Sitting proudly along the Calder Highway in the small, charismatic town of Nullawil, stands an 80-year-old concrete silo, decorated by acclaimed Australian street artist Smug. The silo artwork depicts a hard-working farmer, adorned in a blue flannelette shirt, next to his loyal sheepdog companion- who Smug has named Jimmy. The Nullawil Silo marks the seventh installment of the Silo Art Trail, becoming the first in the Buloke shire to join the art trail.

For Nullawil, farming and agriculture are part of the spirit of the community, with generations of farmers having lived and grown up in the area, just north-east of Birchip. This mural represents the hard work and endurance of the people (and dogs) of the town. Using muted, earthy tones of browns and greys Smug was able to achieve a high detail photo-realistic work on such a large scale silo, that not only looks beautiful, but accurately captures the emotional connection of the subjects, with the kelpie’s eyes attentive and ready to work, gently supported by the farmer’s hand.

In homage to the history of Nullawil, the registration disk on the dog’s collar has a “galah” and “stick” engraved on it. The origins of the town’s name comes from the Aboriginal words “Nulla” meaning stick and “Wil” derived from the aboriginal term “Willock” meaning galah.