Utes in the Paddock

Burrawang West Station is located in the heart of central western New South Wales, about 30 kilometres east of Condobolin. Many months ago, station owner Graham Pickles came up with an intriguing idea to mark the 50th anniversary of the Holden ute – which happened to be 29 November 2008.

- Trevor Lang

There were a few old Holden utes in various stages of disrepair lying around on the grazing property, and Graham discussed the concept of painting them as murals and mounting them in a paddock near the road for passers-by to admire.

Artist Michael Jones was one of the first people to see the merit and the potential of this amazing project, which rapidly grew into a major undertaking involving more than ten notable Outback artists.

Local people from several places including Ootha, Condobolin, Parkes and Forbes became inspired by the project. Some donated ancient Holden utes for the artists to paint. Others contributed materials and labour; as well as the engineering expertise which saw the first ten metal works of art suspended in the Outback sky in time for a celebration of the 50th anniversary commemoration.

The iconic Holden ute which helped to write the history of rural Australia was the inevitable star of this project … but other Aussie emblems got some unexpected exposure, too. Bundaberg Rum was a theme for one of the impressive murals, while the Akubra and Drizabone brands were prominent on another.