Visitors to the latest addition to Victoria’s silo art trail will be able to view the mammoth murals from a safe place, after community group Lake Boga Inc signed a lease with VicTrack to use surplus land next to the railway line as a viewing area.
Lake Boga Inc is developing the land, which is opposite the silos, as a viewing area and visitor car park for cars and recreational vehicles. Once finished, the area will have an all-weather surface, safety and directional signage, and fencing.
The project is being partly funded through a recent VicTrack and Department of Transport and Planning Community Grants program that has seen 66 not-for-profit organisations share more than half a million dollars in funding.
The Lake Boga silos were painted in October 2023 by renowned street artist Tim Bowtell. The works pay tribute to Lake Boga’s role as a World War II base for the Royal Australian Air Force. They include its famous Catalina Flying Boats, commanding officer George Urquhart (Scottie) Allan, and views of recreational activities undertaken on Lake Boga.
Lake Boga Inc.’s community lease is one of hundreds that VicTrack has in place across Victoria, which allow community organisations access to vacant rail land and buildings to help bring them back to life for a diverse range of social and cultural programs.
Tim Bowtell’s work also has connections with another VicTrack community lease. In January 2023, Tim and fellow artists Lachlan Cumming and Chris Mann took out the Best Monument or Memorial experience at the Australian Street Art Awards for their commemoration of the 1969 Southern Aurora accident at Violet Town.
The mural is part of a memorial garden on leased VicTrack land.
