Yelarbon silo art to boost town’s tourism potential

Yelarbon silo art to boost town’s tourism potential

It’s a big day for the small town of Yelarbon in the Goondiwindi region with the final strokes painted on the newest addition to the national silo art trail.

The 24 metre-tall artwork on the GrainCorp silos at Yelarbon is titled ‘When the rain comes’ and depicts a hopeful oasis scene in the desert spinifex town.

Goondiwindi Regional Council Mayor Graeme Scheu said the project was a huge tourism opportunity for Yelarbon and that the artwork had already received extremely positive feedback.

“A national broadcaster recently shared the story on social media and we received literally hundreds of appreciative and enthusiastic comments from people about the silos,” Cr Scheu said.

“Many people said they now want to visit Yelarbon to see the artwork for themselves and we’ve heard from people who are planning a trip to the town specifically to see the silos, and even from people who are changing their travel itinerary to be able to drive through the town,” he said.

The artwork took five weeks to complete and was painted by Brisbane-based artists’ collective the Brightsiders Group.

The Brightsiders group said their vision for the Yelarbon artwork was to create an iconic oasis scene for the town and to “quench” the thirst of curious tourists passing through the desert spinifex country.

The Yelarbon lagoon itself is an important factor in the town’s tourism and its history, as the permanent water source offered by the lagoon was the reason the town developed in that location. In their artist statement, the Brightsiders said they chose the lagoon as their subject for this reason and because the watery scene would set the GrainCorp silos at Yelarbon apart from other silo artworks across the country.

Today, the Yelarbon lagoon really is an oasis in the spinifex desert and is famed for its population of black swans that grace the waters. As well as being a popular rest spot, the lagoon is home to several unique species of wildlife. Visitors can observe the unique reptile, marsupial and bird species for themselves at the Yelarbon lagoon, just 500 metres from the silo viewing area.

Cr Scheu said the painting was a huge project for the town and its completion was a great success for the wider region’s community, being perfectly positioned to benefit from the booming popularity of the national silo art trail.

“This project has only been possible thanks to GrainCorp for their dedication and commitment to this project and their collaboration with Goondiwindi Regional Council,” Cr Scheu said.

“I also have to thank Queensland Rail, the Australian Government for their funding and the Brightsiders Group for being so willing and creative with this project.”

“I also need to thank The Oasis Hotel at Yelarbon and the Yelarbon CCC members and Council staff who supported this project, gave it wings and can now can proudly see it completed today.”

-ENDS-

Words: 501

For more information, please contact:

Councillor Graeme Scheu

Mayor

Goondiwindi Regional Council

Mobile: 0427 718 877

Email: mayor@grc.qld.gov.au