Photographing Benalla Street and Silo Art

About Benalla Street and Silo Art

Benalla, in north-east Victoria, has developed into one of regional Australia's most interesting centres for large-scale street art. Building walls, laneways and public spaces throughout the centre of town have been transformed by Australian and international mural artists, creating an open-air gallery that can readily be explored on foot.

Benalla has hosted major street-art festivals for a number of years, bringing together artists working in portraiture, graffiti, abstract art, wildlife imagery and large-scale contemporary mural painting.

Unlike many silo-art destinations, where a photographer may travel a considerable distance to see a single mural, Benalla contains numerous works within a relatively compact central area. This makes it particularly rewarding for photographers because changing light, different lenses and alternative viewpoints can be explored without continually moving the car.

The town is also the logical starting point for the North East Victoria Silo Art Trail. From Benalla, photographers can travel through Goorambat, Devenish, St James and Tungamah, with additional art at locations including Katamatite and Winton Wetlands.

Benalla's appeal is not restricted to murals. The Benalla Ceramic Mural, Lake Benalla, the Botanic Gardens and surrounding wetlands provide additional photographic subjects, making the town a very good base for a two or three day art and landscape photography trip.

More information: Visit Victoria - Benalla

Street art information: Benalla Street Art Festival

Viewpoints

1. Benalla Street Art Precinct - Mair Street and Bridge Street East

   The best introduction to Benalla's street art is the central precinct around Mair Street, Bridge Street East and the nearby laneways.

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   Many of the town's major murals are concentrated within a short walk of this area, allowing photographers to work systematically through a wide variety of styles and subjects.

   Best for: street art, mural details, environmental compositions, colour, architecture and documentary photography.

   Best light: early morning is particularly useful because there are fewer cars and pedestrians, while building shadows are often softer. Overcast days are excellent because they produce even illumination across large murals.

   Photography tip: photograph each mural twice — first as a clean record of the complete artwork, and then use architectural elements, doorways, people, signs or reflections to create a more interpretive composition.

   The official self-guided walk is listed from: 14 Mair Street, Benalla VIC 3672.

   Benalla Street Art Self Guided Walk

2. The Shed Murals - 126-128 Bridge Street East

   The large walls around The Shed precinct contain several substantial contemporary murals and provide some of the strongest photographic opportunities in Benalla.

   Artists associated with this site include Adnate, David Lee Pereira and Drez, creating a particularly varied collection of portrait, figurative and abstract work.

   Best for: monumental portraits, colour, graphic details and wide environmental compositions.

   GPS: approximately -36.5510, 145.9875

   Photography tip: a 24-70mm lens works particularly well. Stand well back where possible to minimise converging verticals when photographing the complete murals.

3. Lisa King Mural - 100 Bridge Street East

   This location features work associated with artist Lisa King, whose large-scale figurative style translates particularly well to photography.

   Best for: portrait-oriented street art, detail studies and architectural compositions.

   Photography tip: try both vertical compositions that emphasise the scale of the wall and tighter telephoto crops that isolate individual facial or graphic elements.

4. Bridge Street East Laneway

   The laneway running through from approximately 44 Bridge Street East towards Fawckner Drive provides a particularly good environment for street photography.

   The confined space allows murals to be combined with brickwork, pavement, doorways, shadows and perspective lines.

   Best for: laneway compositions, street-art details, perspective and graphic photography.

   A moderate wide-angle lens in the 24-35mm range is useful when working within the restricted space.

5. Buff Diss Mural - 26 Bridge Street East

   Artist Buff Diss created a work here inspired by the landscape around Benalla and a sunset view from Lurg Hill.

   Its more abstract treatment provides an interesting contrast with the large portrait murals found elsewhere in town.

   GPS: approximately -36.55195, 145.98355

   Best for: abstract compositions, colour relationships and detailed studies.

6. Mair Street Council Building Murals

   The Benalla Rural City Council building at 1 Bridge Street East, particularly its Mair Street side, is another significant street-art location.

   The precinct includes large-scale graffiti and mural works and works particularly well as part of a walking circuit through the town centre.

   GPS: approximately -36.55178, 145.98192

7. Benalla Ceramic Mural

   Benalla's Ceramic Mural is completely different from the painted street murals and is well worth including in an Auspano photography visit.

   Located close to the lake and river, the sculptural work combines ceramic surfaces, curves, colourful mosaics and organic forms. Its design is often compared with the fantastical architectural style associated with Antoni Gaudí.

   Best for: abstract photography, textures, details, architecture and wide-angle compositions.

   Photography tip: this is an excellent location for a 16-35mm lens. Move close to the structure and use its curves as leading lines rather than photographing only from a distance.

8. Lake Benalla

   Lake Benalla provides an important landscape-photography complement to the town's street art.

   The lake, bridges, mature trees and surrounding parkland can produce attractive reflections when conditions are calm.

   Best for: sunrise, reflections, mist, birds and autumn colour.

   Best light: sunrise and the first hour afterwards.

   Calm autumn and winter mornings can be particularly productive when mist forms above the water.

9. Benalla Botanical Gardens

   The gardens beside Lake Benalla provide mature trees, lawns, ornamental planting and an important rose collection.

   Best for: flowers, macro photography, autumn foliage, garden landscapes and details.

   Overcast weather is often preferable for flower photography because it produces softer colours and avoids harsh highlights.

Google Map - Benalla Street Art Photographic Viewpoints

The map below connects the main street-art precinct, several important mural locations, the Ceramic Mural and Lake Benalla. The route format allows multiple photographic locations to be displayed in an ordinary embedded Google Map without requiring a separate Google Maps API key.

How I photographed Benalla's Street and Silo art

What I took - what was in my kit

I took my LowePro Backpack loaded with Canon 5DSR body, Canon 24-70mm zoom, 16-35mm zoom, Manfrotto 190 Tripod, and of course a range of lens wipes, spare batteries, sunscreen and bug repellant. I mostly shot as wide as possible (16-24mm). It is one of the few times that I would have like to have an ultra wide 12mm lens.

Techniques

Photostitching digital panoramas and tombstoning were key techniques here.

Other things to look out for

Benalla is an excellent base for exploring the North East Victoria Silo Art Trail. Most of the following locations can be reached within approximately one hour of Benalla.

1. Goorambat Silo Art - approximately 15 minutes

   Goorambat should be considered an essential addition to a Benalla street-art trip.

   Artist Jimmy Dvate has transformed the grain silos with large-scale works celebrating local wildlife and the rural landscape. The site also includes striking imagery of Clydesdale horses.

   Address: Devenish Road, Goorambat VIC 3725

   Best for: silo art, agricultural landscapes, wildlife imagery and sunset.

   Goorambat Silos

2. Sophia of Goorambat

   While in Goorambat, do not restrict the visit to the silos. Inside the Uniting Church is the large mural commonly known as Sophia of Goorambat, painted by street artist Adnate.

   The combination of contemporary portraiture within a small country church makes this one of the most distinctive art experiences on the route.

   Best for: portrait art, architectural interiors and documentary photography.

   Check current opening arrangements before travelling specifically to photograph the interior.

3. Devenish Silo Art - approximately 25 minutes

   Devenish contains one of the most powerful works on the North East Victoria Silo Art Trail.

   The silo artwork commemorates Australian military service and includes representations of a First World War nurse and a contemporary Australian military medic. A later adjoining work depicts a Light Horse soldier.

   Best for: portrait mural photography, military history, rural landscapes and late-afternoon light.

   Photography tip: step well back and photograph the complete group of silos as a single composition before moving closer for portrait and texture details.

4. St James Silo Art - approximately 35 to 40 minutes

   The St James silo artwork celebrates local agricultural history and has strong associations with the beginnings of the Coles retail story in the district.

   Best for: heritage-themed silo art, rural landscapes and documentary photography.

5. Tungamah Silo Art - approximately 45 to 50 minutes

   Tungamah contains another large-scale rural artwork and works well as the northern end of a photographic circuit from Benalla through Goorambat, Devenish and St James.

   Best for: bird imagery, silos, rural streetscapes and agricultural landscapes.

6. Winton Wetlands - approximately 15 minutes

   Winton Wetlands provides an excellent change from street and silo art and is one of the most useful natural photography destinations near Benalla.

   The enormous wetland landscape contains dead trees, open water, grassland, birdlife and expansive skies.

   It also contains a large painted CFA water tank by renowned artist Guido van Helten, allowing photographers to combine public art and landscape photography at the same location.

   Best for: sunrise, sunset, birds, reflections, dead-tree landscapes, mist and public art.

   A 100-500mm or similar lens is highly useful for bird photography.

7. Glenrowan - approximately 20 minutes

   Glenrowan provides a completely different photographic subject, centred on the final confrontation between the Kelly Gang and police in 1880.

   Best for: Australian history, heritage buildings, interpretive sites, statues and documentary photography.

   The surrounding hills and vineyards also provide attractive landscape opportunities.

Google Map - Benalla and North East Victoria Silo Art

This map shows Benalla together with the principal nearby silo-art locations and Winton Wetlands.

Location

Benalla Street Art Self Guided Walk around Mair Street rather than simply using the geographic centre of Benalla.

Address:
Benalla Street Art Self Guided Walk
14 Mair Street
Benalla VIC 3672
Australia

Approximate GPS:
-36.5517, 145.9824

Google Maps: Benalla Street Art