Gunnedah maize mill mural comes to life thanks to Heesco

He only started painting the 29m mill less than a month ago, but already it's nearing completion.

He's been been working long days - from about 1.30pm until 7.30-8pm as that's when the mill is in shade.

"It's been good, although some days are a bit too windy but working down low it's alright, you just work through it," he said.

"I have my little speaker up there during the day or have headphones because the machines here [from the overpass works] make quite a bit of noise especially when I'm painting down low."

The next step will be to paint the metal area of the mill, which has been coated in an anti-rust product.

Heesco will paint a "big old tree" as well as some bushes and road detail onto this area, and then once that's finished, it's onto a UV-protective coating over the whole mill.

"The protective coat will make it look even better, it brings the colours out and pushes the darker colours in deeper," he said.

"It'll add more to the longevity of the artwork because it's mostly protecting it from the UV lights."

He said that the paint should last at least 10 years, but he said if it did fade a bit, he wouldn't mind as it would "develop the character" of the work.

"It'll fade but it'll be very gradual and there's not many crazy colours so even faded hopefully it'll look good.

"The more sort of aged it looks the better, because the content of the painting is olden day."

Dorothea Mackellar Memorial Society member Owen Hasler said the overall feedback from locals had been great.

"It's very positive, people have been very excited about it," Cr Hasler said. "A number of people are coming and taking photos or honking their horns as they go over the bridge.

"So many people have suggested the other side should be done and we'd be happy to do that so long as somebody signs the cheque."

Once it's finished, Heesco is looking forward to heading back home to Melbourne.

"My kids have been asking when are you coming back," he laughed. "I'm just keen to get it done and have a rest and all that."

The $70,500 project is funded by the federal government's Drought Communities Program.