It’s Sunday morning and the small town of Jeparit seems deserted. We walk towards the centre and do not see a soul. There’s one car parked outside the Lutheran Church along the way. Old time religion lost its customers long ago. The only remaining cafe, an annex of the supermarket, is closed as are the other two businesses in town. There are two pubs, the grand looking Hindmarsh, which opens from 4 pm a few days a week and the other, the Hopetoun, recently purchased by enthusiastic new owners, which opens from 11 am daily. Two years ago, neither pub was in operation. Business fluctuates in Jeparit. Welcome to the heart of the the Wimmera District of Western Victoria. Not many tourists bother to make it here. The vast bleached plains seem too flat and monotonous to the untrained eye. After a few visits though, the stark beauty of this rural, dry and at times, inhospitable landscape, leaves a stirring impression. I am called back annually, leaving my own claustrophobic hills and valley behind.
Jeparit, with a population of 632, clings to survival. Each year another business fails and more large Edwardian and Federation houses fall into disrepair, crying out for new owners to love them. But while the school, post office and bank remain, there’s some hope for the town. Situated 370 kms north-west of Melbourne, it takes a brave soul to re-settle here. The physical isolation is palpable: cheap real estate, pure air and austere beauty comes at a price.
I have been visiting a friend here for around twenty years now and with each visit, the beauty of the environment unfolds: I am often overwhelmed by the silence and majesty of the vastness of the land. On one occasion, we were tempted to buy a solid 1920s red brick mansion on a thousand acres. It was a dream house begging to be cared for, with a crumbling earlier house from the 1880s out the back, beautiful handcrafted sheds, wild almond trees growing in the sand dunes, and rusty old harvesters lining the driveway. The property was going very cheaply. We resisted. The property still haunts me, such was the strength of that particular fantasy.
There is a sadness about the town, a melancholy that hovers under the mantle of continuance. This year, the rains have been good: the wheat crop is the best on record. Other crops such as lentils, peas and green manure crops have also been abundant, making the local farmers more optimistic. The newly re-opened pub, the Hopetoun Hotel, managed by smiling Mel along with an enthusiastic young chef and assistants from Sri Lanka and the Punjab in India, offers a cheerful gathering place for the locals. Our new Australians are breathing life into these isolated communities.
The first thing you will notice in the Wimmera is the sky. It seems overwhelming, surrounding you in blue clean air above and right down to the ground: even during winter when the mornings are crisp, the skies seem to be perennially blue. The landscape is entrancing and after a while, you begin to see slight rises in the flat, bleached plains, where old sand dunes rise and may contain ancient water springs, as old knowledge about water sources was passed down long ago to the farmers by the traditional owners, the Gromiluk aborigines.
Another appealing hallmark of this wheat-growing district are the silos dotted along the horizon at each small town. At sunset, white silos turn pink against an azure sky. The silos at Brim have become a tourist attraction thanks to the amazing artwork by Brisbane artist, Guido van Helten. They are now a tourist landmark and have put the tiny town of Brim ( population 100) on the map. Nearby small towns are gearing up to get their silos painted also.
Other buildings, many falling into disrepair, dot the main streets in Brim, Beulah, Hopetoun, and Rainbow. It’s worth a drive around the circuit in this lonely land, to visit the real country, the heart of north western Victoria.
ALMOST ITALIAN 
WOW, this is a Beautiful Place to live in, especially if you want Peace. Our Country is Over Populated and I wish some of the people pack up and move to this Town. Indians would love to migrate here, if given flight tickets for free.
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It is so peaceful… but so little work now, unless you can create it yourself. Thanks Cattie.
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Great post Francesca, I was transported if only for a few moments to this beautiful and tranquil setting. Your photographs are excellent and add to the rich, if somewhat melancholy undertones. If I was financially able, I would be there in a flash. It is perfection to thine eyes! Thanks
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Thanks Creative Share. You sensed my melancholy- it is something that comes with these dying old towns.
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Love the photos, but sad to see the emptying of small towns. It’s happening everywhere, alas.
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True Joanne, it is rather sad to see this happening.
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You have captured the spirit of these countries towns so well, Francesca. We have travelled amongst them a little over the last few years, but never Jeparit, We have also been called by their peace and, as you say, the majesty of the environment. Each town seems to have people who cherish their little town and are prepared to work at businesses, art shows, encouraging to build the town. If only we could find ways to relocate urban businesses and people to move to these gems.
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There are a few artists moving there and the odd IT specialist too, people who can work from home. There are also many welfare recipients too- perhaps too many for one small place, in the sense that money needs to turn around in a community. work is scarce.
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Unfortunately it means other resources are scarce too, such as medical.
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Thank you for documenting these small rural towns. What of another 20 years down the track? Just wonderful work Francesca. You must get published.
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Thanks Peter. One wonder if it can survive another 20 years.
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It’s a story being played out across Australia isn’t it? It very much reminds me of locations as we drive from Qld to SA when we visit the Barossa. I hadn’t heard of the silos in Brim so am glad you shared them. A town called Rainbow must surely be as quirky as a town called Banana!
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Yes, its happening all over Australia. A little sad to see.
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Those silos are magnificent. Great photos Francesca.
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Thanks Lisa
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A wonderful post Francesca .. your photos my friend are beautiful. I haven’t been there.. Those silos are works of art 😄
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Hey F, fabulous post.. your photos are glorious. I have never been there more the shame..
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Thank you for taking me back to our drive from Portland to Mildura, via Brim and those silos… Around Australia we saw many towns like Jeparit, just hanging on, waiting for people to realize their possibilities. Wonderfully some have taken up the gauntlet championing these lovely old places.
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And thanks for being such a faithful reader of my posts Dale. I really appreciate all your comments.
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