Wagga and Coolamon

Stopped at Wagga Wagga for two professional appointments. Back on the road by early arvo with green elephant stamps (all good) and heading out of town after dumping at Wilks Park. Nice to see the toilet block now has a mural and a bus stop as well as the dump point. Possibly not the best mix, bus stop and dump point?

Headed to Coolamon for the night.

Coolamon CP used to be $10/night with power, water and hot showers. Not a big park, maybe 25 sites. Popular, usually need to be early to get a site for the night. Recently the local Council has spent big bucks pretty much ripping out everything. Everything new and clean, grass, roads and office. Now they have an onsite manager and are charging $20/night. Only problem, just 25% of the sites occupied. Less income - more expense, hmm.

Interesting article from ABC news about Silo Art and small towns. 

Bus stop and dump point.

Walbundrie and dragons in Lockhart.

Tungamah via Yarrawonga to Walbundrie is just 125km.

Crossed into NSW at Yarrawonga where Lake Mulwala is all but empty, must be hurting the tourist operators. Apparently, the lake has been having a weed problem.

Nice camp at Walbundrie for $10 you get power. Means no need to run the generator at night or more importantly first thing in the morning to get warm.

Went via Lockhart next day to check on their street art. Lots on display here but nothing new from my previous posts. Well other than the dragon finding a new home. He is now welcoming visitors into town from Walbundrie.

Lake Mulwala.

The Dragon at Lockhart.

Tungamah Silo Art

It's on the way north, in a zig-zag sort of way. Tungamah. Nice little town. Nice little free camp on the Boosey Creek. And best of all - Silo Art.

One of the volunteers at BlazeAid Terang, a Tungamah resident, at dinner one night mentioned he had a painted silo in his town. So here we are checking it out. A Kookaburra and Dancing Brolgas no less.

The Lions Park is right in town and is available for free camping so yep that's where I stopped. Just me by the creek, nice, nice spot.

Goorambat Silo - Barking Owl

Here is that better shot of the Barking Owl at Goorambat.
Click this link to hear the bird call.

Jimmy D - www.graffixcreative.com

Rochester - Silo Art.

Lived in Melbourne for 50 years and toured the state extensively during that time, getting about is easy. Victoria is a compact state. The good things come to mind travelling about. Like the crisp mornings and clear, still, windless days, in central Victoria during winter.

Woke this morning to -1deg. Ice on the ground and crunching grass. The landscape is frost covered but the sun is bright. Driving in the early morning sees golden pasture one side of the valley, frosty white the other. It won't last long.

Stopped at Rochester, yep another silo. This one in the final stages of completion. Ambushed Jimmy DVate (the artist) and had a chat. Got his business card and his website: www.graffixcreative.com He also did the Barking Owl on the Goorambat Silo, my fav.

Not finished yet.

Viewed from the park next door.

On The Road Again - Fyansford Silo Art

Much deliberation as to which way to head from Terang but as usual it comes together eventually. Silo near Geelong, at Fyansford, was hard to pass up.

After negotiating the ring road around Melbourne went on and stopped at Broadford, at the Bowling Club in the Lions Park, been here before. Nice quiet spot even with the trains.

The silo at Fyansford is interesting in that the viewing area has been fenced off. Must be an issue with public liability insurance or the like. Anyway, still an acceptable view through the fence.

BA Terang - End is Nigh - Warrnambool Street Art

It's been ~15 weeks since the St Patricks Day fires in March and when the camp was originally set up. Dribs and drabs of assessable fences are still being done, in between showers of rain, but the end is nigh. The total to date, of fences rebuilt, is nearing 300km.

Some farmers are saying there is no way we will be able to get on their paddocks now, or in the next few months. So the camp, here at Terang, will start closing at the end of this month.

It's hard not to look at the roadmap and start planning the trip north, route, stopovers, towns not visited before, and maybe some silo art along the way. Ah, the anticipation of a road trip: nearly as good as the real thing...

If you live in Terang serious shopping is done in Warrnambool and the place is not without street art.

Rosebery, Lascelles and Patchewollock - Silos

Six silos sites complete the trail with between 30km and 50km between sites. Rosebery, Lascelles and Patchewollock are the last three today.

I arrived in Patchewollock, my camp for the night, just in time for gridlock with a very large funeral procession headed out of town going to the cemetery. Later the pub was hosting the wake. A big night in a small town, always interesting.

Rosebery

Patchewollock

Lascelles

Lascelles

Brim and Sheep Hill - Silo Art

Picked up a brochure detailing Silo Art in this region of Victoria - Silo Art Trail. The Silo Art Trail has its own website, Gmail, and Instagram (@siloarttrail) accounts.

Seems this all started here in Brim in 2015 and continues to gather momentum. At each silo, several other cars or caravans are there. It's a weekday and it's a miserable day. Silo Art viewing appears to be very popular at the moment!

The Trail.

Sheep Hill.

Brim.

Rupanyup - Silo Art

Time for a break from the fences, it's been 7 weeks. So a road trip is the best way known to rejuvenate enthusiasm.

Headed north via Ararat, Great Western and Stawell bypassing the Grampians National Park; a bit cold for camping. And on to Rupanyup.

Rupanyup is a small town with pulse, in the Yarriambiack Shire. The pulse they are referring to are crops of lentils, chickpeas & beans. They also have a painted Silo and that's what attracted me.

It would seem the next big thing for a town to have to attract tourism is not a big banana, or this case a big chickpea, but a big bit of open-air street art. You don't get much bigger than a grain silo as your canvas.

Rupanyup is no different from other small regional towns being bypassed commercially. Is it now too easy to drive to the big town and spend your money in the big multinational chain stores? 

Depicts local youth.

A railway station without rails.
Now owned privately and currently for sale.

In this group, only the pub remains open.

No trains in this town since 1983.

Terang: cows and poo

So BlazeAid's main focus is the boundary fences. Got to keep the cattle in. Got to keep them off the roads. But when the boundary fences are done it's time to consider getting the farm back to normal operations.

It's dairy country down here and the farmer tells me he needs to separate his herd, milkers and dry as well as other cows: all too technical for a city kid. So we are rebuilding some essential internal fences.

The downside is there are cows in the paddock we work in. They are curious animals and are attracted to the tractor that usually brings the fodder. So they traipse around following us. They lick and scratch their heads on the car, trailer and tractor. They are always where you next need to be. They are tame and sometimes need a nudge. And they poo and pee everywhere.

Putting up a new fence usually goes in this order. Run a sighting wire to align the new fence posts: a straight fence not only looks better but is stronger. Drop the posts down the line at even intervals. Back the tractor up to the post position. Stand the post up and drive it in. If there are cows in the paddock: check for poo, pee or snot on the post and be careful to avoid it when standing the post up. When the ram comes down on poo on the top of the post it goes everywhere: usually all over you and your face! Gumboots are essential as are gloves and a sharp eye. 

Shares in the local laundromat would seem a very good idea.