Sinclair tour and Travel 5494 5083

Silo Art Trail – Adelaide to Albury

Departs Tuesday 21st April – 6 days

$2,599 per person twin share. Single Supp $335

Tour Inclusions

Door to door transfers

Airfares Brisbane to Adelaide & Albury to Sunshine Coast

Private guided tour Monarto Zoo

Many Silo Art Sites

Bendigo’s Talking Tram & Chinese Joss House

BBQ lunch on Murray River Paddle steamer

5 breakfasts/ 5 dinners/ 1 lunch

Day One Tuesday 21st April.

After pick up from your door as usual, you will be transferred to Brisbane Airport for your

flight to Adelaide. Here Peter will meet you at the luggage carousel and your Silo Art Trail

Adventure begins. You’ll love our drive down to Glenelg. How about we start with something

sweet and a visit to Haigh’s Chocolates?? Leave room for dinner at your Hotel tonight. (D)

Adelaide Chifley Hotel (08) 8223 4355

Day Two Wednesday 22nd April.

After a delicious breakfast at our Hotel, we’re off to the Monarto Zoo, the largest open-range

zoo in the world and home to more than 500 animals and 50 exotic and native mammals, birds

and reptiles. You can actually fit every major zoo in Australia in Monarto Zoo and still have

land left over! Monarto Zoo is home to many of Africa’s most impressive animals and also one

of Australia’s largest lion prides and giraffe herds. We’re lucky enough to get a private 1.5-

hour Safari tour on our very own bus. How special. You could be forgiven for thinking you’ve

stepped out onto your very own African safari! The bus will bring us through the large open-

range exhibits. You will get to see all the amazing animals in a natural setting and hear

more from the passionate guides!

The paint is barely dry on South Australia’s largest art canvas, but already the tiny rural town

of Coonalpyn is showing signs of rejuvenation and community pride. At the Coonalpyn Silos,

the artist decided to paint 5 local school children to represent Coonalpyn’s Hope for the Future.

It’s really changed the fabric of the town and brought them together in a way that hasn’t

happened in a long time. Lunch (own expense today) somewhere in this beautiful region then

on to our home for 2 nights – Horsham. Dinner at our Hotel tonight. (B) (D)

Horsham International Hotel (03) 5381 7555

Day Three Thursday 23rd April.

After another delicious breakfast at our Hotel, we’ll visit some more beautiful Silo Sites. Billed

as Australia’s largest outdoor gallery, the Silo Art Trail is a collection of decommissioned

wheat silos in rural Victoria that have been transformed by international street artists. Large-

scale murals depicting the local culture and community have been painted on the silos by

world-renown artists in a bid to inject colour, optimism and hopefully some tourism dollars

into these forgotten areas. (detailed notes of the Silo Art at the end of the itinerary)

Rupanyup’s Silo Art is the work of a Russian mural artist who turned her attention to the town’s

youth and their great love of team sport. Sheep Hills Silos were painted by a Melbourne artist

who sought to shine a spotlight on the area’s young Indigenous people and highlight the strong

ancestral connection that they share with their Elders.

In Brim, we’ll see the first silo artwork to appear in Victoria, and it soon infused the town’s

community with newfound energy and enthusiasm. The artist’s subjects bear expressions that

exemplify the strength and resilience of the local farming community. In Roseberry, the silo

on the left captures the grit, tenacity and character of the region’s young female farmers, while

the silo on the right portrays a quiet moment between dear friends.

In Lascelles, the artwork depicts a local farming couple, part of a family that has lived and

farmed in the area for generations. And in Patchewollock, the artist booked into the local pub

to get to know the town. The artwork depicts a rugged, lanky local who showed the no-

nonsense, hardworking spirit of the region. The image is of the typical Aussie Farmer, with a

solemn expression and squinting gaze – reflecting the harshness of the environment and the

challenges of life in the Wimmera Mallee.

I

Time permitting today, we’ll also visit the Grampians, a series of rugged sandstone mountain

ranges and forests rich in wildlife. Dinner back at our Hotel again tonight. (B) (D)

Horsham International (03) 5381 755

Day Four Friday 24th April.

After brekky, we’ll travel through historic Castlemaine, a former gold mining town, on our

way to Bendigo. The gold might have gone but the good times are still rolling in the elegant

and historic regional centre of Bendigo. Its grand buildings, Chinese heritage and living

museums are a visible legacy of the 1850s and ’60s gold rush that transformed the

region. You’ll love the beautiful Botanical Gardens. Free time and lunch (own expense) in town

today.

In Bendigo, we’ll ride the fun Talking Trams for a delightful trip through the town with

commentary along the way. Sit back, relax and let your tram do all of the talking…

Be delighted by the remarkable sights and sounds of Bendigo as your tram tells you about the

golden past of the city founded on one of the world’s richest goldfields. This hop-on, hop-off

tour stops throughout the city allowing you to explore many of the parks, attractions, shopping

and dining facilities that Bendigo has to offer. The Vintage ‘Talking’ Tram Tour runs over an

8.4km round trip.

We’ll get off the tram and enjoy a tour of the Chinese Joss House. From when gold was first

discovered in 1851 to the present day, the Chinese community has been a part of the proud

history of Bendigo. The Bendigo Joss House Temple, a Chinese house of prayer, was opened

in 1871. Standing for over a century, the Bendigo Joss House Temple is one of the few

remaining buildings of its type in Australia. Constructed with locally handmade bricks and

painted red, symbolising the traditional Chinese colour denoting strength and vitality, the

Bendigo Joss House Temple provides a glimpse into Chinese culture and tradition. Dinner at

our Hotel tonight. (B) (D)

Bendigo Colonial Quality Inn (03) 5447 0122

Day Five. Saturday 25th April.

After another hot and hearty breakfast at our hotel, we’re off to see some beautifully coloured

silos at Rochester. Rochester, in Victoria's north, is the latest community to pin its hopes for

economic rejuvenation on a silo artwork. The artwork shows the bird feasting on a golden

perch, snatched from the Campaspe river that runs just metres from the base of the silos.

Nearby is the dormant Murray Goulburn factory, which closed its doors for the final time in

January. The dairy giant's departure from Rochester, which left 100 people jobless, was typical

of the town's fortunes in recent years. It was also the catalyst for the Rochester Business

Network to push for its town to join Victoria's growing silo art trail.

Then we’re in for a real treat as we enjoy a BBQ lunch cruise on the Mighty Murray River.

Join us as we travel on a Traditional paddle steamer & side wheeler of Australian History, with

the sounds of years gone by… The P.S Cumberoona is now fully restored by the Knowles

family and gracing the waters of the mighty Murray River and Lake Mulwala, on the Victorian

& New South Wales border.

There has been plenty of action on the Benalla Silo Art Trail in country Victoria! Artist Cam

Scale had previously painted the wonderful mural of a modern-day Australian combat medic

and a World War One military nurse standing amongst red poppies of the Flanders fields at

the Devenish Silo Art (completed in April 2018) but has now also added an Australian Light

Horseman and his steed. They look great!

Then we travel on to our last Motel for our tour – in Albury – on the banks of the Mighty

Murray River. Dinner at the Hotel tonight. (B) (L) (D)

Siesta Albury (02) 6025 4555

Day Six. Sunday 26th April.

Sadly, this is our last breakfast together. How hard will it be to go back to tea and toast!!

Albury Wodonga is where everything comes together. Landscapes of t imeless

natural beauty surround the beat ing urban heart of twin cities, with something

for everyone and unexpected delights around every corner. Peter will take you for

a drive around this lovely town of Albury before your 11.45 a.m. flight through Sydney and

back to Maroochydore. Here, a representative of Sinclair tour and Travel will meet you at the

luggage carousel and take you back to your front door! We do hope you enjoyed your tour

with us. Please tell your friends. That’s how our business grows. We look forward to travelling

with you again really soon. (B)

INCLUDED IN TOUR

❖ Air-conditioned bus fitted with coach seats for your comfort.

❖ Door to door airport transfers.

❖ Air travel from Brisbane to Adelaide & Albury to Sunshine Coast.

❖ Motel accommodation on a twin share basis.

❖ Breakfast (B), Lunch (L) and Dinner (D) as indicated.

❖ All entries as listed.

❖ Morning Teas.

❖ Name badge and luggage labels.

GENERAL INFORMATION

BOOKINGS

Please phone 5494 5083 for bookings. A Tour Booking Form will be sent to you

for completion and return with a deposit of $700.00 per person within 7 days to

secure your booking.

BALANCE PAYMENT

Balance of payment is to be received at least 60 days prior to Tour Departure

Date. For Tour Bookings made within 60 days of Tour Departure Date full

payment is required on booking.

CHANGES TO ITINERARY

Sinclair Tour and Travel reserves the right to alter any itinerary due to unforeseen

circumstances beyond its control and to cancel any tour due to insufficient

bookings. A full refund of fare will be made if tour is cancelled by Sinclair Tour

and Travel

CANCELLATION FEES

Number of days’ notice given Fee payable

More than 60 days Nil

30 – 59 days 50% of tour Price.

15 – 30 days 75% of Tour Price

8 - 14 days 100% of Tour Price

Less than 8 days 100% of Tour Price

Day of Departure or during tour 100% of Tour Price

In addition to the above fee any moneys paid in respect of bookings with other

tour operators, airfares, attractions, etc. on your behalf and which cannot be

recouped will also be payable. A $50 administration fee (per person) will be

charged on ALL cancellations regardless of the number of days’ notice given.

To cover cancellations due to illness or for loss of baggage we strongly

encourage passengers to arrange travel insurance. We can arrange Travel

insurance for you as we now sell Covermore Travel Insurance. Phone us

today 5494 5083 for a brochure. Prices are very reasonable.

SILO ART TRAIL NOTES

Artist Guido van Helten was given the keys to Coonalpyn on 1 February 2017 at a community

welcoming barbecue, he almost became a local after staying here for six weeks. Guido spent

the first week engaging with and photographing members of the community before deciding to

paint five Coonalpyn Primary School children on the Viterra silos with the intention to

represent Coonalpyn’s ‘hope for the future’. Guido used a 35m cherry picker, 200 cans of spray

paint and a lot of normal paint. Meet the silo kids: nine-year-old Ciara, six-year-old Blake,

five-year-old Reef, six-year-old Kiarah and five-year-old Macey. The 30-metre mural on the

(still operational) Viterra grain silos was the flagship project in Coorong District Council’s arts

lead regional renewal program ‘Creating Coonalpyn’.

Rupanyup’s silo art is the work of Russian mural artist, Julia Volchkova, who turned her attention to the town’s youth and their great love of team sport. The work vividly captures the spirit of community and provides an accurate insight into rural youth culture.

The featured faces are those of Rupanyup residents and local sporting team members, Ebony Baker and Jordan Weidemann. Fresh-faced and dressed in their sports attire (netball and Australian Rules football, respectively), Baker and Weidemann embody a youthful spirit of strength, hope and camaraderie.

Rendered onto a squat pair of conjoined Australian Grain Export steel grain silos, the delicately nuanced monochromatic work is typical of Volchkova’s realist portraiture style.

Accomplished over several weeks and unveiled in early 2017, the mural quietly honours the integral role that sport and community play in rural Australian populations.

Artist Bio Julia Volchkova was born in Nizhnevartovsk, Siberia (Russia) and studied classical painting there before moving to Saint Petersburg in 2010. Heavily influenced by Russian realist painter Ilya Repin, Volchkova’s delicate portraiture seeks to explore the rich diversity present in the places that she visits.

An avid traveller, Volchkova uses art as a tool to deepen her knowledge of culture and place wherever she goes – always on a quest to understand the different communities that make up a local population. Her frequent travels have resulted in numerous large-scale murals of local people in Indonesia, Malaysia and elsewhere around the world.

Throughout his career, Melbourne-based artist, Adnate has used his work to tell the stories of Indigenous people and their native lands, particularly the stories of Aboriginal Australians. In 2016, Adnate developed a friendship with the Barengi Gadjin Land Council in north-west Victoria and found his inspiration for this mural.

GrainCorp’s Sheep Hills silos were built in 1938. Adnate’s depiction of Wergaia Elder, Uncle Ron Marks, and Wotjobaluk Elder, Aunty Regina Hood, alongside two young children, Savannah Marks and Curtly McDonald celebrates the richness of the area’s Indigenous culture.

The night sky represents elements of local dreaming and the overall image signifies the important exchange of wisdom, knowledge and customs from Elders to the next generation.

Adnate spent four weeks with the community in late 2016 to conceive and complete the mural. He says that he sought to shine a spotlight on the area’s young Indigenous people and highlight the strong ancestral connection that they share with their Elders.

Artist Bio Adnate had his start in graffiti and street art in Melbourne in the mid-2000s. Heavily influenced by the chiaroscuro (light and shade) style of Renaissance painters such as Caravaggio, his work embraces a realistic and sensitive approach to portraiture.

Featuring a bold use of block colours via acrylic and spray paint, Adnate’s portraits are known for introducing a strong energetic presence to their surroundings. Described as “life-like” and “emotive” his large-scale murals can be found in various settings throughout Australia and around the world.

Guido van Helten’s iconic Brim mural was the first silo artwork to appear in Victoria, and soon infused the town’s community with newfound energy and optimism. After gaining widespread local and international attention, Brim’s silo art success shone a spotlight on the Wimmera Mallee region and inspired the establishment of the Silo Art Trail.

Completed in early 2016, with limited financial resources, van Helten’s mural depicts an anonymous, multi-generational quartet of female and male farmers. Rendered across these four 1939-built GrainCorp silos, van Helten’s subjects bear expressions that exemplify the strength and resilience of the local farming community.

By rendering the figures as both central and peripheral, present and absent, the work explores shifting notions of community identity at a time when rural populations face both immense economic pressure and the tangible consequences of climate change.

Using the documentary style of humanist street photography as studies, the translucent aerosol technique conjures a sense of ghostliness. The resulting characters are profoundly connected to their chosen place, infusing the landscape with a comforting, familiar presence.

Artist Bio Guido van Helten was born in Canberra, ACT and grew up in inner-city Melbourne. After graduating from Southern Cross University, Melbourne with a Bachelor of Visual Arts (majoring in printmaking), van Helten began to develop his work, aligning with the contemporary large-scale muralism movement that was gathering momentum at the time.

Celebrating everyday characters in forgotten places, van Helten’s monochromatic, photorealistic style offers an intimate glimpse into the lives of others. His large-scale murals tell stories of culture, history and identity in an effort to capture the soul of people and place.

In 2016, Van Helten was nominated for the Sir John Sulman Prize at the Art Gallery of NSW for his work in Brim.

Before commencing work in Rosebery, Melbourne artist, Kaff-eine spent time in the Mallee assisting fellow artist Rone on his Lascelles silo project. During this time, Kaff-eine travelled to neighbouring towns, discovering the natural environment and acquainting herself with local business owners, families, farmers and children – all with the view to developing a concept for these GrainCorp silos which date back to 1939.

Completed in late 2017, Kaff-eine’s artwork depicts themes that she says embody the region’s past, present and future.

The silo on the left captures the grit, tenacity and character of the region’s young female farmers, who regularly face drought, fires and other hardships living and working in the Mallee. In her work shirt, jeans and turned-down cowboy boots, the strong young female sheep farmer symbolises the future.

The silo on the right portrays a quiet moment between dear friends. The contemporary horseman appears in Akubra hat, Bogs boots and oilskin vest – common attire for Mallee farmers. Both man and horse are relaxed and facing downward, indicating their mutual trust, love and genuine connection.

Kaff-eine Artist Bio Kaff-eine boasts the most unlikely of street art roots. Now a successful internationally renowned artist, the former lawyer and public servant was well out of her teens when she committed to her craft – quitting a government policy career, selling her house and turning to street art full-time in 2012.

Combining creativity with a strong social conscience, Kaff-eine makes art and film projects in marginalised communities around the world, with her work inviting audiences to engage with social and political issues. Kaff-eine describes her practice from photorealistic to darkly sensual stylised characters as “loaded with symbolism and narrative.”

In order to capture the true essence of Lascelles, Melbourne-based artist, Rone knew that he had to learn about the town from those who were deeply connected to it. Here, he depicts local farming couple Geoff and Merrilyn Horman, part of a family that has lived and farmed in the area for four generations.

Rone says that he wanted the mural to portray his subjects as wise and knowing, nurturing the town’s future with their vast farming experience and longstanding connection to the area.

In mid-2017 Rone worked for two weeks to transform the two 1939-built GrainCorp silos. He went to great lengths to paint in the silo’s existing raw concrete tones to produce a work that would integrate sensitively into its environment. Utilising this muted monochrome palette, he added water to his paint as a blending tool to produce a ghostly, transparent effect – a signature of his distinctive painting style.

Rone Artist Bio Born in Geelong, Victoria, Rone studied graphic art in Melbourne but fell deeply in love with the art that he saw on the streets. While his early work involved small stencils and posters, he later graduated to freehand painting and large-scale mural work.

A seminal figure in Australia’s early street art scene, Rone is perhaps best known for his large-scale “Jane Doe” portraits, which feature beautiful young women painted onto old, decaying backgrounds. This interplay between beauty and decay is a key theme throughout his work; emphasising the fleeting nature of beauty and encouraging audiences to appreciate it while it lasts.

To prepare for his Patchewollock mural, Brisbane artist, Fintan Magee booked a room at the local pub to immerse himself in the community and get to know its people. When he met local sheep and grain farmer, Nick “Noodle” Hulland, Magee knew he had found his muse.

Why Hulland? According to Magee, the rugged, lanky local exemplified the no-nonsense, hardworking spirit of the region. Perhaps more importantly though, Noodle had just the right height and leanness to neatly fit onto the narrow, 35-metre-high canvas of the twin 1939-built GrainCorp silos.

Completed in late 2016, the artist’s depiction of the famously reserved Hulland portrays an image of the archetypal Aussie farmer – faded blue “flanny” (flannelette shirt) and all. Hulland’s solemn expression, sun-bleached hair and squinting gaze speak to the harshness of the environment and the challenges of life in the Wimmera Mallee.

Artist Bio Born in Lismore, New South Wales and raised in Brisbane, Fintan Magee was influenced by political art from a young age. His father emigrated to Australia from Northern Ireland in the early 1980s at a time of great conflict. Magee’s childhood was punctuated by regular journeys back to Northern Ireland, during which he was heavily influenced by the bold political and paramilitary murals he saw lining the streets.

Combining surreal and figurative imagery with a trained artist’s discipline and technical skill, Magee’s work explores global themes of climate change, displacement and migration as well as environmental issues such as his family’s experience in the devastating 2011 Brisbane floods. Conscious that proximity to art galleries is often a privilege, Magee aims to make his art accessible to isolated communities and the general public.