EVEN before Adelaide’s giant new beachside Buddha statue is fully unveiled, the 18m-tall structure is being warmly welcomed by locals.

Community leaders and residents say the $1 million Sellicks Hill statue is a great addition to the southern coastline — despite its face not being what many expected.

Rather than depicting the fat, bald, smiling man many associate with the Buddha, this statue depicts a Buddha goddess.

Nan Hai Pu Tuo Temple of Australia spokesman Lee Chew said the statue was of the goddess of mercy and would bring “peace, harmony, prosperity and wealth to SA”.

“The shrine is a very special building and it will be unique,” Mr Chew said.

“It will be the only one in the southern hemisphere.”

The Buddha statue is stage one of the Cactus Canyon Rd retreat by the Nan Hai Pu Tuo Temple of Australia.

It has been at the heart of the retreat since the development application was first lodged in 2009.

“The large Buddha statue is the spiritual landmark of the overall development and will be the first feature erected on site,” stated the application at the time.

As well as the giant Buddha statue, the retreat is to also include a 35m pagoda, an 18m temple and Chinese gardens.

Onkaparinga Councillor Hazel Wainwright said the statue had already created immense interest from the public.

“People who are travelling down to the Fleurieu are noticing it,” Ms Wainwright said.

“They’re slowing down and wondering what it is.

“It’s generating a lot of interest and I think it will give the area a real lift.”

She expected that once the $15 million Buddhist retreat was finished and people started staying there, house prices in the area would increase.

media_camera The scaffolding is being taken off the giant Buddha statue in Adelaide’s south, to reveal a Buddha goddess. Picture: Tom Huntley

“It will be fantastic for the region,” Cr Wainwright said.

The statue arrived in 23 shipping containers from China in December and a swirl of curiosity has surrounded its development ever since.

Victory Hotel owner Doug Govan admitted curiosity got the better of him on the weekend.

“I went and had a look and it’s unbelievable,” Mr Govan said.

“It looks really good and I believe it will put us on the map a bit more.”

Mr Govan said only “time would tell” if his Sellicks Hill pub felt flow-on effects from the retreat, which is expected to bring more than 20,000 visitors each year to the region.

Sellicks Area Residents Association chairman Michael Lee said the project was a “win for the community”.

“It’s good for the area’s tourism and for local business,” Mr Lee said.

“I think it is a really good thing and the great majority of our membership think so, too.”

The project, first slated in 1997, is expected to take five to seven years to complete