The Mini Silo Art of Woomelang in Australia

The small town of Woomelang sits at the heart of the Mallee region in Victoria, Australia. Once a bustling railway town, it now plays host to a growing collection of mini silo art murals. Scattered throughout the town, they form a unique outdoor gallery. Showcasing work from some of Australia’s most celebrated street artists.

Unlike the towering grain silos that dominate the more famous Silo Art Trail. Woomelang’s own silo art installations take a more intimate approach. Each mini silo is a repurposed water or grain container. They act as a canvas for murals that celebrate and draw attention to local endangered wildlife. Together, they form a walking trail that invite visitors to explore one of Victoria’s quietest corners.

The project is part of a broader initiative to revitalise regional towns through art. Woomelang sits at the heart of the Mallee. It’s an area already known for its vast skies and rich agricultural history. While the major silo projects have drawn visitors across the region. Woomelang’s silo art trail offers a more personal, close-up experience.

Let’s take a look at each of the mini silos featured as part of the Woomelang trail.

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1. Pygmy Possum – Bryan Itch

The Pygmy Possum is a tiny nocturnal marsupial found in parts of southern and central Australia, including the Mallee region. Weighing less than 50 grams, it is known for its large eyes, soft grey-brown fur, and tail used for climbing. Despite its size, it plays a vital role in the ecosystem by pollinating native plants such as banksias and eucalypts. It shelters in tree hollows and dense shrubs, emerging at night to feed on nectar, insects, and fruit. Increasingly threatened by habitat loss and predation. The pygmy possum is both delicate and ecologically important.

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2. Rosenberg’s Heath Monitor – Andrew J Bourke

Rosenberg’s Heath Monitor is a striking lizard native to southern parts of Australia, particularly the heathlands of the Mallee. It can grow up to 1.5 metres in length and is easily recognised by its dark grey body marked with fine yellow or white spots. This solitary reptile is a skilled hunter, feeding on insects, small mammals, and reptiles. It relies on termite mounds for nesting. Females dig into the warm, insulated chambers to lay their eggs. Once widespread, the species is now under threat due to habitat loss, road mortality and invasive species.

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3. Mallee Emu‑Wren – Jimmy Dvate

The Mallee Emu-Wren is one of Australia’s smallest and most elusive birds. Recognisable by its fine, upright tail feathers and the striking blue plumage of the male. It inhabits dense spinifex grass in the semi-arid Mallee region. Highly sensitive to habitat disturbance, the tiny bird rarely flies above the undergrowth. It makes it hard to spot in the wild. The birds dependence on long-unburnt spinifex makes it particularly vulnerable to fire and land clearing.

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4. Spotted‑tailed Quoll – Kaff‑eine

The Spotted-tailed Quoll is a carnivorous marsupial. Known for its distinctive reddish-brown coat dotted with white spots. Native to eastern and southeastern Australia, it is the largest remaining carnivorous marsupial on the mainland. Quolls are solitary, nocturnal hunters that rely on large tracts of forest and woodland to survive. Once common across much of the country. They are now threatened by habitat loss and introduced predators such as foxes and cats.

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5. Malleefowl – Mike Makatron

The Malleefowl is a ground-dwelling bird found in the dry scrub and woodland of southern Australia. Shy and elusive, it is best known for its impressive nesting mounds. Large piles of leaf litter and sand that can take months to construct. These natural incubators use solar and composting heat to hatch eggs, with males constantly monitoring and adjusting the mound temperature. Malleefowl populations have declined significantly due to land clearing, fox predation and changing fire regimes.

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6. Western Whipbird – Chuck Mayfield

The Western Whipbird is a secretive songbird named for its sharp, whip-like call. It is olive-green with subtle streaks and rarely seen, preferring to stay hidden in dense shrubs and heath. Once widespread, its numbers have dwindled due to habitat fragmentation and fire.

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7. Lined Earless Dragon – Goodie

The Lined Earless Dragon is a small ground-dwelling lizard. It is found in arid grasslands and open shrubland, including in parts of the Mallee. True to its name, it lacks visible ear openings and has distinctive stripes running along its body. Camouflaged and low to the ground, it’s rarely seen by humans and relies on quick movements to escape predators. Habitat disturbance and changes in land use pose growing threats to this secretive and unique reptile.

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8. Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo – Bryan Itch

Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo, also known as the Pink Cockatoo, is one of Australia’s most striking birds. With its soft pink plumage and brilliant red-and-yellow crest, it has long captured the imagination of bird lovers. These cockatoos are typically found in arid and semi-arid woodlands. They nest in tree hollows and feed on seeds and roots. Their numbers are in decline due to habitat loss and competition for nesting sites.

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9. Southeastern Long‑Eared Bat – Chuck Mayfield

The Southeastern Long-eared Bat is a small, insect-eating mammal. It roosts in tree hollows, old buildings and under bark in woodland and forest regions. It is characterised by its disproportionately large ears, which help it detect prey using echolocation. Mostly active at night, it plays an important role in controlling insect populations. With increasing pressures from land clearing and urban development, this bat is considered vulnerable in many parts of its range.

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Street Art Cities Map of Woomelang

The murals of Woomelang were visited on 2 January 2024. They form part of a mini silo art trail centered around the township of Woomelang in the Mallee. The trail was created in 2020 and you can read more about it here and here.

For more Inspiring City articles you will like, take a look at…

• Silo Art Trail of the Wimmera Mallee
• North East Victoria Silo Art Trail
• Phil Rigg the Corrugated Iron Artist of Lascelles