Exmouth residents are mourning the death of a lone sheep that became synonymous with the Ningaloo lighthouse that overlooks one of the country's most spectacular coastlines.
Shaun the sheep, also known as Rocky or Shrek, died from natural causes on New Year's Eve at the nearby caravan park he would frequent for a drink of water.
Such was his impact that there are talks of installing a memorial on the lighthouse hill where he would graze and gaze out to sea.
Exmouth may be known for its coral reef and whale sharks but Jana Powell said over the years Shaun the sheep became famous in his own right.
The Ningaloo Lighthouse Holiday Park caretaker said the ram had been around for most of the decade she had been in the town.
"He may have been from a station in the [Exmouth] gulf or further down. Some say they’ve seen him 12 to 14 years ago, others 20," Mrs Powell said.
"They don't tend to live by themselves but he somehow managed to come to the lighthouse years ago.
"One of those famous photos ... in your head is when you look up to the lighthouse from the park at the sunset and you can see that sheep silhouette on the lighthouse hill."
Bit of a character
Exmouth resident Trevor Kenyon first encountered Shaun the sheep eight years ago walking back to the caravan park from Jansz Beach.
No-one believed him there was a sheep hanging out at the beach until someone else saw him a week later.
"Every year he got closer until he was virtually living in the caravan park," Mr Kenyon said.
"He lived his life and he didn't worry about the traffic, he'd be grazing along the road, didn't worry about nothing ... nothing fazed him, he was just there doing his own thing."
Mr Kenyon said he coined the name Shaun after the main character in the BBC children's show.
Former caravan park worker Emma Faulkner said she called him Shaun because he had never been shorn.
"Where you've got the lighthouse he used to literally stand on the corner like the Lion King and everyone could see him up there catching the wind on the hotter days," she said.
"Every time we saw him we would always make an effort to put the window down and talk to him.
"One day he just looked straight back at me and let out this baa, and my heart melted instantly and he never did it again."
Another former worker at the park, Joanne Cooper, said staff would always be on the hunt for Shaun after a rare bit of rainfall.
"When it did it poured with rain, and everyone was worried because of all the wool he had that if he got too wet he'd topple over one of the hills and wouldn't be able to get back up again," she said.
"He was no-one's pet but everyone was looking out for him."
A sheep against the elements
Over the years Shaun survived a cyclone, dingoes and sweltering days over 40 degrees with his unshorn coat that got thicker and thicker.
There was a general thought all that wool kept him safe from the dingoes.
Regardless, Mrs Powell said to survive so long by himself was a feat.
Sheep typically live 10 to 12 years but the oldest one in world lived to 28.
Shaun started to slow down in the past year and was hanging around the caravan park grounds more and more until his death.
Mrs Powell said it was sad he was gone but she also felt happy to see how well-liked he was around the town.
She said she hoped a memorial could be installed as a tribute to Shaun.
"It would be nice to be able to put something on that hill somewhere for people to memorialise him and show their respects to him," Mrs Powell said.
"It's hard to explain but one single sheep can make such a difference or can just bring so much joy to so many people."
