Rochester is a small country town in Victoria approximately 180 km north of Melbourne. The Campaspe River runs right through the town which forms part of the Murray-Darling basin, a vital waterway and ecosystem to many wildlife and to the town which is experiencing a resurgence in activity thanks to the tourism brought by the silo art completed in 2018 by renowned mural artist Jimmy D'Vate.
Jimmy was chosen to paint the disused GrainCorp Silos - making us the 22nd silos to be included in the Australian Silo Art Trail. Whenever Jimmy takes on a commission, where possible he always tries to feature local endemically threatened species and in this case he chose the Azure King Fisher and the Squirrel Glider.
On the tall silo is a wrist-winged Squirrel Glider. This species was once thought to be extinct in South Australia since 1939 until a genetic test confirmed their continued inhabitant in our region.
On the shorter silo is the Azure Kingfisher. With its combination of royal blue plumage on its upperparts contrasting with its orange underparts, makes it one of the smallest and most dazzling kingfishers in Australia. It inhabits the vegetation beside waterways and other wetlands. It is pictured perched on a branch alongside the Campaspe River.
