We are working our way west. As we drove out of St Arnaud, we stopped at the painted silos. Most of the murals in this town are black and white, like the portrait on the wall opposite the silos.
The silo art at Rupanyup is not a favourite. A nearby derelict railway station detracts from the atmosphere, and non-stop barking by two Jack Russells deterred us from lingering.
As we approached Murtoa, Anita spotted a sign advertising The Stick Shed. We pulled into the generous car park, and I took Bluey for a walk through this National Trust Listed Cultural Icon.
It was built to store bulk grain after a bumper harvest in 1941, and limited export opportunities due to the war. It only took four months to erect 10 rows of 56 unmilled timber poles to support the enormous corrugated iron roof. The shed is 270m long, 60m wide, and 19m high along the ridge.
I counted 15 sheets of corrugated iron in each vertical row, which are about 3 feet wide. Each side of the roof has about 300 vertical rows of 15 sheets of iron, or 4500 sheets each side! The roof has been repaired in places, but is still an extraordinary achievement.
We booked for two nights at the Horsham Showground, and were warned there would be a wedding today. The music has to be turned off at 11pm, but we don’t think it will bother us. The ground is dry dust covered by various weeds, but we have a reasonable view of the Wimmera River, 50m away.
As we drove through the gate, we noticed a large black dog off its lead. I texted the woman who manages bookings, and she was here within a minute to tell the owners they must keep their dog on a lead.
After we unhooked and set up, we drove to the Barangaroo Winery, about 20kms from Horsham. Bluey was allowed to stay with us on the verandah overlooking the dam. Anita enjoyed the wine, and we both enjoyed our lunch. A couple of boxes of wine made their way into our car.
Back in Horsham, I went to the information office located in the Town Hall, where there is also a gallery featuring an exhibition by female artists. Ironically, there was a separate exhibition of 13 portraits by a female artist, where only two of the portraits were of women.
I walked beside the river to parkland, where there are a couple of fishing platforms, bar-b-ques, and picnic areas.
Back at the showgrounds, Bluey kept trying to eat vegetation – there is no grass for him to munch. He hasn’t wanted to eat any dinner this evening and has been very quiet.
A very large caravan arrived here after dark, and reversed into position beside us. A second car arrived and the driver put up a tent next to the van. We haven’t heard any wedding music.
Committed Travellers 