The First Silo – the Barking Owl
The small town of Goorambat joined the Australian Silo Art community in 2019 with the painting of their first silo by renowned street artist Jimmy DVate. The painting was of Milli the Barking Owl, who is a resident at Healesville Sanctuary and an endangered bird species which were found in the area until very recently. Whilst staying within the Goorambat community, Jimmy decided to paint a second silo to complement the first one – this time the habitat of the barking owl.
A few months later, the town held an official opening ceremony, and representatives from Healesville Sanctuary came to ‘open’ the silos to the public, with Jimmy and his wife Carmen returning for the ceremony.
The Goorambat & District Community Group built a fabulous viewing area, on a small patch of land donated by the Greaves family, owners of these fully working silos.
The Clydesdale Horses
In 2019 a third silo was painted as part of the Benalla Wall to Wall Festival, and after the success of the first two the town invited Jimmy DVate back to paint the town’s famous Clydesdale Horses, Clem, Sam and Banjo.
Clydesdale horses have always been the backbone of the Goorambat farming community. This ancient breed of horse have been used for farming from the time of the first settlers until long after the first tractor arrived in Goorambat in 1924, and to this day are one of the most beloved work animals of the district.
In 2017 the Clydesdale was removed from the Rare Breeds Trust of Australia’s endangered list as there are now has enough registered horses in its studbook in Australia to no longer be considered in danger of extinction. The Commonwealth Clydesdale Horse Society of Australia reported numbers were above 3000, enough to be considered “safe”.
Clem and Banjo were bred in the area by Graeme Trewin at the prize-winning Lavereen Stud, founded 1920. They were later sold to the Martin family of Toowoomba, QLD who then bred Sam, a grandson of Banjo.
The silo painting was taken from an original photograph by Bob Britcher AFIP AAPS PSQA, and was then adapted in the painting to incorporate topical items such as the farmer’s hat on Sam’s back!
Sophia – Goorambat Uniting Church
In 2017, art in Goorambat started with the painting of ‘Sophia, the female representation of God’ in the tiny Uniting Church. This phenomenon started the massive influx of tourists coming through the town annually, and has widely been touted as one of the best wall arts ever. Created by Matt Adnate over a 2-week period, it was intended to be open to the public for the Easter holiday break that year, but after the massive popularity it has enjoyed, the church doors are now open during daylight hours all year, except when there is a church service in progress.
Goorambat Links:
- History of Goorambat
- Lavereen Stud
- Goorambat Railway Hotel
- Broken Creek Bush Camp
- Goorambat Veteran’s Retreat
- Goorambat Churches
See a map of the 6 towns here.