Travel along the Farm Gate Art Trail with Colin Kerr

Ravensthorpe’s Artistic REVIVAL

By Colin Kerr

Right around the country, particularly in rural areas, travellers are enjoying the sight of an increasing number of artistic creations. With many local communities struggling through times of drought, fire and even floods, the creation of these artistic works is starting to achieve the desired effect of bringing tourists and other travellers to their communities and staying long enough to inject some valuable dollars into the district.

In the small rural community of Ravensthorpe in the southeast of our great state, along with the effects of drought, it has also in recent years suffered from the downturn of nickel mining in the district which was a large employer of local workers. Not prepared to lay down, this resilient community, locally known as ‘Ravy’, has clearly taken to the artistic revival path with enthusiasm and vigour, producing an amazing range of artworks now being seen right across the district. The largest of the new attractions, now featuring on the Australia-wide Public Silo Art Trail, are colourful murals beautifully painted on 25 metre grain silos, back and front, portraying the different stages of the flowering cycle of the local banksia (Banksia baxteri). From buds to full bloom, to seed pods drying out and opening, the artwork also beautifully features the main flower pollinators – the honey-eater bird and the honey possum. In addition, the town’s main street has a number of colourful sculptures worth checking out, as well as an imaginative display of ‘seat-art’ designed and fabricated by local artists and tradies. Mainly featuring beautiful local salmon gum timber, these colourful street bench seats are complemented by a series of pavement plaques which provide information on the local native flora and fauna featured in the artwork on the adjacent bench seat backrests.

Blue Boy - made by Greg and Dianne Belli. Painted silos.

Not satisfied with these artistic initiatives, scattered right through the district local farmers have enthusiastically jumped on board a Farm Gate Art Trail. Seen along all main roads leading into Ravensthorpe, these wonderful creations, constructed with the aid of welders, grinders, hammers, chisels and the like, were originally old bits of scrap metal, plough discs, fencing wire and posts, farming equipment, machinery and water tanks. There are such creations as a lovely ‘country high tea’ scene, banksias and many different wildflowers for which this region is famous (including a truck full of colourful blooms), as well as other sculptures depicting farm and native animals and local characters. There are also sculptures to be seen which can only be described as ‘farm yard humour’, such as a farmer caught up in a piece of machinery coming out feet first, and another character seen diving head first into a dunny, all of which will bring a smile to the faces of all who stop and have a look.

Country high tea - made by Colin Hughes and Sue Leighton. Driving Miss Daisy in Blue Vista, Ravensthorpe. Seen in Blue Vista, Ravensthorpe.

Farm gate in Blue Vista, Ravensthorpe. A free Farm Gate Art Trail brochure showing the location of over 20 of these fascinating art works can be picked up at the Ravensthorpe Visitor Information Centre. As the town continues its artistic revival, yet another attraction has now been unveiled – the (as yet unofficial) World’s Biggest free-standing lollipop. Proudly standing at 7.5 Christmas (or Munji) tree made by Frank and Eve Green. metres tall and 4 metres wide outside the town’s Yummylicious Candy Shack store, this colourful, mouth-watering, eye-catching creation is yet another wonderful sight to enjoy in this lovely rural town. Well done ‘Ravy’ - your future is looking brighter and more colourful than ever!

Ravensthorpe is located approximately 540km southeast of Perth on the South Coast Highway between Albany and Esperance. Ravensthorpe has an excellent wildflower show held annually in September (believed to be one of the biggest in the world) featuring many of the unique local wildflowers including the beautiful Royal Hakea. This year’s 2020 event is to be held from Monday 7 September to Saturday 19 September. Much of the local art work and events held in Ravensthorpe are co-ordinated by the Ravensthorpe Regional Arts Council. Further information can be found at www.facebook.com/raveaboutarts and www.raveaboutarts.blogspot.com.au