Wildflower and Safaris Tours Western Australia

Song of Silos..yes it’s different! You get to plan the time away and the routes. Not everybody wants to only explore this huge state just for it’s flora, when there is so much else one can see and preserve electronic images of. We do cater for this in our tours, with stops at country museums and visitor information centres, as well as major points of interest.

We also recognise that there may well be times of the year that your dates will miss the flowers, but still want to have a memorable Walk About with us in this huge state. Song of Silos will certainly be both of these things, a memorable Walk About, as well as some really very memorable images. Western Australia grows millions of tons of grains each year and after harvesting, storage before shipping has required major investments in concrete silos. These are scattered strategically in major inland centres across the state, as well as at its major ports. A concertina of huge concrete silos is not a wonderful piece of architecture. It’s massive, hard concrete and not pretty. Recently the grain handling centres have turned them into artists ‘canvass’ and also into something uniquely different. Our tour can visit several scattered through the “grain belt” and also take advantage of the seasons to explore the routes available. Yours is the choice.

Our ITINERARY therefore shows the silos we can visit but the actual routes between will be dictated by time of year, seasonal conditions and yes if it’s spring then flowers will be there. This tour is terribly flexible and will be costed at a daily rate. The silo section is ideally positioned geographically, for us to zig zag to anywhere else that takes your fancy. Please read extended notes at the end of the Itinerary, for suggestions and further ideas.

THIS TOUR CAN BE SCHEDULED FOR ANY TIME OF THE YEAR. Also it can be scaled to suit individual group needs. 

No, it’s not the Athenian Acropolis, but the Northam grain silos in W.A. Internationally renowned artists Hense (USA) and Phlegm (UK) transformed eight CBH Group grain silos into iconic works of art, dramatically responding to the unique landscape of the Wheatbelt town of Northam. The silos were painted each at a height of 35 metres (an area of roughly 5500 square feet), over 16 days and using around 740 litres of paint, creating Australia’s first silo mural. Yay for WA! 

Merredin. 

Urban artist Kyle Hughes-Odgers transformed 4 of the 8 concrete silo cells at CBH Merredin. Through his characteristic geometric yet playful style, Kyle depicts the importance of the agricultural industry to Merredin and the Wheatbelt region. The colours are taken directly from the Wheatbelt’s natural environment: the burnt oranges, yellows, and blues are from the landscape and sky.

Newdegate. 

Native Western Australian wildlife has taken centre stage in sky-high silo art for the mural at Newdegate. Brenton See’s mallee fowl, lizard, phascogale and tree frog have been dazzling above the treetops in this Wheatbelt town. One Silo features a local resident, the Western Bearded Dragon (Pomona minor minor), namesake of the nearby Dragon Rocks Nature Reserve 20 or so km north west of the town.

Pingrup. 

Dominican-born muralist Evoca1, painted the silos in Pingrup which, acknowledges WA’s tenacious, resourceful farming communities. Evoca1 took 15 days and 230 litres of paint to create the mural, painted on three silos, each 25 metres high and 15 metres wide.

Ravensthorpe. 

Fremantle-based artist Amok Island created PUBLIC Art in Ravensthorpe’s Six Stages of Banksia baxteri, a 25 metre high wildflower inspired mural painted across three CBH Group silos in Ravensthorpe. Each silo side shows a different stage of the flowering cycle of this species of Banksia: from flower buds, to full bloom, to seedpods developing, drying out and opening’, explains the artist.

Albany. 

Brooklyn-based street art duo Yok & Sheryo created the fourth mural in Albany after over 17 days of painting and after 180 litres of paint. Taking inspiration from two species of seahorse found in the coastal waters of South-Western Australia, the Ruby Sea Dragon and its leafy cousin, The Weedy Sea Dragon. The 35 metre high and 50 metre wide mural now sits proudly across the giant silos at CBH group’s Albany Grain Terminal and shows off the Ruby Sea Dragon.

Song of Silos tour can be negotiated for destinations and also time spent out there on a Walk About. 

The maps below are just descriptive, definitely not prescriptive. There are so many possibilities and we have not even looked at the South Coast nor the South West. Every silo destination leaves itself as a unique starting point for another days adventure. We know what unique, local gems, we could add for you. What about a tour around Kalgorlie, source of one of the worlds major gold rushes? Feats of engineering there, such as C. Y. O’Connors pipe line that brought in water from the Perth hills. Today we have The Super Pit in Kal’ and yes we can have a 1.5hr tour of it. Gold is still very big business here.

What to choose, where to go, so much to consider! Let us throw a few ideas around: 

Northam is our first silo and Northam could be reached via York which is one of WA’s oldest country towns. Established in 1835 just 7yrs after colonisation. Back then a couple of days by horse and buggy from Perth. Perth and its environs are actually on an ancient sea bed. The deep grey sand was badly suited to agriculture and real agricultural settlement was only possible to the east of the Darling Scarp, which was the ancient coast line. York became a focal point and its historic buildings reflect its importance. It has a charm and the essence of its past lingers on. 

Merredin is the home of silo number two. This town is quite large, situated on the Perth Kalgorlie railway line and from York there are several scenic routes available to reach Merredin. One of which passes Mounts Stirling and Carolyne. 

Kalgoorlie is just three hours drive east of Merredin and is steeped in history as well as being a thriving gold mining town to this day.

A few fast facts: Pit pipped at post. Known as the Super Pit, the Fimiston Open Pit was Australia's largest open-cut gold mine until 2016 when the Newmont Boddington gold mine opened in Western Australia. No rush since gold rush The Super Pit’s history stretches back to 1893 and the Gold Rush era, when Paddy Hannan discovered 100 ounces of gold in Kalgoorlie-Boulder. This sparked the WA gold rush and the discovery of the ‘Golden Mile’, one of the richest gold deposits in the world. Good as Gold. Around 15 million tonnes of rock is moved from the Super Pit every year, making this dynamic operation truly worth its weight in gold. Since the Golden Mile’s discovery, 58 million ounces of gold has been mined from it. KCGM’s operations today make it the second-biggest gold producer in the world, second only to China. Big where it counts The Super Pit covers more than 26,000 hectares of leases and is made up of around 260 individual mining leases joined together. And so is the machinery  Super Big. Each truck on site will use approximately $8 million of fuel and $3 million worth of tyres. Truck tyres can weigh up to five tonnes and it takes two people 45 minutes to change one! YES a tour of the Super Pit taking 1.5hrs can be arranged. 

Pingrup, again a silo town. Close to Pink Salt Lakes and until 2001 the home of Fast Shear, a major shearing competition.

Newdegate is our next silo also on our route can be Wave Rock just outside Hyden and also we should not miss The Tin Horse Highway near Kulin. One of many Tin Horse roadside displays 

Situated astride the south coast highway Ravensthorpe is a small sheep and wheat town between Albany and Esperance. For the latter half of the nineteenth century the district was rural and the town didn't really exist. Then, at the end of the century gold and copper were discovered, the town grew, and for a brief moment it was a prosperous mining town. The mines were short-lived and today it is stopping point for people driving the South Coast Highway and for people wanting to explore the beauty of the Fitzgerald River National Park. It is also a gateway to Hopetoun some 50km to the south, which is a pristine small seasonal hideaway. We drive along the northern boundary of the Fitzgerald National Park as we head towards Albany along the South Coast Highway from Ravensthorpe.

The thriving south coast town of Albany was actually the very first British settlement in Western Australia, a year ahead of Perth. Its purpose was to keep the French from settling in WA. There is enough in and around Albany to fill several days of exploring! Plus Albany could serve as a launching pad to head into the deep southern temperate rain forests. So many possibilities abound. Vine yards, wine, truffles, massive trees, tree top walk. Several major national parks, the Blow Holes, whaling station, ANZAC Centre, fantastic and rugged coastal scenery, great restaurants, unique timber. The list goes on and on. 

What we have attempted to do is show that the Silo Song tour is not set in concrete [oops] it is just a base to build a very unique few days of a Big Walk About that fits your interests. Really we need to chat and craft for you something special and memorable. Our Ghecko says it all, “We Know, Because, WE GO” --and we do show! How long do you want to be away and exploring? ALL of our tours are priced to be a Complete Package, there are no extras and each day is built around keeping you fulfilled with where we go and what we show, plus well fed and well looked after. Your satisfaction is our only aim.

This tour is fully bespoke to your suggestions. Single bookings accepted with a daily supplement of $50.