WA Silo Art Trail, what to see and where to stay

It’s no secret we like street art. As we were looking for a getaway away from the big smoke, we decided on a roadtrip throughout Western Australia’s Wheatbelt. The region has equal parts fresh country air and character, and is home to one of the largest and most iconic outdoor galleries in the world. Towering wheat silos are common throughout rural towns in Australia and thanks to a trend started here, six giant grain silos have been painted to create extraordinary works of art dotted along what is now known as the WA Silo Art Trail.

That’s right Silo art actually started right here in Northam, Western Australia and exploring WA’s incredible Silo Art Trail makes for a great roadtrip throughout the southwest of the state.

The best part about a roadtrip is being able to stop and enjoy the fresh local produce at all the charming character towns that catch your eye along the way.

The Silo Art Trail began back in March 2015 when the giant grain silos in Northam were painted. Starting at the working grain terminal, the WA Public Silo Trail spans over 1,000 kilometres through remote wheatbelt towns so there’s heaps more than just silos to see.

Internationally renowned artists have transformed a string of massive grain silos into works of art and created an awesome way to get off the beaten track.

This trail has taken art out of galleries and made it visible from remote highways and over treetops. It tells the story of the cycle of local wildflowers and a beautiful species of seadragon found only off the southwest coast and is mostly the source of pride for the host towns, colloquially known as Silo Towns.

Completed in 2018 the permanent, open air gallery is a drawcard for roadtrippers that links regional towns with their unique canvasses.

The epic roadtrip will take you along vast open fields and green hilly pastures to wide flat salt lakes and awe-inspiring outcrops. Trailing through Northam, Merredin, Newdegate, Pingrup, Albany and Ravensthorpe these silos allow you to explore the town each of them calls home.

From home in Perth we headed out along Great Eastern Highway for our first stop at the famous Baker’s Hill Pie Shop. This award-winning bakery is an absolute must when on the way to Northam.

Northam

With our bellies full we get back in the car and soon arrive in Northam, 97km north-east of Perth. Northam is WA’s largest inland town in the Avon Valley and Central Wheatbelt region and home to 185 heritage listed buildings. Founded in 1833, Northam is brimming with historically significant structures and exploring the town on foot is very rewarding.

Northam is where international artists Hence and Phlegm’s painted murals on 8 CBH Group silos in the first ever silo project and the tallest along the trail. (Phlegm is most famous locally for painting the big black octopus on the Old Naval Stores in Fremantle). Taking the pair 16 days and using 740 litres of paint and a boom lift to reach the 38 metre silos, each artist painted 4 of the 16 huge silos at the fully working grain terminal. Using brushes strapped to a large pole Phlegm painted his signature whimsical characters in Leonardo Da Vinci style devices, a source of inspiration from the region’s hot air balloon record (the first solo world circumnavigation launched in Northam in 2002) while Hence produced a fluoro abstract interpretation combining Aboriginal art and the wheat grains across all four silos.

There are lots of other artworks in Northam, and my favourite was painted by Amok Island who painted the banksias on the silos in Ravensthorpe. He painted the town’s newest mural late 2020 on Northam’s historic Flour Mill. This is a landmark of historic significance in Northam in that the mill provided employment for the people of Northam for over 140 years, generating Northam’s first electricity. The artwork “The Last Swans” pays tribute to the only white swans breeding in the wild in Australia, living on the banks of the Avon River.

We decided to stay the night in Northam so pre-booked the Farmer’s Home Hotel, a blend of country living and boutique luxury. The Farmer’s Home Hotel in Fitzgerald Street started its life in 1860 as a small general store and is now one of the finest hotels in regional WA. It was known as The Shamrock but after a stylish renovation was unveiled in its original name, The Farmer’s Home Hotel. Rich in history and heritage this was the perfect place to stay on our first stop as we explore the regions along the WA Silo Art Trail. Amongst the 16 rooms that are rich in features there is quaint Cottage Rooms, light and airy Parlour Rooms, some with shared balcony, two bedroom Homestead Rooms or the beautiful generously sized Farmhouse Room that we stayed in with an original stained glass window.

The hotel sits in pride of place on Fitzgerald Street and now connects the main street to the Avon River via the extensively renovated store, stable and hay rooms. The refurbishment focused on paring back, allowing the glory of the original building to be revealed, rather than adding elements and is now a warm, welcoming, and luxurious place to stay that is true to the site’s rural history

No trip to Northam is complete without taking a walk across the Suspension Bridge which is the starting point for the Avon Descent white water rafting event each year. Stretching 117 metres across the Avon River it’s the longest pedestrian suspension bridge in Australia and a great spot to view the white swans that breed naturally here. Other sights to see are Bilya Koort Boodja Interpretive & Cultural Centre, the Old Railway Museum or book a hot air balloon tour to watch the sunrise over the Avon Valley.

You may want to extend your time with another short daytrip to another little town that is somewhat of a hidden gem. The charming and historic town of Toodyay, in the picturesque Avon Valley is a mere ½ hour drive away.

Meckering

Our next stop was a little agricultural farming town, Meckering.

Most older people in the west remember where they were when Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, Cyclone Tracey devastated Darwin and when Meckering earthquake shook the town. The 6.9 magnitude earthquake in 1968 devastated many buildings in the once thriving Wheatbelt town and changed the quiet rural township forever. Meckering is also home to one of Australia’s Big Things, the Big Camera, a camera museum with a display of thousands of cameras from old Kodak Brownies, SLRs and Polaroids.

Cunderdin

On the way to Merredin we stopped off in Cunderdin, a small country town located 156km east of Perth in the heart of the wheatbelt region to check out the famous Ettamogah Pub. This outback pub was created from a series of weekly cartoons in the 1950’s and entering the bar is like stepping back in time. Ettamogah is an indigenous word meaning ‘place of good drink’, an ideal name for a pub which encapsulates the essence of Australian larrikinism. The owner ‘Backy’ is good for a chat and like most country pubs it’s not only good for a bevy but there is a delicious chicken parmi on the menu and a killer steak sandwich.

On the other side of the highway is a heritage listed water tank and a chimney stack from the No 3 Pumping  Station from the Goldfields Water Supply Scheme, now converted into a museum.

Kelleberrin

Despite being only 55km from Merredin we had one more stop along the Great Eastern Highway. They say life is as rich as the landscape, this warm, charming community’s longevity is attributed to the passion and commitment of its people. In keeping with the theme in most towns we stopped at, Kelleberrin has a new appreciation for artistic expression when it took the initiative to paint the town’s bridge pink for the McGrath foundation’s Breast Cancer Awareness fundraiser in 2019. The bridge is a replica of the Sydney Harbour bridge.

Merredin

Roughly midway between Perth and Kalgoorlie in the central Wheatbelt is Merredin.

It took two weeks, 200 litres of paint, 80 rollers, 10 brushes and a lot of courage to paint Merredin’s silos strapped to the end of a 10 metre boom lift at the fully operational site. This is how WA’s most accomplished street artist, Kyle Hughes-Odgers painted his biggest canvas yet. These are the largest grain silos in the southern hemisphere at 610 metres long and 59 metres high and are the third set of silos in WA to be added to the Silo art trail. Kyle took into account the design, colours, size and the curvature of the silos when designing his mural. But he didn’t originally give much thought to the beating sun and wind factor given he was painting something the size of a 12 storey building while on a boom. The slightest breeze is inflated when the machine is fully extended, increasing the adrenaline. But the result was impressive, reflecting the landscape, local industry, and the diverse community in a subtle hand-print style, unlike his bright street art murals.

We stayed overnight in Merredin at the quaint Merredin Bed & Breakfast located in a 1930’s former bank residence on Bates street. The main B&B is an art deco bank, but we stayed in a self contained apartment to the side of the main building with off the street parking. We were delighted with our overnight stay, it was homely, and just like staying at Grandmas. The host Avril was very welcoming and we were provided a breakfast box to cook our breakfast the next morning.

Across the road was one of Merredin’s oldest buildings, the heritage listed Cummins Theatre, a popular venue for acts doing the regional circuit where AC/DC, Slim Dusty and the Wiggles have all performed. The theatre is part of the Merredin Heritage Walk that incorporates the Railway and Military Museum, the historic Water Tower, Merredin Courthouse and Townhall and past former bank buildings.

Bruce Rock

Leaving Merredin via Bruce Rock, home to spectacular rock formations Bruce’s Rock, Kokerbin Rock, the Bruce Rock Museum and a surprise mural by Melski. Kokerbin Rock is worth a stop for the panoramic views, interesting formations and to explore the caves at the 3^rd largest monolith in Australia. But we stopped to photograph a few heritage buildings and a mural as we wanted to get to our next stop.

The scenery changes a little in the area with beautiful salmon gums dotting the roadside. There are salt lakes and stopping points along the way, one being Red Lake Nature Reserve in Babakin, about half an hour out of Corrigin

Corrigin

Around 230km south east of Perth along the State Route 40 is Corrigin, a typical farming community with shops, churches, schools and a servo with a ute on the roof. Yes that’s right, the local service station/roadhouse has a ute on the roof as the town is home of the ‘Dog in a Ute’ world record for the most dogs in a ute. The year was 2002, the record was a continuous row of 1527 utes with man’s best friend and over $80,000 was raised for Royal Flying Doctor Service and local Community Emergency Services. We were surprised when we stopped to fuel up at the Corrigin Roadhouse and decided on a sit down meal and were served what was seriously the best chicken burger ever, the Rosies Chicken, cheese and bacon burger.

This town really loves it dogs, and a landmark the area is known for is the Corrigin Dog Cemetery. That’s right, just like a lost relative, a well loved pet has a permanent place in our hearts forever, here is Corrigin they also have a final resting place. Established in 1974 local dog owners can lay their four legged family members to eternal rest. The cemetery is a tribute for man’s best friend and today over 200 loved ones are now buried there. We took some time to read some of the sentiments on the headstones of beloved pets that barked at heaven’s door. This town in the middle of nowhere may not be a touristy town, but it really does have an affinity with human-dog relationships and on any weekend there is always people dropping in to pay their respects.

Kulin

After our meal we detour east of Kulin, to sight some of the quirkiest art installations. The Tin Horse Highway, is a real treat and a great route to take for a bit of fun and a nice way to break up a trip. The roadside and dusty paddocks is filled with cheeky tin horses, made by community members from bits and pieces lying around their farms. The horses have been multiplying since 1995 when Kulin was a struggling town. It may have started as a bit of a laugh to promote the Kulin Bush Races, but soon morphed into a delight for travellers and truly captures the humorous side of this wheatbelt community. Stopping off for a closer look at the sculptures is fun and there has been a lot of time, talent and creativity gone into this quirky open air gallery that has put the small, delightful town back on the map.

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Kukerin

Our next stay was at Mary’s Farm Cottages on the Dumbleyung-Lake Grace Road in Kukerin, a quaint Wheatbelt community. This unique luxurious farmstay was an eco friendly village of eight cottages, each with king size beds, offering an authentic rural experience. The family run a state of the art yabby farm, Cambinyata Yabbies. For those who don’t know yabbies are fresh water crayfish and this is the largest yabby processing facility in Australia where you can take a tour and purchase delicious gourmet products to enjoy at home or back at your cottage. In the evening we enjoyed a beautiful sunset from our verandah and the following morning were greeted with a foggy crisp day as we wandered around the property. The fully self contained cottages are a great place for a digital detox to energise the soul and enjoy all the local produce purchased along the trail.

Lake Grace

Lake Grace is home to WA’s most remote winery, Walkers Hill Winery. The area is home to our state’s only Inland Mission Hospital. several salt lakes and beautiful salmon gums line the roadside. We stop for a lovely breakfast at Rosies Café and Bakery before getting back in the car and set our sights on the next stop.

Pingrup

Now it’s probably fair to say that the tiny farming community of Pingrup is not the holiday location the average person would mark on their holiday map. After all, being a 4hr drive south-east of Perth with a population of around 260 there isn’t much reason to take a trip to there. But this tenacious, resourceful farming community is where Dominican born, Miami based artist Evoca1 created some wow factor when with 230 litres of paint he transformed three 25m high tanks in 15 days and gave this little town a lifeline. These are the sixth and final silo murals to compete the WA Public Silo Trail. The iconic Pingrup Races, local Merino farming and agricultural heritage with a cattle dog and tractor all tell the story of the town in a series of artworks creating a new community pride and a story of the town that puts a tourist mark on the map and makes an economic difference to the town. Evoca1 painted the well known Boy on the Red Bike in Subiaco the year prior to painting Pingrup’s silos.

Newdegate

Next we head into Newdegate, 399km south-east of Perth to check out the areas mega tourist attraction. Newdegate’s livelihood is grain, namely wheat and barley and the CBH site is the largest in the area with storage capacity for 260,855 tonnes. To put that into perspective one tonne of wheat makes 1,530 loaves of bread and a tonne of barley yields 18,330 bottles of beer. Rather than focus primarily on the area’s industry, the local wildlife was chosen to take centre stage on three of the four silos. Perth muralist Brenton See replicated the area’s local wildlife, the Western Bearded Lizard, Mallee Fowl, Thigh Spotted Tree Frog and a Red-tailed Phascogale. The fourth silo was used to feature a water droplet, half white, half blue, representing the saltwater and freshwater lakes in the region on a background of green for the bushland, brown, orange and red for the dirt and rocks.  In town there is a skatepark and a few lakes making an excellent spot to grab a coffee and relax for a while.

Ravensthorpe

Fremantle based artist Amok Island’s artwork depicts the 6 stages of growth and flowering cycle of the Banksia Baxteri found between Esperance and Albany. From blower buds to full blooms, including seed pods and the pollinators, the Honey Possum and New Holland Honey Eater are painted in 6 murals on the front and rear of the silos.

The landscape around Ravensthorpe comes to life with the thousands of species of wildflowers bursting into colour each spring. Located within 1.5 million hectare Fitzgerald River National Park 20% of WA’s native plant species grow. That’s the theme Amok Island focused on in 2016 when he painted native WA Flora and Fauna on what was his largest mural at the time he painted these. These are the second silos to be painted in WA and only ones on the trail to be painted on both sides, taking 31 days and 338 litres of paint to complete.

Our time in Ravensthorpe was short, after admiring the silos we got some lunch and fuelled up, then made a quick stop at the Yummylicious Candy Shack to see world record breaking Giant Lollypop and get something sweet to enjoy along the drive.

Esperance

One place I’d been waiting to arrive at was Esperance and its haven of natural wonders. There are heaps of places to stay in Esperance, but we chose to stay a few days at the lovely Esperance Coastal Retreat. It’s a little out of town, near the Cape Le Grand National Park turnoff, one of Western Australia’s best known and most spectacular National Parks.

Cape Le Grand is about 65km East of the lovely town and you can enjoy the gorgeous views of rugged cliffs and sweeping bays of Lucky Bay, Frenchman Peak, Thistle Cove, Whistling Rock and Hellfire Bay. The area is absolutely breathtaking with an abundance of white sandy beaches and the clearest waters that are pretty as a picture no matter what the weather.

You’ve probably seen photos of Lucky Bay with the kangaroos laying on Australia’s most dazzling coastal jewel? Even though there wasn’t a roo in sight while we were there, we were not disappointed as the pristine beach has crystal clear water in every shade of blue and sand so white it’s been judged the whitest in Australia.

Watching, waiting, crying…

“Be still and listen carefully… when the wind blows amongst the rocks at Hellfire Bay you may hear our ancestors crying for two children who were carried out to sea by mother walich the eagle.

She was angry when she saw that the children had stolen her eggs and taken her future from her. The early morning dew on the rocks and hills are the tears of the parents and family who watch and wait in vain for the children to return.”

(Part of the Walich Dreaming Story as told by Nyungar Aboriginal people.)

Hmm why do I all of a sudden feel like a strawberry milkshake? This is Lake Hillier located near the coast of Middle Island in the Recherche Archipelago south of WA. This amazing colour palette can be seen during a scenic flight from Esperance.

Another little surprise on the way to Cape Le Grande was a visit to the full size replica of the original Stonehenge. Built using 137 stones of Esperance pink granite, it has a fantastic connection to both the summer and winter solstices. The suns’ rays align with the Station stones shining through to the alter stone at sunrise, a truly magical sight.

Over the next few days we stopped off to sample a paddle board at Esperance’s craft brewery, Lucky Bay Brewing. Early one morning we grabbed a coffee from Coffee Cat and walked along Esperance Tanker Jetty. In the James Street precinct is a large sculpture of a whale’s tail that celebrates the connection with the Southern Right Whales that are present along the coastline in winter. For more gorgeous beaches take a drive along the Great Ocean Drive or a walk or cycle from the foreshore to Twilight beach.

Albany

Western Australia’s southernmost port city Albany, is home to one of the most beautiful and diverse coastlines, not only in Australia, but in the world. It is also home to Australia’s last operating whaling station. Albany is where Brooklyn based street art duo Yok & Sheryo’s ruby seadragon was created in their signature style referencing Albany’s pristine environment and sea-life. Taking inspiration from the Leafy and Ruby Seadragons inhabiting the coast, the mural took 17 days and 180 litres of paint to create. Ruby is the fourth mural on the WA Silo Art Trail and the only one that depicts one 35 metre high mural across four silos 50 metres wide.

The Albany region hosts Humpback and Southern Right whales as they migrate throughout May to October and King George Sound is where they calve and rest, offering a fantastic viewing spot. Some of the most beautiful beaches are Middleton Beach, Emu Point, and Frenchman’s Bay, and in Mount Clarence is the National Anzac Centre overlooking King George Sound, devoted to the story of the Anzac legends. Albany’s historic whaling station at Discovery Bay and the iconic Dog Rock are some of the must sees in the area. Closer to town be sure to check out the Old Gaol, established in 1852, Old Farm at Strawberry Hill, thought to be the first farm in WA, walk up the gangplank aboard Brig Amity replica or visit Patrick Taylor Cottage, the oldest surviving dwelling having been built in 1832. The Gap & Natural Bridge at the coastal Torndirrup National Park are incredible granite cliffs rock formations which offer incredible views from a viewing platform that hangs over the edge for a sensational view.

Don’t miss a great feed of local seafood from Ocean and Paddock in Middleton Beach because it would be rude not to, right? We searched on Google for the best fish and chips and discovered they have been voted WA’s best 3 years running. When we got there, it was super busy, which is a sign that Google has not mislead us, seconded by our tastebuds. The quantity and quality of our meal was exceptional. Rather than eat in, we grabbed ours as takeaway and headed to Middleton Beach to enjoy our meal. I hope it’s chilly next time we are down that way as I want to try the Signature Seafood Chowder with Rankin Cod, squid and prawns, served with cheesy bread. They say its like warm hug for your tastebuds and I’m sure they’re not wrong. And they have a seriously good Tom Yummy soup loaded with Albany Hapuka, Shark Bay Scallops, prawns, squid and drizzled with chilli oil that I just know Steve will devour.

But no trip to Albany would be complete without a visit to the infamous Dog Rock. We were able to view this natural granite outcrop from every angle as we stayed at the Motel named in its honour directly across the road, between Middleton Beach and Albany townsite.

Mount Barker

Anyone who’s ever been down this way always gets recommended to detour to Mount Barker Bakery on the way through. And that’s just what we did as I just love a country bakery. Well this place didn’t disappoint and I can see why it’s got quite a reputation. Just the pie menu alone was impressive with Mac & Cheese, Works Pie with Potato, Cauliflower, Blue Cheese & Fig, Ned Kelly (cheese & egg), Chicken, Cranberry & Cambembert, Lambs Fry & Bacon, Wagyu Beef, Thai Green Chicken Curry, Chicken Carbonary, BBQ Pork, Surf & Turf, Garlic Prawn & Rice, Moroccan Goat Pie, Sri Lankan Pork Curry and Kangaroo & Chorizo some of the choices.

Broomehill

Broomehill has a real country gem, Henry Jones Winery & Café. It’s not only a great place to stop and enjoy breakfast, a wine tasting or a good cup of coffee, but like a little time warp full of interesting objects. This is a surprising place with the downstairs rooms scattered with fascinating curiosities and books and upstairs is Annabel’s Hideaway, a welcoming B&B.

HJW is a real country gem, If you are looking for a cup of coffee, homemade food, somewhere to do some wine tasting or somewhere to stretch the legs and browse through rooms filled with bric a brac then head to Broomehill. They are also a Bed 7 Breakfast. Broomehill is 300km south east of Perth on the Great Southern Highway between Katanning and Albany.

Katanning

Finally on the way back to Perth we stopped at Katanning. Despite not having a painted silo in Katanning, colourful walls and transformer boxes were painted to compliment the trail.

I think making the transformer boxes a feature of the trail is a nod to the history of Katanning. A year before Perth had electric street lights the brand new Premier Mill in Katanning was lit by incandescent bulbs. In 1928 the Katanning Flour Mills had its own Power Station, and remained the sole supplier of electricity for the entire town until 1961.

And although spending the night inside an old flour mill or packing room wasn’t on my bucket list, the restored 1890’s flour mill at the boutique Premier Mill Hotel is next level in architectural artisanship. The spirit of the building’s industrial heritage was salvaged with exposed timber and mechanical components from the mill, perfectly recreating city style in the 22 industrial and oh so chic bespoke rooms in the hotel. The large packing rooms feature old equipment and views of the town. The boiler rooms overlook the original boiler in the atrium. The silo rooms are also special with rough swan jarrah timers where you can bathe in luxury ensconced in the walls of 115 year old timber granary. We stayed in a purification room with high ceilings, original beams and old white walls as pure as the flour once produced at the mill. The loading dock is now pride of place as the hotel foyer and cheekily they parked an old school bicycle under the Bikes Prohibited sign for a bit of fun.

That evening we enjoyed a drink and tapas in the Cordial Bar, a great basement bar in the old machine room of the flour mill. Named in honour of F&C Piesse, it’s an ode to his viticulture, aerated water and cordial enterprise from the 1800’s. Despite the original recipe being long gone, the spirit has been captured with cordials and mixers made by hand.

This ended up as a special peaceful place to get away from life and a perfect end to our WA Silo Art Trail adventure. The ideal place to do absolutely nothing but lay in bed listening to the gentle sound of rain on the tin roof and gaze at the morning sunlight from our soft comfortable bed.

But we had one more stop before we headed home.

Lake Ewlyamartup

I had heard about a sculpture at Lake Ewlyamartup I wanted to check out. 17 km east of Katanning in the Great Southern region of Western Australia is Lake Ewlyamartup, an ephemeral salt lake and a lovely spot that is home to 95 species of birds, and these sculptures.

More than just a sculpture, the mother, holding her baby, and father piggybacking his toddler are made from agricultural scrap metal. They are watching over the lake as a permanent reminder of the long standing connection between the Noongars and the bountiful ‘supermarket’ Ewlyamartup was.

Now they stand, forever watching, reminding us family is one of the most important things.

Wagin

Driving through Wagin we made our way to the Wetlands Park to get a pic of Bart, Wagin’s ram. Bart was built in 1985 as a celebration of the sleep sheep farming town’s prosperity in the wool industry. He stands 9 metres tall and weighs a whopping 4 tonnes and is a sight for thousands of tourists to visit each year.

Collie

There is only one last town to stop at on our way back to Perth, a place with another massive outdoor mural, Wellington Dam. And when I say massive, I mean gargantuan, this mural is the largest dam mural in the world. The mega mural ‘Reflections’ is 8,000 square metres and took Guido van Helten 4 months to paint. After being selected from a pool of 47 artists van Helten had to isolate for a fortnight after arriving from US during Covid restrictions. As the inspiration for the mural was from local stories and actual photographs of Collie’s history, he used the isolation time researching with the locals about the waterway and sorting through countless photographs. The logistics for the project is mind blogging. Using a specially designed scaffolding platform for mark out and spraying and clipped into abseiling ropes for the final touch ups, van Helten worked on the mural for most of his waking hours from 4am, camping in the bushland for the 4 months he was working on the mural. His concrete canvas built in 1933 at Wellington National Park, west of Collie and extended in 1956 to 34 metres high, 367 metres wide is Australia’s second largest dam. Unveiled in February 2021, the mural is a tourist magnet for the small coal mining town and loved by the community.

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As well as the mural a total of 40 works, wind throughout the coal mining town telling more local stories and adding colour along the Collie Art Trail.

Summary

Thanks to FORM and the CBH Group this public art gallery that took 92 days to create comprises 7 colossal gain silos transformed by 1,704 litres of paint, scattered along 1,000km Western Australia’s golden outback. Collectively this forms the country’s first and largest silo trail transforming 7 rural towns and becoming an iconic drive trail.

Silo art is a beautiful addition to our landscape and a lifeline for many small towns and communities. Before this roadtrip I did know that silo art was a thing but coming into each town we stopped to see the sights, have ourselves a meal, fill up with fuel or just grab a coffee for the road. With tourism suffering recently due to bushfires and border closures I would encourage anyone wanting to take a holiday to take a roadtrip and explore the unique open air gallery along the silo art trail.

The whole trip can be done a lot quicker, but that would mean no stopping for coffee, a chat with the locals, a restful stop to enjoy a hearty meal and no discovering little gems along the way. We chose to take 9 days to relax and contribute to the local communities , the smallest with a population of less than 300 residents. The WA Silo Art Trail is the ultimate Australian road trip.

We were so impressed to see for ourselves how painting grain silos transformed some small towns in the heart of the Western Australian wheatbelt region into destinations. Using various artists with different styles and their own interpretation of the subject brings wonderful surprises and keeps you interested as you make your way along the trail. We are looking forward to more super sized art being added to the trail to captivate our imagination and draw tourists to regional communities.

This trip really was awe inspiring incorporating one of the most extraordinary art galleries in Australia. This road trip promises not to be another boring drive through monotonous landscape. We were lead through beautiful landscapes and charming towns as we zig zagged through the Wheatbelt region being drawn to the next creative giant sized mural. There are several ways to view the entire gallery, but the route we chose along the colourful trail was Perth to Northam, Merredin, Pingrup, Newdegate, Ravensthorpe, Albany and Katanning. I would highly recommend Western Australia’s Silo Art Trail as a great way to head off the beaten path to see the beautiful Wheatbelt region during springtime incorporating all the best of what the west has to offer.

Have you seen any of the silos in Public Silo Art Trail? Which was your favourite?

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