More 'folk art' in Western Australia

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While on the road between Beacon and Mukinbudin in Western Australia, we came across this collection of ‘sheep’ made from various materials. They can be found at the site of a former ‘community sheep dip’. At the time (late 1930s), sheep in the area were suffering from psoroptic mange, a skin disease commonly known as ‘scab’. Four of these dips were erected in the shire (district) and farmers would walk their flocks to make use of the dip. The sketch shows its construction. The sheep were manhandled into the round part then swam along the narrow section, Their heads would be pushed under at least three times before they reached a sloping floor which allowed them to walk into the draining pens. This brought back memories to me as we had one on our farm. Going anywhere near it was strictly forbidden as it often held some water from any rain that fell. It’s okay to feel sorry for the sheep but, without being dipped, sheep faced a painful and slow death if they contracted scab.