‘Sculpture’ out of the swamp

The bright orange excavator that has spent much of this year submerged in the Anchovy Flats has been removed.

It fell into the flats on the side of the Dampier Highway five months ago, confusing and amusing motorists as it sunk deeper and deeper

Locals wondering whether the excavator had become the newest sculpture installation on the flats can ponder no longer as it was removed in a mammoth task late Saturday night.

Dampier Highway was reduced to one lane during the late hours of Saturday night and into the early hours of Sunday morning as crews worked meticulously together to pull out the excavator.

Freo Cranes driver Billy Pitts was tasked with driving the crane and pulling the excavator out.

He said the process took more than four hours to complete, with it finally being lifted at about 4am.

“It was pretty good. They worked it out pretty well. It came up a little bit heavier than what they thought but other than that it was how they said,” he said.

“It came out pretty slow and nice and steady. They did it slow just as a precautionary.”

Mr Pitts said the excavator had captivated the attention of the town and he was excited to be a part of removing it.

“It was pretty cool. It was probably more exciting because it had been there for five months and everyone knew about it. So that’s probably the best part about it,” he said.