After celebrating its 150th anniversary more than a year ago, the township of Poowong has recently unveiled a set of murals to formally mark the occasion.
Poowong's 150th anniversary celebrations took place in 2024 with a number of events including a dance, a book launch and a variety of other events taking place across a weekend in April.
The Poowong Community Consultative Committee (PCCC) facilitates many projects for the betterment of the town and commissioned the design, manufacture and installation of the murals to mark the history of the famous dairying community.
The project was a successful collaboration of the committee, local artists and businesses all contributing to deliver the striking murals, according to PCCC treasurer Stephen Halliday.
Mr Halliday said the new murals were funded by a combination of a generous donation from an anonymous benefactor, government grants and the assistance of local businesses.
"The three murals represent the past, present and future of Poowong," Mr Halliday said.
"The first mural recreates a photo of local farmland from around 100 years ago, while the second is a rendering of a photo of the old Unigate factory when it was at its peak in the 70s.
"The third mural represents the present day with a number of farm scenes featuring tractors, trucks, farm machinery and an agricultural drone."
The metalwork for the murals was completed by Beyond CNCl, while they were mounted on Colorbond steel by Drouin Signs. The murals were installed outside the public hall by Allchin Builders and South Gippsland Timber and Trading.
"We would like to thank everyone involved as well as the hall for allowing them to be installed. All three murals pay tribute to the dairy industry which has been the lifeblood of the town," Mr Halliday said.
The "modern day" mural is based on images from local photographer Paul Robinson.
The Halliday family have been in the area "since day dot" and Stephen's son Glen is carrying on the family farm and his baby daughter is the seventh generation of the family to live at the same farm.
The PCCCs next project is the replacement of a wooden "pack horse" sculpture the committee commissioned to mark the town's 125th anniversary back in 1999. Unfortunately the elements have conspired to degrade the statue and it is planned to recreate in materials more suited to standing the test of time.