Jimmy the Kelpie — SMUG, Nullawil
Sam Bates (SMUG) · silo mural, 2019 · 26 Calder Highway, Nullawil, Victoria, Australia
Photo: as published on Street Art Utopia (Good Dogs (9 Photos), 28 October 2026). Artwork: Sam Bates (SMUG).
A working kelpie named Jimmy leans into a farmer in a checked flannelette shirt across the grain silos in the middle of Nullawil, a small town in Victoria’s Wimmera–Mallee. Australian artist Sam Bates, known as SMUG, began painting on 5 July 2019 and the silos were complete 14 days later. Source Source Source Source Checked
Seen Oct 2023. Evidence date: 24 October 2023, when Andrew Haysom added the mural to Street Art Cities with a photo; that is an upload date, not a camera date. We found no newer dated photo. Source Reported
💡 4 things to know
- A tag that spells the townAs a nod to Nullawil’s history, Jimmy’s registration disc has a galah and a stick engraved on it. The town’s name comes from two Aboriginal words: “Nulla”, killing stick, and “Wil”, from “willock”, galah. Source Source Checked
- Fourteen days in a cherry pickerSMUG took to a cherry picker on 5 July 2019; the silos were complete 14 days later. Visit Wimmera Mallee adds that rain and cold winds made the two-week job difficult. Source Source Source Checked
- House paint, then sprayA house-paint base coat sealed the aged silo before the spray paints, and SMUG mixed his own paints and used a large sprayer to cover the surface, according to the regional tourism page. Source Reported
- Seventh on the trailThe Bendigo Advertiser called it the seventh and latest silo on the Silo Art Trail across the Wimmera and Mallee, and the first in Buloke Shire to join it. (The Australian Silo Art Trail, a national list, counts it as its 32nd silo.) Source Reported
📍 Where it is
On the grain silos at 26 Calder Highway in the middle of Nullawil, Victoria, north-east of Birchip Source Source Source Checked
Map pin from Street Art Cities (-35.8526669, 143.1769932). The button opens a plain map of the silos.
🗓️ Sightings
- 20195 Jul
Painting begins (Visit Buloke)
- 201923 Jul
Bendigo Advertiser: completed, joins the trail
- 202324 Oct
Added to Street Art Cities with a photo
Green stamps mark dated photographs; amber stamps mark records or reports; red stamps mark loss. Publication dates are not camera dates.
🗞️ In the sources
Silo Art Trail welcomes its newest addition in Nullawil
“ARTWORK of a kelpie dog and a farmer at Nullawil is the seventh, and the latest, to join the Silo Art Trail.”
Nullawil Silo Art
“Prominently featured on this silo is Jimmy the kelpie dog as he sits with a close companion; could it be his owner Darren?”
Nulawil Silo Art
“Gradually, the farmer’s checked flannelette shirt appeared, with detailed texture and folds, alongside the Kelpie dog, captured in stunning realism, right down to the shiny coat and detailed collar.”
✅ The facts
- Title
- Jimmy the Kelpie, as listed on Street Art Cities; the trail calls the dog “Jimmy the kelpie dog” Source Source Reported
- Completed
- 14 days after the start; the Bendigo Advertiser of 23 July 2019 said it was completed “on Thursday” Source Source Source Checked
🔗 Related
All sources & image credits
- visitbuloke.com.au — Nullawil Silo Art: artist, 5 July 2019 start, 14 days, address
- australiansiloarttrail.com — Nullawil Silo Art: Jimmy the kelpie, dog tag, town name, grant
- visitwimmeramallee.com.au — Nulawil Silo Art: kelpie and farmer, paint and process
- bendigoadvertiser.com.au — Silo Art Trail welcomes its newest addition in Nullawil, 23 July 2019
- streetartcities.com — Jimmy the Kelpie by Smug: coordinates, added 24 October 2023
- streetartutopia.com — Good Dogs (9 Photos), 28 October 2026
Photo: as published on Street Art Utopia (Good Dogs (9 Photos), 28 October 2026). Artwork: Sam Bates (SMUG).
Last checked: 28 October 2026 · How we verify art