Come for the Silos, Stay for a Lockyer Valley Road Trip

Street artist Matt Adnate's Indigenous youth mural in Toowoomba

Discover Forest Hill and Queensland Country’s Growing Art Trail

A giant new silo mural is giving travellers another reason to take a road trip through Queensland Country, but the artwork is only the beginning.

Forest Hill, a boutique country township tucked between Gatton and Laidley in the Lockyer Valley, is set to become a new stop on the region’s growing murals trail. Once the four grain silos and viewing precinct are complete, visitors can admire the large-scale artwork before wandering through the village, discovering restored buildings, local shops and country cafés.

The Forest Hill silos are part of a wider Queensland Country journey where public art, farming heritage, local produce and country hospitality come together.

Forest Hill: Slow Down and Explore

Forest Hill rewards travellers who take their time. Café 4342 occupies the town’s historic post office, while Caffé Sorella operates from a former grocery store, providing visitors with places to stop for coffee and food while exploring the village.

The Lockyer Valley Murals Trail provides another reason to extend the journey. Travellers can continue through Gatton and Laidley, discovering murals inspired by local people, wildlife, agriculture and the region’s country lifestyle.

Farm gates and roadside stalls also provide opportunities to purchase fresh local produce, while Gatton’s Tins & Trays showcases regional ingredients through breakfast and lunch.

For history enthusiasts, Laidley Pioneer Village and Museum offers a glimpse into the valley’s past. Visitors wanting to turn their road trip into an overnight getaway can consider Valhalla Glamping on a working cattle property and flower farm or Branell Homestead near Laidley, which offers country cabin accommodation and farm tours.

Follow Queensland Country’s Giant Artworks

Lockyer Valley

Forest Hill’s new mural joins an impressive collection of large-scale public artworks across Queensland Country.

In Toowoomba, Mununjali artist Kim Walmsley’s We Remember, Never to Forget transforms a former GrainCorp silo on Anzac Avenue into a striking artwork exploring remembrance, cultural heritage and connection to Country. Visitors can combine the silo with a walk through Toowoomba’s laneways, where murals, cafés and historic buildings create an urban art trail.

Further west, Yelarbon’s GrainCorp silos feature When the Rain Comes, a sweeping artwork across eight silos depicting a young boy setting paper boats afloat in the local lagoon. The dedicated viewing area makes the artwork an easy stop on a regional road trip.

Millmerran offers another interpretation of large-scale country art with its painted water tank, created by Toowoomba artist Jon Signs and inspired by the town’s water supply history.

Somerset Adds More Art and Country Stories

Travellers wanting to extend their Queensland Country art adventure can head towards Somerset, where the Somerset Murals Trail connects towns including Lowood, Coominya, Esk and Toogoolawah.

The Condensery, Somerset’s regional art gallery in a former Nestlé condensed milk packing shed, adds contemporary art and local history to the journey.

Plan Your Lockyer Valley Road Trip

Millmerran Water Tank Art by Jon Signs

The Lockyer Valley is west of Brisbane between Ipswich and Toowoomba, with Forest Hill about an hour’s drive from Brisbane. Travellers flying from Sydney can also fly to Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport and hire a car for exploring the region.

The new Forest Hill Silos Precinct and Mural Art Project includes parking for cars, RVs and buses, footpaths, landscaping, seating and shade. The project received $1.85 million in combined Australian and Queensland Government funding through the South East Queensland Liveability Fund.

Travellers should check construction progress, weather conditions and individual business opening hours before setting out.

Queensland Country Tourism

Website: https://www.queenslandcountrytourism.com.au/

Lockyer Valley Regional Council

Website: https://www.lockyervalley.qld.gov.au/
Phone: 1300 005 872
Address: 26 Railway Street, Gatton, Queensland, Australia

Forest Hill Silos Mural Project

Website: https://lockyer-valley.engagementhub.com.au/forest-hill-silos-mural-project

The Condensery

Website: https://www.thecondensery.com.au/

For more travel inspiration read the daily online "The Holiday and Travel Magazine" https://theholidayandtravelmagazine.blogspot.com/

Four Silos, Two Artists and a New Reason to Explore Queensland Country

‘When the Rain Comes’ in Yelarbon, near Goondiwindi,

Forest Hill’s New Silo Art Attraction

Queensland Country is preparing to welcome a spectacular new addition to its growing collection of regional art attractions, with four grain silos at Forest Hill set to become the newest stop on the Lockyer Valley Murals Trail.

Located about an hour’s drive west of Brisbane, Forest Hill sits in the fertile Lockyer Valley, one of Queensland’s important food-producing regions. For decades, the four silos beside the railway line have been part of the town’s agricultural landscape. Soon, they will become a giant outdoor canvas telling a new story about the region and its community.

Painting is expected to begin in early October, with the artwork and a new viewing precinct targeted for completion by mid-November, making it a timely attraction for travellers exploring Queensland Country during summer.

Two Australian Artists Create a Giant Canvas

Artists Jordan Bruce of Brightsiders and Joel Fergie, known as The Zookeeper, have been selected to transform the Forest Hill GrainCorp silos.

Bruce is a co-founder of the Brisbane-based Brightsiders art collective, which specialises in large-scale public murals. Fergie is an experienced Australian silo and water-tower artist whose work includes major regional artworks throughout Queensland.

The pair have previously collaborated on one of Australia's major silo artworks, When the Rain Comes at Yelarbon near Goondiwindi. The artwork rises approximately 24 metres into the sky across eight GrainCorp silos, creating a remarkable landmark in Queensland Country.

Fergie has also painted the famous Watering Hole silos at Thallon, another destination that demonstrates how large-scale regional art can encourage travellers to venture beyond Queensland's major cities.

A Mural Inspired by Forest Hill

Jordan Bruce of the ‘Brightsiders’
Joel Fergie ‘The Zookeeper’

While visitors will have to wait to see the final design, Lockyer Valley Regional Council says the Forest Hill mural will capture the essence of the region.

The artists have spent time talking with Forest Hill residents and community groups, learning about the stories, values and character of the area. The nearby railway line will also influence the artwork and its setting.

Lockyer Valley Regional Council Mayor Cr Tanya Milligan said the artists had taken the time to understand the community before creating the work.

The result is expected to be more than a large mural. The accompanying viewing precinct will provide visitors with a place to stop, appreciate the artwork and discover more about Forest Hill and the surrounding Lockyer Valley.

Discover the Lockyer Valley Murals Trail

The Forest Hill silos will add another attraction to the Lockyer Valley Murals Trail, joining existing murals and public artworks in towns including Gatton and Laidley.

For travellers, the trail offers an opportunity to combine regional art with food, farming, heritage and country-town experiences. It also provides another reason to take a road trip through Queensland Country rather than simply passing through on the way to somewhere else.

As the new Forest Hill artwork takes shape, the Lockyer Valley is proving that giant public art can transform familiar agricultural infrastructure into memorable tourism landmarks.

Lockyer Valley Regional Council

Website: https://www.lockyervalley.qld.gov.au/
Address: 26 Railway Street, Gatton, Queensland, Australia

Queensland Country Tourism

Website: https://www.queenslandcountrytourism.com.au/

Brightsiders

Website: https://www.instagram.com/_brightsiders/

The Zookeeper

Website: https://www.instagram.com/_thezookeeper/

For more travel inspiration read the daily online "The Holiday and Travel Magazine" https://theholidayandtravelmagazine.blogspot.com/