Australia's largest and arguably most complex mural has been finished, with artist Guido van Helten putting the final touches on the silos at Coonalpyn in South Australia.

Brisbane-based van Helten arrived in the Princes Highway town, 200 kilometres south-east of Adelaide, in early February.

Artist Guido van Helten gets his first look at his latest blank canvas - Coonalpyn's silos. ( ABC South East SA: Kate Hill )

He spent a week talking with and photographing members of the community — population approximately 300 — before deciding to paint five Coonalpyn Primary School children.

It can now be revealed they are six-year-olds Kiarah Leske and Blake Thompson, five-year-olds Macey Jacobs and Reef Gregor and nine-year-old Ciara Johnson.

"In a lot of small towns, people really want to focus on the past and history of the town or the industry," van Helten said.

"All those themes I really wanted to avoid."

Artist Guido van Helten works on his first Coonapyn silo subject. ( ABC South East SA: Kate Hill )

He said the children represented the future of the town, and he hoped the giant art work might inspire those children and others "to a path through creative industries".

It was the first time he had painted on silos that were still operable.

Mechanical problems with the cherry picker the artist relied on to reach to the top of the giant canvas, along with weather issues and difficulties with the shapes of the silos, meant the project ran almost a month over schedule.

The Coonalpyn silos were hoped to attract more visitors to the struggling farming town. ( ABC News: Andrew Burch )

But Coorong Council Project Manager Nat Traeger said the town loved their new artwork.

And the ambitious exercise is already paying dividends, with an increased number of the cars passing through town stopping and spending their money there.

"The stopping rate is 40 per hour and we're getting lots of great feedback from the businesses because everyone is benefitting," Ms Traeger said.

In a main street peppered with closed shops, two new businesses have opened on the back of the increased trade — a cafe and a grocery store.

National company Oliver's Real Food is scheduled to open a store in August.

The silo art featured children from the local school. ( ABC News: Andrew Burch )

The painting of the 30-metre silos was the flagship project in an arts-renewal program called Creating Coonalpyn.

The Council, in conjunction with Country Arts SA along with local business sponsors, funded the $100,000 scheme, which included five smaller art projects along with the large silo painting.

The aim was to attract more visitors to the struggling farming town, and bring the community together through art.

"The social benefit of these sort of community arts projects are enormous and we've already seen a massive shift in terms of civic pride," said Di Gordon, Cultural Program Manager with Country Arts SA.

"It's all very exciting."