A NARACOORTE tourist attraction has been given a new look to fit with the current COVID-19 climate.
Naracoorte Caves drawcard “Dippy” the diprotodon revealed a new look on Monday morning, after a mystery resident produced a giant-sized face mask for the statue.
While the project creator wants to remain anonymous in true Banksy-like fashion, the Naracoorte resident did reveal their motivation for the project to The Border Watch yesterday.
It boils down to a spur of the moment decision following lunch with a friend at the picturesque caves precinct.
“We popped out to the caves and it was basically like ‘wouldn’t it be hilarious if we put a mask on the diprotodon’,” the creator said.
“It was just that moment of ‘how would you do that?’ – my brain works like that.”
The secret mission was completed swiftly, with the whole process wrapped on Sunday afternoon, before “Dippy” had his final mask fitting early Monday morning.
Materials for the mask, a combination of cotton and elastic, were sourced from MiniJumbuk, with the fabric offcuts donated free of charge.
The mask-making crusader said amidst the uncertainty of the pandemic, the project aimed to lighten a situation which has many people on edge, while also helping to spread awareness of social distancing practices.
“One of the things that was really important to me was that it was not vandalism – they can remove it and put it back on if they decide it’s a fun thing,” the masker said.
“It is a bit of fun and a bit of joy for those people who see it and go ‘that’s hilarious’.
“I was not trying to be political or anything like that – it was just ‘wait, I wonder if we could put a mask on the diprotodon statue?’” The masker and their accomplice had planned to ask permission from Naracoorte Caves staff before fleeing the scene of the makeover but were unable to locate anyone on site.
