Coonalpyn Silo Art - South Australia

Coonalpyn's 'Hope for the Future'

The award-winning 'Creating Coonalpyn' initiative was a joint project of the Coorong District Council with key partners Country Arts SA and Viterra . The initiative included the painting of Viterra's 30 metre high and still operational grain silos and other works of art in the township of Coonalpyn.

 The aim was simple: rural renewal through the arts.

It also included sponsorship from local businesses and individuals, which assisted in the incredible marketing campaign, helping to amass the attention of more than half a billion people online (globally) and earn a swag of State and National awards.

As you approach the Coonalpyn Silos via Dukes Highway the first thing you notice is their size. They are huge and very close to the road.

The murals depict a magnificent tribute to five Coonalpyn Primary School children, whose images will now live on in the history of the town forever. The lucky five were six-year-olds Kiarah Leske and Blake Thompson, five-year-olds Macey Jacobs and Reef Gregor and nine-year-old Ciara Johnson. The children are in various poses with two children looking to be actually drawing onto the face of two of the silos.

The Viterra Coonalpyn Silos were the first silos to be painted in South Australia and are the seventh silos to be included in the Australian Silo Art Trail Collection. They were completed in March 2017.

They were painted by world-renowned large scale mural artist Guido van Helten who was given full creative license to create what he believed would best reflect community spirit, culture and local identity.

They mural took 200 paint cans to create. 

Using photographs as reference, the artist first drew a giant grid onto the face of the five silos and then sprayed paint to create the designs.

The completed work incorporates the south, east and north faces of the silos, promoting interactive viewing opportunities and encouraging visitors to park and walk around the silo to photograph different viewing points.

There is ample parking for vans and buses at this site with three food outlets stores directly across the road. A great place to stop for lunch as you travel the Dukes Highway in South Australia.

How has the project benefited the community? 

Source:   https://www.coorong.sa.gov.au/creatingcoonalpyn

The town of Coonalpyn is located on South Australia’s Dukes Highway, which is a busy highway linking Adelaide to Melbourne. Approximately 4000 vehicles pass through this town daily, and in the past only few stopping in the town prior to the project.

During the month-long creation of the mural, Coonalpyn became the most-photographed regional town in South Australia, and possibly even Australia. The mural attracted the attention of media locally, nationally and internationally, with the BBC and CNN also both reporting on the project. Reports show that more than half a billion people worldwide have now heard of, or followed at one time the project’s progress online.

During the painting process, an estimated 40 to 50 vehicles stopped each hour in Coonalpyn to take in the sights and to view the artist at work. The town hosted an RV festival called 'Silo Sights' to coincide with the mural painting, attracting more than 100 people to the small local caravan park and further injecting thousands of dollars into the local economy. This will now be an annual event.

Three new businesses have opened in the town as a direct result of the silos being painted including the aptly named Silos Café. 

Nearly a dozen new jobs have were created in 2017 as a result.

The Creating Coonalpyn evaluation is in the process of analysing the collective impact of the projects as a vehicle for regional renewal. Interim findings from project participants indicate that not only are the hopes of a ‘lifeline’ expressed at the outset are well on the way to being met but also unexpected social benefits have arisen from working together on a suite of projects over an extended period. 

Participants have developed and celebrated ingenuity, risen to challenges, brought disparate people together, found a willingness to support each other, a capacity to plan and experienced immense pride at what they’ve contributed to their community.

There is a large dedicated parking area on the same side of the road as the silos heading east. It is suitable for all types of vehicles. These fully operational silos are also very close to the road.