A privately-owned silo in the town has been bookmarked as the first possible location for Stage Two of the Silo Art Trail.

Wimmera Mallee Toursim has released its proposed plan for the project following the success of Yarriambiack Shire Council’s trail.

The project proposes an additional 12 silo art installations, creating a total of 18 silos, with a total project cost estimated at $1.1 million.

Wimmera Mallee Tourism board member and Hindmarsh Shire Council tourism officer Jeff Woodward said the plan was to create a block of silos across the region.

“We have support from the owner of the Albacultya silo and are still in negotiations with GrainCorp about the other locations,” he said.

“We don’t want to get people’s hopes up that these sites are definitely locked in until all negotiations are completed. We want to go through the due processes.

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“But Albcutya is different because the owner is completely behind the idea, we’re just waiting on funding now. We’re currently looking for funding opportunities.”

He said the proposed locations bookmarked in the plan would take tourists off the beaten track.

“The whole concept is around feeding people in from the highways and sending them to those smaller towns,” he said.

“It will also, of course, link with the Yarriambiack trail. If successful, the Albacutya location will boost the tourism for Jeparit and Rainbow. I can see it being a huge benefit for those communities.”

Wimmera Mallee Tourism chairwoman  Helen Ballentine said plans for the Silo Art Trail extension had been in motion since at least July last year.

“The principle around this planned expansion is that the Yarriambiack Silo Art Trail has been so popular that we want to extend it to our neighbouring shires,” she said.

“There is a lot of work involved and we will see how the funding bidding goes for the Albacutya location.”