Silo art to highlight town

THE history of Golden Plains Shire border town Cressy is now on display as part of a new public mural depicting the town’s history.

Created by silo artist Tim Bowtell during 20 days of work, the project was completed early last week and is adorning a functioning water tower operated by Barwon Water located at New Station Street.

The work was commissioned through a partnership with the water utility and Cressy and District History Group with the aim of attracting visitors to the town.

Cressy and District History Group president and project lead Robyn Alexander said the mural has already seen many visitors.

“Our intent was to attract visitors to the town and it certainly is,” she said.

“We have people stopping and getting out of their cars which you have to because a point of difference is it’s double-sided where most are one-sided.

“You’ll walk down the side in see that magnificent steam train and the Spitfire which is what faces the Hamilton Highway where the other faces Colac-Ballarat Road.”

The project was conceived in 2012 and approved by Barwon Water in 2018.

Ms Alexander estimated the endeavour costed more than $60,000, with funds raised through harvest sales from the town’s community cropping paddock as well as grants from groups like Berrybank and Golden Plains wind farms.

With four images spread across the 60-foot tower, Ms Alexander said the project is a visualisation of Cressy’s history.

“It’s to tell our story,” she said. “Each of those images represents a vital part of our history.

“Cressy was founded on the Woady Yaloak River so the red river gum sits on the side of that. At the back we have a steam train for our vibrant railway history.

“On the barrels on north and south there’s a Spitfire and a Hawker Demon and that represents that in World War Two, Cressy had an RAAF base which is now a functioning aerodrome.”

Ms Alexander estimated the project will be officially opened around May following beautification and maintenance works.