Category Archives: Silo Art

Cowell Silo Art

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In September of 2019, the small waterfront town of Cowell, on the Eyre Peninsula, joined the ranks of Kimba and Tumby Bay by unveiling the latest Silo Art in South Australia.

The enormous image depicts the local legend Lionel Deer who had kept a heard of camels in Cowell for the best part of 40-years. He is accompanied by his camel Diamantina and a Port Lincoln parrot. For 30-years of those years Lionel paraded the camels through town at Christmas and occasionally dressed as Santa Clause. Now retired, Lionel, a natural larakin, is just as entertaining as ever and a popular character much loved by school children who love to explore his shack of old artefacts collected over a lifetime.

We didn’t know who Lionel was before he crossed over the road and greeted us with a big friendly smile and greeting as we strolled through town as visitors on our way to see the silo. Even a few of the locals at the corner pub welcomed us to the town and wished us safe travels. They’re a friendly bunch here.

Cowell’s Silo by Nitsua

As seen on TV

Recently an episode of Ten Networks ‘The Project’ featured Cowell’s new silo art and met with Lionel and several of the town’s residents. One local, when asked about Lionel, commented with a note of affection, ‘We thought we were going to get rid of him, now his ugly face is going to last forever!’

The painting, reaching 20-metres tall, was completed in 20-days by the highly talented Austin Moncrieff, also known as Nitsua (Austin backwards) from Byron Bay in New South Wales and assisted by Michael ‘Schmick’ Motteran-Smith who has also painted a nearby mural illustrating the local oyster industry.

Situated on North Terrace at the Cowell sporting complex, this is a silo with very easy access and plenty of parking available – caravans and motorhomes included. It is also a good location to take aerial photos using a drone as long as you are aware of any aircraft flying from the local uncontrolled airfield and keep well behind the wire fence line.

It is hoped the painting will attract more people to Cowell as it continues to suffer the worst drought in 20-years.

More of Nitsua’s work can be viewed on his website: www.nitsua.com.au

Tumby Bay – Silo Art

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Just north of our stay in Port Lincoln is the delightfully named Tumby Bay, named by Mathew Flinders after the town of Tumby in Lincolnshire, England. We were here to see the painted Silo recently completed but we found another reason to visit.

Having first sighted an enormous painting on a grain Silo on TV we have been making a point of visiting and photographing as many as we can on our trip around the country. We saw our first at the harbour in Albany, Western Australia – a spectacular Weedy Sea Dragon visible right across the bay.

We had been advised of this relatively new one at Tumby Bay by the Port Lincoln Information Centre and it had easy access and full view of the painting with dedicated parking. But along the way, and ready for a coffee, we spotted a popular looking cafe and what a gem it was. Called L’Anse, meaning ‘curved bay’ in French, which happens to describe Tumby’s bay quite fittingly, it is a very professionally run French cafe.

Yum!

Freshly baked croissants are hugely popular but had run out by the time of our visit so instead we had a delicious brunch. The French speaking owners are very friendly and make you feel very welcome.

The coffee and food was so good we returned a few days later on our way further north but again we had been beaten to the croissants. However, instead we discovered the best, lightest, tastiest, freshly baked muffins either of us had ever tasted – apple, rhubarb and sultana.

Silo Art

The 2018 silo painting at Tumby Bay is spread across six grain silos and depicts two boys launching themselves as if jumping into the sea. Painted by Argentinian artist Martin Ron and his assistant Matt Gorrick, it was inspired by Ron watching children jump into the sea from the town’s jetty.

Tumby Bay Silo art

The two boys in the silo art, Eli Carmody and Morris Webb were photographed jumping from the jetty in 2014 and the image was used as a basis for Ron’s artwork.
There is some artistic interpretation, however, as in the mural the boys are reaching for the sky rather than the sea.

If you ever happen to visit the painted Silo at Tumby Bay, and you should, make sure you drop by L’Anse Cafe early, say Bonjour and enjoy a croissant and coffee… you won’t regret it.