What a big Mallee Fowl
Mallee Fowl sculpture, Patchewollock, Victoria
Patchewollock
On my way to Sydney last week I took a slight detour to the small town of Patchewollock in the north-western part of Victoria. This small farming community is mostly based on wheat growing as well as sheep for wool. In the 2016 census, the population was 133, down from 350 in 2011, so it is a town which is struggling to survive. It still has a post office, a pub and a general store. When I drove around the town for a few minutes I drove past the school. Sadly, this closed a decade ago, so the children now go to school elsewhere by bus. This is a familiar story in the rural districts throughout Australia. One thing the locals are trying to do to increase visitors to the town is their annual Music Festival. It was being set up during my visit and I missed it by a few days. You can read more about Patchewollock here.
Mallee Fowl sculptures in Patchewollock
One of the reasons for visiting this town was the possibility of seeing a Mallee Fowl. From time to time this elusive species can be seen crossing roads in the area. A few years ago there were reports of dozens being sighted on the Walpeup to Patchewollock road. This time I missed out entirely – but I was able to take photos of the very large Mallee Fowl sculptures shown above and below.
The sculptures are made from corrugated iron, a material very common on Australian farms. Many urban homes and sheds are also covered using this material. From the photo above you can gauge the scale of each construction. The picnic table on the left shows that each bird must be at least 4 – 5 metres high, quite a bit taller than the real bird which stands at 55 – 60 cm (2 foot) high.
Ironically, the nesting mound shown in the photo below is not far off the dimensions of the real thing. I have seen nesting mounds up to 4 – 5 metres in diameter and 1 metre high. The male tends the nesting mound for many months, scraping sticks, leaves and grass into the mound which acts like a compost heap, the heat produced hatching the eggs inside. You can read more about the so-called ‘incubator bird” here.
Mallee Fowl sculpture, Patchewollock, Victoria
Silo Art Work
Until I arrived in Patchewollock, I hadn’t realised that this little town boasted one of the now popular grain silo artworks. In the photo below you can see the portrait of one of the local farmers featured on the grain silo in the railway yards. This larger than life artwork is now featured on many grain silos across the rural areas of Australia, especially in Victoria and South Australia, but I have heard recently that several have been painted in Western Australia too. There are now enough in this area of Victoria to make a tour of these amazing art installations. For more information click here. It is obviously becoming very popular with tourists. When I visited, there were at least six other vehicles near me, the occupants also taking photos. More cars were near the store. This tourist attraction can only help to boost the future hopes of this small town, and others like it.
A local farmer ‘s portrait on the Patchewollock grain silo.
Artwork on Public Toilets
My final photo for today’s post is of the humble public toilets near the town’s store. This building also boats some artwork, albeit on a much smaller and humble scale. This reflects the town’s pride in its historic farming heritage. This kind of artwork is becoming common in many parts of rural Australia and I applaud this recognition of the past.
Artwork on Public Toilets, Patchewollock