North West Slopes Archives - Page 4 of 4

Gunnedah Silo Art Depicting Dorothea Mackellar

Painted by Melbourne artist Heesco Khosnaran, on the historic Gunnedah Maize Mill is a fantastic piece of silo art. Depicting the poet Dorothea Mackellar and lines from her famous poem My Country, it stands over 20m tall.

The silos must be viewed from outside a fence because they are part of an operating mill. This does not stop you viewing the whole mural, because of its size and location. We parked in New Street and walked around the outside of the fence, but found the best view for a photo was from the locked gate. With workers gone for the day, the view was great as nothing was in the way.

Another good view was from the Warrabungle Street Bridge, although a fence obscures part of the view.

I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of droughts and flooding rains.
I love her far horizons,
I love her jewel-sea,
Her beauty and her terror —
The wide brown land for me!
https://www.dorotheamackellar.com.au/archive/mycountry.htm

Gunnedah Maize Mill Silo Depicting Dorothea Mackellar and Lines From My Country

This is a beautiful piece of artwork and represent both the poet Dorothea Mackellar and the country in which she grew up perfectly.

To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.

Baan Baa Cricket Club Grandstand

Driving between Gunnedah and Narrabri on the Kamilaroi Highway we passed the small town of Baan Baa. Like most Australian towns it has a cricket club and oval, but what made us stop was its grandstand. Originally a Leyland Titan double-decker bus, this repurposed vehicle now serves as the club’s grandstand. You can find some pictures of Titans in happier condition here.

In very poor condition, with most of the panels removed, probably to improve airflow and visibility. A wooden awning has been added outside, along with some bench seats, but they look very unstable. The interior looked unsafe, so we didn’t enter, but looked through the windows. Wooden bench seats have replaced the original bus seating, even on the upper level.

Along with the overgrown cricket pitch, this bus needs some attention, but is still a great place to stop for something so unusual. Be careful of the long grass, unstable bus and awning. Otherwise enjoy a unique site in the Australian bush.