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Heather Ewart visits Rupanyup and Minyip in Victoria – This week on BACK ROADS

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This week, Back Roads is heading into silo country, taking a journey through Victoria’s Wimmera.

Heather Ewart visits towns that could not sound more Australian if they tried, Rupanyup and Minyip.

Heather meets the hard-working and humble people of this part of Australia, who have made their homes on the wide-open plains.

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Rupanyup has been enjoying a steady stream of tourists thanks to its massive silos in town, which were painted by a Russian street artist for the Wimmera Mallee’s silo art trail. Like all the small communities dotted through the Wimmera, ‘Rup’ as the town is affectionately known, is trying to keep the momentum going and attract more people to move there.

With so much chickpea and lentil grown there locals have re-branded Rupanyup, ‘a town with pulse’. Savvy locals are creating their own opportunities with pulses.

Heather meets Bec Dunlop, who runs a café on wheels using the local lentils and chickpeas in her dishes. Bec bought her caravan for $750 and renovated the whole thing with help from her dad and local tradies.

Sudath Pathirana works for Wimmera Grain Company, which was started by locals 30 years ago. Sudath is from Sri Lanka and was a fashion designer there, designing knitwear for brands like Nike and Adidas. He moved to Rup with his wife Sarah, and they are raising their two children in the small town.

Sarah is now also working at the silos, after a career in food and wine. Sarah whips up a batch of meringue made from aquafaba, which is the water left over when you soak or cook legumes such as chickpeas. Aquafaba is huge in the vegan world, because it can be used as a direct replacement for egg whites in some dishes.

Retired farmer Michael Woods opened a museum in town in 2007 with his late brother John. The huge green shed is packed with machinery, tractors and pretty much any collectable you can think of, including old biscuit tins and the toys that came in cereal boxes. Michael and his brother shared a passion for travelling Australia scouring op shops and clearing sales. Michael’s family believed nothing should be thrown away.

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Michael recently built a replica of his grandmother’s house inside the museum which he has filled with her belongings. Michael has collected a lot of things, but what he treasures most is his fox terrier dog Lucky who turned up one day at the Museum and never left.

With its big sky, massive landscapes and streetscapes frozen in time, Rupanyup’s nearest neighbour, Minyip, has been a favourite with the Australian film industry. The small town was chosen as the location for some of the scenes in ‘The Dressmaker’, starring Kate Winslet. More recently, Minyip was the location for the filmmakers of the huge box office hit,’ The Dry’, starring Eric Bana.

Dale Maggs runs a café in the heart of Minyip. He rides his motorbike out here every day from his home in Rupanyup. Minyip was also ‘Cooper’s Crossing’, the fictional setting of the hugely popular tv show ‘The Flying Doctors’ of the late 80s. Dale’s café was the garage where Rebecca Gibney’s character ran a garage.

Every year, Dale Maggs organises a ‘Show and Shine’ event for car and motorbike lovers, with all money going to the real Flying Doctors, the RFDS. Dale’s big hope is that more films will be made in the Wimmera. He says Minyip is like one big film set, with amazing old buildings, and scenery that looks terrific on the big screen.

Heather is impressed by the fighting spirit of these small Wimmera communities, and how hard they are working to ensure their future is full of opportunities.

EPISODE 15 RUPANYUP AND MINYIP airs Thursday May 20 at 8.00pm on ABC and iview

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Comments

1 COMMENT

  1. my daughter g,daughter and i were thru Rup 2 wks ago starting a mini silo trial, commented on the old empty shops still standing, re living my past a bit. Loved the back Rds episode, intersted to know when you have your ” fair” with the caravan, luscious treats etc, would also like to see the museum the elderly chap and his brother set up. i worked at murtoa hospital yrs ago [non existence now] Dr Fog arty used to come over from Rup. Loved the wood carvings, silos etc, little museum there, it is better than the set up Ararat has. would love the recipe for the aqua faba meringues, they looked delirious., Congratulations

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