Standing nine metres tall and weighing more than 100 tonnes, the bottom half of the sculpture was moved to standing upright and the top half of the sculpture was placed by a crane on to that.

Wudinna District Council chairman Tim Scholz said there was still more work to be done.

"It was just actually put in its location and fitted together after about 14 months of work and the stages from here are to complete the bottom third and four pieces go around the base of the sculpture that have to be completed and there's the landscaping and the walls that will have our sponsors on them," he said.

Croatian sculptor Marijan Bekic started sculpting the granite at the beginning of 2007 but Wudinna Directions Group Sculpture Committee chairperson Eleanor Scholz said work started much earlier.

"It was amazing to see it up and a great relief for all involved, especially for Marijan, that it all lined up so nicely," he said.

"Committee members were thrilled to see it go up after 16 years of working to see it get to that stage."

Mrs Scholz said an important part of the project was getting family histories together from the area to show the contribution they have made to rural and remote Australia.

Mr Scholz said he thought the sculpture would be "hugely successful" at getting motorists to stop in Wudinna on their way across the Eyre Peninsula.

"It's better than everybody expected," he said about the sculpture.

"That's almost been universal comment I've had. It's far more imposing than people expected, so we're really pleased.

"We had about 260 visitors to the site in April and on the day it was put up we had (about 100) people turn up."

The sculpture has male and female sides and is adorned with stylised wheat husks representing both good and bad years. When finished, it will also have four granite sheep around the base.

Mr Scholz thanked Max Cranes from Port Augusta for donating their time and use of equipment.