02.07.2007

Moving a big sheep

A massive four storey high, 17 metre long concrete Merino sheep in the small town of Goulburn in New South Wales, was recently relocated to a new site.

The massive structure has been a tourist attraction in the town since 1985, but was relegated to a backwater when the Hume Highway bypass diverted the main road away form its prominent location in 1992.
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The Big Merino in its heyday

Two New Holland LM435A telehandlers belonging to Divall’s Earthmoving, were used along with a mini excavator to demolish the souvenir shop and lower structure.
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Getting ready to move

Rex J. Andrews transporters and mechanical engineers, of Penrith in NSW planned and carried out the move with help from Dutaillis Architects, of Goulburn.
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Jacked up and on the truck

The four concrete casings around the sheep’s steel legs were removed so that they could be cut, allowing the steel framed structure to be jacked to allow a 370 tonne Gross transporter trailer and tractor unit to be reversed in under it.

The legs were then welded to the trailers bed to prevent slippage and off it went on the 800 odd metre trip to its new location at a Mobil station near the main highway.
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Moving the 800 metres between sites

Once at the new site the statues legs were reinforced and embedded in concrete, it will now be refurbished and repaired and its souvenir shop and display room refurbished as a tourist attraction.
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In its new location