Walpeup, Victoria in the Mallee near Ouyen

History of the Walpeup Mural

Australia's Bicentennial Celebrations heightened local interest in our community's history; it was felt that the time was appropriate to make a pictorial record of Walpeup as we saw it in 1989.

The Walpeup Mural Group was formed and funding from the North west Arts and Crafts Council made it possible for five members of the Group to visit southern NSW and Victoria where we saw a number of wall hangings executed in a variety of techniques.

A mural measuring 6' x 8' was made up of 12 panels 2' x 2' was designed to be worked in tapestry stitches on canvas. The final design was worked predominantly in long stitch. The canvas used has 15 holes to the inch. It is worked mainly in tapestry wools. Three dimensional effects were added by overstitching and stitching over polyester wadding.

The final design was planned to show the many facets of life in the Walpeup community. The coming of the channel water enabled sheep to be introduced with the added bonus of the Walpeup Lake.

The contribution of the Mallee research Station is shown by the trail plots. The signpost emphasizes our comparative isolation even today. Some of the flora and fauna of the Mallee are included. Wildflowers show are Helgania, White Ti-tree, Everlasting Daisy and Pink Fringe Myrtle.

The role which sport plays in the district is acknowledged by the figures outside the Memorial Hall, with the school, C.F.A. shed and Catholic Church included in this session.

The streetscape of our township is depicted in the bottom section. The "Seat of Wisdom" outside the Walpeup Store is a local institution. The Chopping Block (now demolished) was formerly Sly's butcher shop. Mr. "Jock" Rowan, a resident since 1922, and his dog "Sooner" are shown with his Holden Ute.

The following statistics may be of interest: The completed mural has utilised 9,500 metres of wool, which represents 230 colour toning. The mural represents in excess of 7,000 hours of stitchery done in a voluntary capacity.

Six successful two day workshops where held with Kirsty. In between these workshops we held mural days on the second and fourth Monday of each month. On these days all members of the community were encouraged to participate. Special arrangements were made to involve the school children. Visitors were most welcome to come along and see the progress of the mural and to "put in a stitch".