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 floods, as well as the effects of the pandemic, 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.

The art in Ravy is wheely great

BEAUTIFUL RAVY

Recently, the small rural community of Ravensthorpe — in the south-east of our great state of Western Australia — has suffered from the downturn of nickel mining in the district, which was a large employer of local workers, along with the effects of drought.

Not prepared to lay down and give up, 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 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 several 25m grain silos, back and front, portraying the different stages of the flowering cycle of the local banksia. From buds to full bloom, to seed pods drying out and opening, the artworks also feature the main flower pollinators — the honey-eater bird and the honey possum.

In addition to these, 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 seats.

There’s no doubt the town’s artistic streak has got ‘legs’

ART IS ALL AROUND

Not satisfied with these artistic initiatives, scattered right throughout the district, local farmers have enthusiastically jumped on board to create a Farm Gate Art Trail. Seen along all main roads leading into Ravensthorpe, these wonderful creations have been constructed with the aid of welders, grinders, hammers, chisels and the like, and were originally old bits of scrap metal, plough discs, fencing wire and posts, farming equipment and machinery, water tanks and much more.

These creations include 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 is something for everyone to check out. There are also sculptures to be seen which can only be described as ‘farmyard 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 to have a look.

A free Farm Gate Art Trail brochure which details the location of more than 20 of these fascinating local artworks can be picked up at the Ravensthorpe Visitor Centre and Museum.

Fabulous wildflower artworks

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 7.5m tall and 4m 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!

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• Ravensthorpe is located approximately 540km south-east 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.

• Much of the local artworks and events held in Ravensthorpe are coordinated by the Ravensthorpe Regional Arts Council.

• Further information can be found at facebook.com/raveaboutarts and raveaboutarts.blogspot.com.au

The town’s silo art is a stunning feature

Category: Destinations
Written: Tue 01 June 2021
Printed: June, 2021
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