When one thinks about art the small South Australian town of Cowell, on the eastern end of the Eyre Peninsula, does not come to mind. The Louvre, Museum of Modern Art, Mus茅e d'Orsay, Museo Nacional del Prado, Uffizi Gallery sure, they come to mind when one thinks art, but Cowell? No, there's no way it could ever compete with the best galleries of the world. But art exists nonetheless and I went to take a look last week.
The small town of Cowell lies 493 kilometres by road from South Australia's capital city, Adelaide. Back in the mid-1800's Franklin Harbour was seen as the natural and most convenient place to load ships with the local product, wheat and wool. The town of Cowell sprung up in 1880, named for John Clayton Cowell, a British soldier who also served as the Governor of Windsor Castle in England. Around 900 people call the town home these days and...Well, it's a sleepy little place with not much going on at all.
Grain-silo art, and water-tank art for that matter, is gaining much momentum in Australia. It is a great way to attract people to small towns that otherwise would not see a lot of visitors and helps to generate much-needed economic stimulus though those visitors spending money in the towns; Lunch and coffee's It's better than stark white silos too.
The towns engage artists to do these massive works of art and often use it as an opportunity to showcase the local area, town itself or personalities who live, or lived in the town. This is certainly the case here in Cowell. It was completed in 2019
Artist Austin Nitsua took only two and a half weeks to create this artwork and chose to use black and white to represent the past and colour to represent the essence of what remains, the present and future. He has also chosen to use a hyper-realistic colour palette to help portray the stunning western sunsets the town enjoys. The main subject is local personality Lionel Deer and you can see one of his camels, Diamantina, on the left, a historic building and parrot on the right.
The camel was chosen to signify strength, dependability and resilience; Traits that the tough folk who made a life out here needed. Lionel could be anyone from the area; Farmer, shearer, fisherman, father, brother, husband, grandfather, cameleer. Each wrinkle on his face tells a story of persistence, hard work and perseverance through a lifetime spent upon this harsh land; That what it takes to carve out a life in places like this.
You can also see an historic ruin depicted on the right silo; It was a school and is remarkably well-preserved, can still be seen to this day. Then the Ring Neck Parrot represents the journey the local community still travels as they overcome the challenges of life in a harsh land - A struggle many small Australian towns face.
Lionel was a local character who developed a fascination with camels in his 30's. You may not know but there are over a million feral camels in the Australian outback left over from those the Afghanistan-cameleers brought over in the early 1800's as pack animals for outback exploration. The early explorers realised quickly that horses were ill-suited to the task and so imported the cameleers and their beasts. Most were let loose eventually and they simply thrived here. They are culled sometimes and farmed for their meat as well. It's really amusing to see feral camels in the outback - Not something one expects.
He offered rides to locals and tourists alike and would appear around the area at fairs and events cementing himself and his camels as local legends. I think Lionel and his very first camel Diamantina are a great choice to represent the area on the silos.
The old-timer was 85 years old when the silo art was completed and he posed in front with the artist and said, it was the greatest thing that even happened in his life. The chap is a prankster, a joker, father, grandfather, great grandfather...A hard worker, loyal, generous and tough as old nails. He's an example of what this harsh land of Australia produces.
Silo art in Cowell.
The silos are pretty huge as you can see from the image above with my Landcruiser parked in front. The gate in the lower left of the top image will also add some perspective. These silos are visible when travellers drive into the town and I'd say that very few would pass by without stopping for a closer look. I was there a week ago on a pretty nice sort of day and I think the blue skies make the silo art pop a little better right?
The main street of Cowell.
The town of Cowell comprises of a main street with a few shops, a hotel and not much else. People come here as a stop-over on the way through although the fishing is pretty good so there's no shortage of people coming here for that. The great local fishing has helped drive the need for a new marina which is being constructed at the moment. A friend of mine who owns an earth-moving company has the contract actually, so it was good to see how his crew is progressing. Below is the marina so far. In the distance is one of his machines and you can see the breakwater being constructed. To the right, out of shot, is where all the real work is being done, but I didn't get a good photo of it.
One can take a stroll on the coastal boardwalk through the mangroves and do some birdwatching, take a swim in the tidal aquatic area or throw a line off the jetty somewhere. Nearby is a nice park, picnic area and playground also.
The new marina being constructed.
Franklin Harbour has calm waters which attracts boaties and fishermen and so holiday-makers come to Cowell which helps drive the economy. Fish on offer are silver whiting, snapper, mullet, tommy ruff, garfish, salmon and a few others - The area is also an important element of the pacific oyster industry, the waters being ideal for farming that tasty treat which can be sampled at the pub, straight from the water in fact!
Part of the long jetty where one is almost certain to bag some fishy treats.
I usually spend a lot of time in remote areas, the wilderness and outback, and getting there means travelling vast distances across Australia - It's a big country. One of the most enjoyable things is to stop at places like Cowell, poke around, buy a pie or pasty and a coffee and see what one can see. These are the grass-roots locations of our country but are often in decline these days as the younger generations all seem to want the faster lifestyle cities provide. It's sad really; Being a farmer doesn't seem to be a very attractive job these days - Maybe the work is too hard in a society where people just want handouts. For me? Well, I love these small places and the relaxed, slower lifestyle they provide. I'm a country boy by birth and I feel comfortable in places like this.
When I travel through these places, where possible, I stop in and spend a little money, talk to the locals and get a feel for it. That's what I did in Cowell too spending ninety minutes looking at the silos, wandering the street and marina area whilst sipping a locally-made coffee...And yes, just maybe I had a donut too, but I'm not admitting to it. But if I did admit to it I'd say, it was just to boost the local economy.
Design and create your ideal life, don't live it by default - Tomorrow isn't promised so be humble and kind
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