Wimmera Mallee Silo Art, Mount Arapiles & Little Desert
There’s something magical about driving along in the Victorian Outback, and seeing a splash of colour over the horizon as you discover the outdoor art that stretches along the Wimmera Mallee silo art trail from Mount Arapiles down to Melbourne.
Wimmera Mallee Silo Art Trail
Victoria’s silo art trail stretches 200km through the Wimmera Mallee region, from Brim all the way across to Sheep Hills. For some of these towns, the silo art has been a lifeline, breathing energy back into long-forgotten outback towns.
Along the way, there are several towns that have joined in on the outdoor art gallery scene and have incorporated beautiful murals around their streetscapes. Many of the murals represent something about the area, telling a unique story about the ecosystems, region, or wildlife.
We explored the silo art over two different trips.
For our first trip, we explored the silo art heading back to Melbourne. There are several places and itineraries you can follow to traverse the silo art trail, and this was our route.
We headed for Mount Arapiles-Tooan State Park. This is a beautiful place to base yourself and explore the area. There’s more than just the silo art to see.
We camped in Mount Arapiles-Tooan State Park in a Parks Victoria Campsite. There is only one place to camp, and that is at Centenary Park Campground. You pay a booking fee through Parks Victoria for the section of the campground you’d like to stay in – there’s a choice of The Pines, Upper Gums and Lower Gums campgrounds – and it’s first in best dressed. Meaning, you cannot book a specific site. Regardless, it’s a beautiful place to stay with hikes, rock climbing and wildlife galore.
Horseshoe Bend Campground Little Desert
Little Dessert National Park is only an hour’s drive away and is an equally magnificent area to explore. If you go in the heat, there are various swimming holes along the Wimmera River where you can take a dip to cool yourself down. We found a fantastic spot at Horseshoe Bend, situated in a Parks Victoria campsite. The swimming area had steps down to the river bank, and a beautiful sandy beach to sit on and catch some sun.
Pink Lake, Dimboola
Just outside Dimboola is one of Victoria’s inland salt lakes. Pink Lake has historically been harvested for salt, but nowadays it’s the pink hues and reflective photographs that attract people to its shores.
Silo Art Trail
We made the decision to visit the closest silo art on the way home … and we are very glad that we did as it allowed us to explore other areas before hitting the silo art trail. However, all the silo art can be explored in one day if you so desire.
Dimboola Silo Art
This Silo Art, located around 10 km north of Dimboola, was completed in 2022 and is located between Dimboola town and Antwerp at Arkona, you can see it here.
Sheep Hills Silo Art
Sheep Hills has a strong, rich Indigenous culture and the silo art celebrates this with vibrant and vivid art created by Melbourne-based artist Adnate.
Rupanyup Silo Art
Travelling on from Sheep Hills, 24 minutes away, are the silos in Rupanyup. Upon arriving at the silo art, Rupanyup has created an information centre about the town, its history and the silo art.
The silo art is not as striking as the silo in Sheep Hills, but it is just as magnificent. Painted by Russian mural artist, Julia Volchkova depicting the town youth’s love of team sport playing.
Not only does Rupanyup play host to silo art, but it also claims to have the best chickpea brownies in Victoria. Unfortunately, the cafe was closed and we weren’t able to try them. Let us know in the comments below if you have tasted Rupanyup’s Chickpea Brownies.
Other ideas for a Mallee Road Trip
If you are searching for other ideas in the Mallee region and have a little more time, you should check out this trip, where we explored Victoria’s outback, Mildura and ventured via the Perry Sandhills, Wentworth New South Wales, using the old off-road routes to Renmark in South Australia.
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Wendy is a traveller, writer, and photographer with an insatiable curiosity for the world. Her journey, spanning South Africa, the UK, and now Australia, infuses her work with a rich tapestry of experiences. Join her on Getting Lost Again as she shares her creative perspective and passion for overland travel alongside Dan.
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