Day 63:

A trail of art for the day (about 100kms in total), how lovely for one of our last days in the country area of Victoria. We left Ouyen for Patchewollock, really what a name, for the first of six sites. These decommissioned silos have all been painted by varying artists and with such differing styles although all country themes. Thirty metres high and 40 metres wide these painters used cherry pickers to access the silos and how they managed to get the expressions and perspective correct is amazing. It is all about the community of each town and are depictions of some characters that tell their own stories by the looks on their faces and stance. Although the last two, painted by a Russian painter, look like two Russian young people and although well done did not 'talk' to me as the others did. Another 'art work' in Patchewollock was a 'Big Mallee Fowl' made of corrugated iron, fantastic. They did make a strange noise as we approached these five metre high constructions and as we got closer a flock of pigeons flew out of their butts. Not quite what the artist planned I am sure but the pigeons have a lovely large nest inside these 'fowl'.

Other scenery in the area is still wheat fields, rather obvious as the number of silos around. One area in particular looked like Stonehenge with bales of hay stacked waiting for transport. Each pile was 36 bales, a semi-trailers worth of hay, and there would have been at least 50 truckloads in one area for one farm. And there were countless of these.

Now in Ararat after lunching in Warracknabeal in a pub beside a river, very pleasant. We were going to be closer to Melbourne tonight but the chauffeur was tired and had had enough driving for the day so here we stopped. Unfortunately, a train line between us and the highway but when there are no trains it is very quiet.

Fighting our way across Melbourne to the Yarra Valley tomorrow but will look forward to arriving to our farm stay for the next three weeks. A lounge to lounge upon and quiet and views and cows mooing at us every morning and standing outside the bedroom window. I will be continuing this blog but not daily so will keep up to date when I have the time, busy, busy, busy.

For this day xxxxxxx