General News
3 January, 2025
Destination sketches - Len's brush with Vegemite
By CHRIS EARL BEHIND the narrow shopfront on Wedderburn’s High Street, two dreamers and hard workers are planning and painting a path to the ultimate in Aussie destination dining. What started as a wall mural by one-time Melbourne street walk...
By CHRIS EARL
BEHIND the narrow shopfront on Wedderburn’s High Street, two dreamers and hard workers are planning and painting a path to the ultimate in Aussie destination dining.
What started as a wall mural by one-time Melbourne street walk caricaturist Len Dierickx inside Julie Benaim’s 24 Karat Cafe is now a treasure trove of rustic relics from the pioneering days of Australia.
The pair have collected old kerosene lamps, farm tools, curios from every decade of European settlement to create an an eclectic pot pouri of Australiana, Len now turning to Vegemite as his favourite painting medium.
Imagination without boundaries are taking the quirky and eccentric traits of colonial life and turning them into a destination experience that makes a Calder Highway stop in the old gold town an increasing must for travellers heading north and south.
Len’s cartoons are reminiscent of black pen doodlings that graced the pages of long-lost publications like Smith’s Weekly and The Australasian Post.
He’s probably outdone Ken Maynard who created the Ettamogah Pub comic strip and spawned a chain of off-the-beaten track hotels that were shrines the Aussie strine.
Wedderburn is on the main track and Len and Julie say that is part of the attraction of their unfolding tribute to Aussies.
“Julie got me going again as an artist,” Len said. “She wanted something witty in the toilets that people would remember,
“I’ve had women say their husband has gone to the toilet and his meal is going cold. I always tell them he will be back soon ... only after reading the witty sayings on the wall.” Julie says they are creating “a shop where people will want to stop”.
The COVID-era mural was the start of Len’s artistic comeback. An operation to insert a heart stent after a 90 per cent blockage of arteries 18 months ago proved no setback.
“I’ve never worked harder and it’s thanks to Julie, a good friend who encourages me in creating artistic works. She backs me with my ideas”
Len said his ventures into Vegemite came after using other media.
“I’m always looking for something new and thought, Vegemite, why not,” he said.
“People are loving the paintings of animals, birds and old miner.
“I’ve no idea where I’m heading with it but the Vegemite paintings have become a real talking point.
“People are buying them and there could even be a market in the United States but then I’m not sure how import rules over there would apply with Vegemite being a food stuff.” Len says Vegemite does not dry hard so his paintings are being sealed with two coats of lacquer.
“And the paintings are sold at an affordable price, bringing happiness.” Julie thinks she and Len make a whacky artistic team. “There’s always things being dreamed up.” They both say: “We are both coming up with new ideas.”
The backyard of the cafe, where a replica of the famous Hand of Faith Nugget found late last century is on display, now has colonial-style shelters nearby the one modern touch to rustic quirks - a new playground. “We might even add mini-golf,” says Len as the next batch of ideas ferments.