Those familiar with the township of Kapunda will already know, that the silo art project is the latest and largest of a spectacular display of murals that have emerged over a decade – bringing colour back to the town after a grey period.

With the silos having been closed for grain storage and processing for a number of years, it was fortunate that new owners welcomed the idea of the Kapunda Mural Town Committee (a sub-committee of Kapunda Community Gallery Inc.) to employ the giant landmark as a sweeping blank canvas.

Founding committee members, Maxine Donald and Danny Menzel, say a need was identified to give Kapunda a ‘reinvigoration,’ and hence the group formed in 2016.

“There was a lot of bare shops along the (main) street with vacant walls and things like that, so it was an effort to bring a bit of life…,” Danny said of that initial effort.

Maxine shared that in general, “morale was a bit low.”

It turned out that a splash or two of colour, along with an opportunity to share the town’s heritage, was just the dose of fervour that was needed.

The Kapunda Post Office gave the group a lot of manageable scope for its first project in 2017.

Designed by Danny, undercoated at the mechanics, then painted at the gallery basement – the artwork gave the region a taste of what was to come.

“We sort of said, ‘well hang on, we’ve got walls, we’ve got a couple of murals, we’ve got artists, this looks like a goer!’,” Maxine said with enthusiasm.

The second project brought about some interesting local commentary: “That was where the silos first came up, wasn’t it? All the people saying ‘well when

are you going to do the silos?’,” Maxine said.

By the early 2020s, more serious conversations were had around the feasibility of such a project.

Danny identified the work of silo art veteran, Sam ‘Smug’ Bates from street art agency, Juddy Roller, as a style which would suit Kapunda – balancing the expertise of the scale of the project and importantly, the artwork’s longevity.

Soon enough, the team was in touch with Juddy Roller’s Melbourne-based Creative Director, Shaun Hossack to start working out the details.

By late 2024, with all the logistics falling into place, the sub-committee anticipated it could be another two years before paint would hit the silos – until Tony Piccolo MP came on board. It was hoped work could be underway in time for the National Small Town Reinvention Conference being hosted by the town in September 2025.

In what Maxine and Danny describe as nine months of “pure adrenaline” to complete contracts, community consultation for the concept and secure funding – the group reached its deadline, and Smug began his cherry picker ascent to paint the secret design.

The 15th mural project for Kapunda and undisputedly the grandest in scale, a steady stream of visitors arrived to assess the progress, with the committee providing online updates.

What perhaps is most telling, is the reaction of the town’s resident artists.

“Photos don’t do it justice,” Danny shared. “I think you go in there and you get the real illusion that you’re looking through the tunnel. You’ve got the miner there and you can see every wrinkle in his face, and everyone comments about his moustache…I think the photo-realism is what knocks people out.”

Maxine added, “For me, it was the glow of the candles, the lighting that he achieved, and we watched him paint one little candle there, and it started out as this little 2D thing on the silo and just suddenly there was this whole 3D reflection.”

Having worked together on every one of the mural projects at Kapunda, Maxine and Danny are suitably chuffed to see the positive reactions that their work has induced.

On this particular Wednesday morning, just weeks after completion, a modest row of cars is parked at the base of the silos, demonstrating how news and images of the finished mural have spread, adding another stop to the popular Kapunda Mural trail.

“Things like that have really brought tourists into the town, given them a reason to stick around, go to the bakery, things like that,” Danny said.

While the silos may be the landmark which lures travellers into the town, Maxine and Danny say that once they’re there – visitors linger to enjoy the other murals, value-adding to the tourist experience and bolstering the local economy.

For locals, the silo art and murals have brought back a vibrancy and sense of pride at Kapunda, which may have lulled for a time, but never fully faded. 

“I don’t think it’s just the murals, but I think the murals have contributed in part to the revitalisation of the town,” Danny said.