A Fresh Coat for Yelarbon Silos

The very first brush strokes have been painted at Yelarbon’s new silo art site.

The brand new artwork being on the edge of the spinifex desert will be titled ‘When the rain comes.’ The painting will create an iconic oasis scene for the town and “quench the curiosity thirst” of tourists passing by, said project artists the Brightsiders group in their artist statement.

“The imagery conveys a sense of optimism and hope for the future, while taking cues from the rich history of the community,” Brightsiders said.

Work began to bring the silos to life over the weekend. Stage one of the newest - and biggest - tourist attraction in the Goondiwindi region will be completed by early June as part of the Federal Government’s Drought Communities Programme (DCP) Extension.

The DCP funding is intended to revitalise small, drought-stricken rural communities across Australia. The Federal Government approved the silo art project under the funding programme’s ‘Boost for Tourism’ criteria.

Goondiwindi Regional Council Mayor Graeme Scheu said he was confident that the project, which is due to be completed before the end of June, would put Yelarbon on the map of the national silo art trail.

Cr Scheu also reminded residents that the artists should not be approached while working on site due to the safety concerns of working at height and as the silos used for the artwork are on private property.

“The work aims to create immediate visual impact while depicting a story that sets Yelarbonʼs Silos apart from other silo works that have been painted around Australia,” the Brightsiders group said.

The design will showcase the Yelarbon lagoon in rich blues and greens stretching across all eight silos, creating a lush, vibrant scene set against the backdrop of spinifex country.

A young farm boy on the water’s edge will span the two larger silo towers to pay homage to the role that primary industry serves in the region. The design will make the best use of the unique configuration of the silos, with the two significantly taller towers, to highlight the epic scale of the structures.

Paper boats that the boy has created will sail across the waters of the lagoon. The boats will be constructed out of historical newspaper remnants discovered at the old Yelarbon jail and symbolise the history of the region and the creativity needed to drive future endeavour.

“The artwork we have created […] looks to create a hopeful image that compliments the ever present strength and hope carried by the community,” Brightsiders said.

The concept behind the design is to create a restful, tranquil oasis scene in the town to encourage onlookers to stop and stay in Yelarbon.

“I think it’s clear to see that this project will be a boost for tourism not just to Yelarbon, but the whole region,” Cr Scheu said.

Council also wishes to acknowledge the contributions of GrainCorp and Queensland Rail and to thank them for their continued support of the project.

-ENDS-

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For more information, please contact:

Councillor Graeme Scheu

Mayor

Goondiwindi Regional Council

Mobile: 0427 718 877

Email: mayor@grc.qld.gov.au

Stage 1 Artist concept design