Have you heard the one about the pandemic, the street artist and the farmer?
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It's a story that has a remote chance of becoming a reality north of Rainbow later this year if COVID-19 continues to limit travel from Melbourne to regional Victoria.
Albacutya farmer Adam Gould is preparing for privately-owned grain silos on his property to become a tourist attraction, among the newest additions to Victoria's famed Silo Art Trail.
Melbourne-based artist Kitt Bennett has been enlisted to paint the silos but has not been able to start while project organisers try and get him and a film crew out of Melbourne.
Under Victorian guidelines, Melburnians can travel to regional Victoria area for work, medical care or caregiving.
It sets up a race against time for the painting to be complete before Mr Gould's harvest begins. He will not be able to use the silos while the mural is being applied.
"They have until November, and hopefully all going well, they will start in September," he said. "It would have to go drastically wrong for them to still be here by then.
"We would have to turn the power off for a week or so while it's being painted, so I wouldn't be able to store my grain."
FROM OCTOBER 2019: Sea Lake added to Silo Art Trail
Mr Gould said he his crop was looking good for harvest, though could benefit from some more rain in the coming weeks. He said he hoped the silo art would be good for Rainbow, and that the mural would be inspired by the area surrounding the town.
At its August meeting, Hindmarsh Shire Council approved the permit to develop a viewing platform for the Albacutya Silo Art.
READ MORE: St Arnaud Silo Art completed
Tourism and Economic Development Officer Jeff Woodward said the platform would be built in an old bunker site next to the silos.
"Work on that are starting this month," he said. "There are going to be some film crews involved for digital media, so it's about trying to tie a whole lot of people together.
"We were putting things in place for the sake of the community so the artist and film guys could go and get a COVID-test, self-isolate and then come straight out, but once stage four restrictions came into effect, they said they weren't going to come out.
"I think once Melbourne goes back to stage three, we should be right to go. Obviously, we will have those things in place to make sure we are not putting the community at risk."
Mr Woodward said the council would also be timely about how it promoted the new mural to audiences beyond the region.
READ MORE: Mortat Homestead demolished
The council has also recently restored a monument to Rainbow's European settlement history.
With $60,000 from Heritage Victoria, Yurunga Homestead's northern verandah has been restored. Visitors will be able to walk on it once again when the attraction reopens.
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Alexander Darling
Alexander has been a member of the Wimmera Mail-Times' editorial team since December 2018, covering politics, business and property among other rounds. He is a passionate St.Kilda and rock and roll fan, and has previously worked as a radio reporter in Port Macquarie and Gosford, NSW.
Alexander has been a member of the Wimmera Mail-Times' editorial team since December 2018, covering politics, business and property among other rounds. He is a passionate St.Kilda and rock and roll fan, and has previously worked as a radio reporter in Port Macquarie and Gosford, NSW.
