There's something remarkable about standing at the base of a forty-metre grain silo, neck craned back, watching galahs and cockatoos wheel across concrete skies. We pulled into Tungamah this morning, following the same trail of silo art that's become such a feature of rural Australian towns, and found ourselves face-to-face with something genuinely special.
The murals here were painted by Sobrane Simcock, and according to the information panel, she's one of the only female artists working in this particular corner of public art. What struck me most was learning she's a West Australian, hailing from Broome – about as far from this Victorian wheat country as you can get while staying on the mainland. Yet here's her work, bringing the vibrancy of native birds to life on these massive cylindrical canvases.
Lisa and I spent a good half hour just walking around the silos, watching how the morning light changed the way the colours presented themselves. The detail is extraordinary when you consider the scale – 142 spray paint cans over 27 days, the sign tells us, back in 2018. Every feather, every branch, rendered with a precision that somehow survives the transition from close inspection to the grand sweep you get from across the railway line.</p>
What these silo art projects have done for small towns like Tungamah is difficult to quantify. The silos were built in 1944, part of that essential rural infrastructure that kept communities alive during and after the war years. Now they're drawing travellers like us off the highway, putting a few dollars through the local economy, reminding people that these towns still have stories worth stopping for.
Standing there in the quiet of a country morning, I found myself hoping we'll see much more of Sobrane's work as we continue our travels. There's something about her vision – the way she's chosen to celebrate the birds we all know, painted with such obvious affection – that feels distinctly Australian. Not the romanticised version, just the real thing, scaled up and given the prominence it deserves.