KANIVA will soon be home to an additional 18 painted fibreglass sheep after a new project plans to link the town's tourist attractions.
Kaniva and District Progress Association's Sheep Art project is expanding to include more sheep, with community groups starting to paint the new mob this week.
The project started back in 2011, when local artist Sharon Merrett had an idea for a community arts project to celebrate the town's sheep history, with a flock of painted sheep.
Community groups painted about 20 sheep and they were then placed along Kaniva's Commercial Street as a way to attract visitors to the town.
Now the mob is expanding, with the freshly painted sheep set to hit the streets as early as next month.
West Wimmera Shire Council is an enthusiastic supporter of the project, which will create a tourist trail in Kaniva, linking planned Silo Art in Progress Street to the upgraded Kaniva Tourism and Cultural Precinct on the Western Highway.
Mayor Jodie Pretlove said Sheep Art was a fantastic initiative, which aimed to brighten the town and encourage visitors to stop in the region.
"The sheep are wonderful for Kaniva and it is great to see the project continuing to flourish with 18 new sheep about to be released," she said.
"The sheep will link the upgraded tourism and cultural precinct in town to the planned Silo Art project."
Earlier this year, West Wimmera Shire Council upgraded the Kaniva Tourism and Cultural Precinct, which included a brand new playground.
"The new Sheep Art will be a great addition to the upgraded park and will further encourage travellers to stay in town and explore everything that the town has to offer," Cr Pretlove said.
"Visitors also like to take photos of our sheep and share them on social media, which further promotes Kaniva and West Wimmera Shire as a whole."
As part of the Sheep Art project, several existing sheep have been taken out of the main street to be either re-painted or repaired.
These sheep will soon be back on display looking fresh and welcoming.
The Sheep Art is also a fantastic promotional tool that uses QR codes on the ear tags, which link visitors to a story or a webpage.
The Kaniva and District Progress Association will run several workshops over the coming weeks to allow community groups to paint the new sheep and upgrade some existing ones.
Local artists will also help groups bring designs to life.
Kaniva and District Progress Association hopes to have the first of the new mob of sheep painted, mustered and yarded by November 13.