THE ICONIC sheep art and wool stencil wall at Kaniva, in far western Victoria, is looking fresh after a grant and some good old fashioned community elbow grease gave the art works a spruce-up.
Since the Sheep Art, featuring a brightly coloured flock of sheep dotted around the township, were installed in 2010 they have become an iconic attraction for the town, while the region's rich Merino heritage is acknowledged on the stencil wall, which features over 100 local property wool stencils.
However, natural wear and tear was beginning to cause damage and a project was started to revitalise the art.
As a result eleven fibreglass sheep have new designs and the Sheep Art trail, linking the town's silo art to another popular attraction in the wetlands and fauna park, is looking as good as new.
Sheep Art was the initiative of local artist Sharon Merrett and has been enthusiastically taken up by the local community, which have funded and created the project.
Helen Hobbs, secretary of the Kaniva and District Progress Association, said the sheep art and wool stencil projects now had interactive elements showcasing local stories.
"You can scan the QR codes on the ear tags of the sheep to reveal mini websites, videos, and behind the scenes photos," she said.
"The trail includes a variety of digital interactive walking tours that can be played on phones, suitable for all ages and interest groups including the kids Sheepish Fun trail."
During the renovations one sheep given a complete makeover was Percy, representing the Men's Shed in Commercial St.
His design features several iconic Australian images, such as a classic Aussie corrugated tin blokes shed, complete with water tank and Ted's rain gauge with gum leaves along the top.
The stencil mural provides a record of the district's many wool producing properties and their past, with oral histories of the Merino industry recorded.
"We're very proud of the Sheep Art and the stencil wall as an example of what you can achieve in community art," Ms Hobbs said.
Gregor Heard
Gregor Heard is ACM's national grains industry reporter, based in Horsham, Victoria. He has a wealth of knowledge surrounding the cropping sector through his 15 years in the role. Prior to that he was with the Fairfax network as a reporter with Stock & Land. Some of the major issues he has reported on during his time with the company include the deregulation of the export wheat market, the introduction of genetically modified crops and the fight to protect growers better from grain trader insolvencies. Still involved with the family farm he is passionate about rural Australia and its people and hopes to use his role to act as an advocate for those involved in the grain sector.
Gregor Heard is ACM's national grains industry reporter, based in Horsham, Victoria. He has a wealth of knowledge surrounding the cropping sector through his 15 years in the role. Prior to that he was with the Fairfax network as a reporter with Stock & Land. Some of the major issues he has reported on during his time with the company include the deregulation of the export wheat market, the introduction of genetically modified crops and the fight to protect growers better from grain trader insolvencies. Still involved with the family farm he is passionate about rural Australia and its people and hopes to use his role to act as an advocate for those involved in the grain sector.
