthur
Scenery
For a relatively small island state Tasmania has an enormous variety of scenery. From rolling grassy hills, mossy forests, mountains, lakes, waterfalls, towering sea cliffs, the orange coloured boulders along the Bay of Islands, white sandy beaches, turquoise water and true wilderness – there’s something here for everyone.
Dove Lake – Cradle Mountain National Park
We’re sad to be leaving Tasmania, our home for the past three months, but the warmer weather of Queensland is now calling us home. But, of course, there are more adventures to come. We still have so many more places to explore around Australia and further afield. Our 10-month ‘Big Lap’ around Australia in 2019/20 was just the start and we only skirted around the country – there’s a whole world to discover inland and off the beaten track.
For now we’ll be heading north and exploring the gold fields of Victoria and following the Australian Silo Trail.
Beaconsfield Gold Mine, 40km north-west of Launceston in Tasmania, became the site of a global media frenzy when, at 9.26am on 25th of April 2006, a small earthquake triggered a rockfall 925-metres below the surface where 17 miners were working. It was a story of endurance, incredible bravery and tragedy.
Early Escape… for some
Of the 17-miners working underground on that day, fourteen managed to reach a safety chamber and ultimately made it to the surface without injury. However, for Brant Webb, Todd Russell and Larry Knight it was another story.
Larry was operating a Telehandler while Brant and Todd were in a 1.5 cubic metre steel cage on the front of the Telehandler’s extendible arm fixing a steel mesh to a barricade when the rockfall was triggered. The three men were trapped underground and their condition unknown leaving their families and work colleagues fearing the worst.
Unknown to the world above, both Brant and Todd had survived the collapse but were partly buried with rubble that had fallen through the mesh of their cage. They managed to free themselves within the cage by cutting through their clothing and boots that were wedged between rocks.
Trapped Miners Brant Webb and Todd Russell
While rescue teams were working to discover if the mine was safe to enter, the two trapped men were able to collect water in their safety helmets that was seeping through the fallen rock. Other than water and a single muesli bar they had nothing to sustain them until rescuers could reach them.
The search for Survivors
After confirming the mine was now safe to renter, rescuers began the search for the missing men. They managed to reach within 15-metres of where they believed the men would have been prior to the rockfall but a large and potentially unstable debris pile blocked their way.
By the 26th of April a remotely-controlled earth mover had been brought in to begin removing the debris and early the following morning the body of telehandler driver, Larry Knight, was discovered having been pushed clear of the rear of the machine by the fall.
Progress came to a halt when further inspection showed it was unsafe to continue.
Action Plans
Rescuers, colleagues, mining experts, surveyors, medical staff and mine management worked through countless options to form a rescue plan to try and extract Brant and Todd from the mine whether they were alive or not.
Surveyors identified a potential route from the main access tunnel to a point just in front of the telehandler where they hoped they would find the remaining two miners. The rescue effort resumed on the 29th of April by blasting a new tunnel using at least six powerful explosive charges. Unknown to the rescuers the blasts were dislodging rocks, which were falling into the cage at times faster than Brant and Todd could clear them. With each blast Brant wrote the time and date on his overalls in the event they didn’t survive the explosions. Rescuers would at least know they had survived the initial rock fall but died as a result of one of the blasts during the rescue attempt.
Both men wrote letters on their clothing to their families in the event they didn’t survive and sang favourite songs to try and keep up moral.
They’re Alive!
At 5.45pm on April the 30th the Underground Manager, Pat Ball and Mine Foreman, Steve Saltmarsh descended to the level known as ‘925’ (925-metres below the surface) and, on approach to the rockfall, they yelled out in the hope they could be heard by the trapped miners. Both Brant and Todd immediately yelled back, “We’re in here!”. The pair were alive and news quickly reached the surface and the waiting families, friends, colleagues and media. Within minutes the news was heard on TV and radio around the world.
In the meantime one of the rescuers managed to find a way past the debris pile and got so close to the cage that he was able to reach through and shake hands with Brant. However, as an escape option, it would have required cutting the cage wires that were supporting the weight of the rock pile above the two men and the option was subsequently abandoned. Blasting was halted and instead a small, 90mm hole was chosen to reach the miners. Both Brant and Todd listened out for the drill to help guide it toward their location.
After successfully drilling through to the cage, a PVC pipe was fed through by which food and water could be passed to the men. A telephone was disassembled and passed through the pipe along with instructions on how to reassemble it. Later a torch, magazines, toothpaste and an iPod was fed to them via a modified plastic water bottle. A digital camera was also passed to the men so they could photograph their situation and the rock around them. Importantly this allowed the rescuers to ascertain the safest way to reach them without triggering further rockfalls.
A change of Plan
It wasn’t until The 1st of May that Brant and Todd were told about their colleague Larry Knight. On the same day the decision to continue blasting and drilling was stopped over fears of another collapse. Instead a machine known as a ‘raise borer’ was assembled, which it was hoped would be able to drill a horizontal tunnel one metre in diameter. It was designed to be used only vertically but it was thought to be the fastest option to get to the men and create a tunnel large enough for them to escape through. However, it would require bolting to a concrete base, which would take time to construct and allow the concrete to set.
In the evening of May the 3rd drilling of a pilot hole began, which ultimately took more than three days to bore through the remaining 12 metres of rock. Drilling was much slower than expected after hitting a form of quartz that was described as being five times harder than concrete. At 8pm the following day the drilling of the one metre wide escape tunnel began. It would follow the pilot hole to a point just below the trapped men.
Breakthrough! – Brant and Todd
By early morning of the 6th of May the raise borer was 5-metres short of its target and took a further 12-hours to complete the escape tunnel. After disassembling and removing the borer the plan was for miners to lay on their backs and use hand tools to dig upwards to reach Brant and Tod. But the following day the rescuers hit extremely hard rock once again and their powered jack hammers were making no progress. Explosives expert, Darren Flanagan, fretted over the use of low-impact charges to break through the rock fearing it could trigger another rockfall and cause the cage to collapse. But there were no other options available and to the relief of all it was successful. At 9.30pm on May the 8th the rescuers were able to pass a probe through to the base of the cage – they were just one metre away from freeing Brant and Todd.
Breakthrough!
At 4.27am on the morning of the 9th of May, fourteen nights since the initial rockfall, rescuers Glenn Burns, Donovan Lightfoot and Royce Gill finally reached Brant and Todd, “I can see your light!” they yelled as they broke through into the cage, “ I can see your light too!” the miners replied.
Brant was the first to be pulled from the cage followed minutes later by Todd. After being checked over by a doctor, both men ascended the shaft’s lift and at 5.58am they walked out unaided to the cheers of the waiting crowd and the arms of their relieved families.
Brant and Todd reach the surface
Both men were treated for their injuries at Launceston General Hospital and just six hours later both men were able to attend their lost colleague, Larry Knight’s delayed funeral.
Looking to the Future
Twelve months after the rescue the mine restarted production and continued operating until June 2012 by which time reduced gold prices and high operational costs made the mine unviable. However, plans are ongoing to reopen the mine with gold prices doubling since closure. This despite repeated theft and vandalism at the site with the most recent break-in causing an estimated $1.5M damage to the site’s infrastructure.
Beaconsfield Mine and Heritage Centre
In addition to the exhibition detailing the 2006 rescue, the Beaconsfield Mine and Heritage Centre contains over 10,000 items of machinery and household items from the days of steam through to the 1970’s. There’s something of interest for everyone and you’ll find yourself spending hours exploring the many displays and buildings.
Discovery Down Under 