The Rainbow Silo Art project is not just another painted silo on the trail. This one has gone a fair bit further — 28 metres higher, in fact.
Located at 11 Bow Street, the Llew Schilling Silo has been transformed into a mix of outdoor mural, internal art space and lookout tower. From the outside, artist Geoffrey Carran’s work brings colour and life to the old grain silo, with the artwork inspired by a Euphorbia Trigona cactus from neighbouring Llew Schilling’s garden and the Mallee Emu-wren, a tiny bird connected to the local region.
It’s the sort of artwork that’s pretty cool. Big sky, flat country, grain history, local stories and a splash of colour on a structure that once simply did its job in the background.
But the real point of difference at Rainbow is that visitors can go inside and up.
The silo includes an external tower with stairs and an elevator, giving visitors access to viewing points inside the structure as well as a top viewing platform overlooking Rainbow and the southern Wimmera Mallee. Inside, the artwork by Collide Public Art, led by James Voller, uses lighting and imagery inspired by flowers from Llew’s garden, turning the inside of the silo into something more like an art installation than a simple roadside stop.
That is what makes this one stand out. A lot of silo art is admired from the ground with a camera in hand. Rainbow has made it more of an experience — part mural, part lookout, part walk-through attraction.
For a small town, it’s pretty awesome! Silo art has become a genuine driver of regional travel across the Wimmera Mallee, giving people another reason to take the long way, stop for fuel, grab a coffee, wander the street and spend a bit of time in places they may have otherwise driven straight through.
And Rainbow has done something clever here. It has taken a familiar idea and added its own twist.
The tower and internal access are free, but visitors need an access code to enter. The external artwork can still be viewed from the carpark at any time, so even a quick stop is worthwhile. Current opening hours are listed as 7am to 7pm from April to September, and 6am to 9pm from October to March.
For anyone planning a Wimmera Mallee road trip, Rainbow’s silo is now well worth adding to the list. It is close enough to connect with other silo art stops, Lake Albacutya, Wyperfeld country and the broader Mallee touring route.
And like a lot of the best things in these small towns, it is more than just what you see. It is the story behind it — an old grain silo, a local garden, a tiny bird, a big view, and a town finding another way to put itself on the map.
For more information and to get your access code visit - https://www.hindmarsh.vic.gov.au/Visit-Hindmarsh/Experience-our-Arts-and-Culture/Rainbow-Silo-Art