Linton welcomes quirky visitor

IF you thought you saw a jackalope beside the main street of Linton this week, you were not hallucinating.

For April Fool’s Day, artist Pam Farey crafted a sculpture of a rabbit cross antelope holding a big carrot, and placed it in her front garden, aiming to get locals smiling and laughing.

The artwork made out of an old mannequin, papier-mâché, and wood has been named George and will be a visitor to Linton until the end of Easter, as he has been well preserved with exterior varnish.

Farey often creates artworks that link to events and months of the year, like Halloween and Easter.

She was inspired to create the sculpture when she was doing a painting of a jackalope.

“I thought, that might be an idea, but it would tie up better with April Fool’s Day, rather than Easter, having a jackalope suddenly arriving in a front yard as something funny,” she said.

“There is so much distressing news. It’s just nice to have something to laugh and giggle at, so that was the main motivation.”

George has been shared on social media, attracting hundreds of likes on greater Ballarat community Facebook pages.