Australia is a big place, heck it takes 5 hours to fly from the east coast to the west. A big country like this is bound to have its share of “big things” and today we want to show you some of Australia’s oversized tourist attractions.
From giant fruit and vegetables to a creepy-looking koala on steroids, this article has it all!
Situated halfway between Sydney and Brisbane this is probably the most well-known of the “Big Thing” in Australia. Opened on the 22nd of December 1964 this iconic landmark is a regular stop for tourists. It sits on acres of banana plantations and boasts an ice rink, wild toboggan ride, and inflatable water slide.
The Galah is one of Australia’s favorite birds and this tribute in South Australia was built in 1993. Made from fiberglass over a steel frame it was built as a tourist trap for the local tourist shop to highlight the Galahs that frequent the area.
One of the larger of the ‘Big Things’ the Big Lobster is located in Kingston, a well-known port in South Australia. Known locally as ‘Larry’ this massive lobster was actually a mistake as the original measurements were in feet yet built-in meters. It houses a restaurant and gift shop.
This is an unusual sculpture by a famous Australian artist Brett Whiteley near the Art Gallery of New South Wales. The sculpture is called “Almost Once”, and was donated to the gallery a year before the artist’s death. It features two matches, one burnt and one unused and is an eye-catcher in the Woolloomooloo area.
The Big Merino or ‘Rambo’ as he is known locally is dedicated to the wool industry in the Goulburn area. It was built in 1985 as a roadside stop. In 1994 the attraction saw a huge drop in visitors with the introduction of the National Freeway bypass. Some 13 years later ‘Rambo’ was relocated to try and boost visitor numbers.
The Big Pineapple can be found at the Sunshine Plantation, a tourist theme park in Woombye (near Nambour). This Big Pineapple stands 16m tall at the entrance to the plantation. Information can be found about the tropical fruit industry within the Big Pineapple as well as a great view from its summit.
The Big Prawn, or shrimp as some people may call it, is located in the town of Ballina just near the New South Wales and Queensland border. It is a tribute to the local seafood industry and sits on top of a gift shop and food stalls.
The town of Glenrowan was the place where the infamous Australian bush ranger Ned Kelly had his final shootout. Located roughly 200km north of Melbourne the statue stands in front of the Ned Kelly Motel and service station, his rifle at the ready.
Bathurst is famous for a couple of things, the Bathurst 500 motor race and being one of the first towns to discover gold, way back in 1823. The Big Gold Panner can be found in front of the Gold Panner Motel on the Great Western Highway and presents a gold-panner looking somewhat hopefully at his pan. The statue was built back in 1979.
Australia’s country music capital, Tamworth, is home to the Big Golden Guitar. It is modeled on the Golden Guitar trophies that are given to the winners at the Country Music Awards. The statue was unveiled by Australia’s “King of Country” Slim Dusty in 1988.
The town of Adaminaby in the Snowy Mountains is a highly popular destination for trout fishing. Accordingly, the Big Trout statue has been positioned in tribute. It was designed by Andy Lomnici and sits on the shores of Lake Eucumbene. It was opened in 1973 and is built from fiberglass over a steel frame.
Originally a rubber boot was awarded to the “Wettest Town in Australia”, a title hotly competed by Tully, Innisfail, and Babinda. The Big Golden Gumboot, which is now firmly secured in Tully, stands at 7.9m high (amazingly this actually represents the record annual rainfall of the town at 7,900mm in 1950). The Gumboot contains a spiral staircase and viewing platform and opened on the 10th of May 2003. Climbing up the gumboot is a white-lipped green tree frog.
The Big Olive was constructed to attract tourists to The Big Olive processing plant and visitors center. Located just outside of Tailem Bend, it consists of two olives – one green and one black – which together stand at 8 meters tall. The olives were constructed in April 2005 out of fiberglass and weighed over 1 ton.
The Big Koala can be found 27km northwest of Stawell upon entering the small township of Dadswells Bridge. The Koala stands 14m high, weighs 12 tons, and is made of bronze set on a steel frame. The sculptor Ben Van Zetton was hired to design and construct the piece in 1988.
On the outskirts of Taree, at Fotheringham Park, sits this Big Oyster on top of a building. The company that created this unusual sculpture also created the Big Prawn at Ballina.
Located in the Hunter Valley which is home to some of Australia’s best vineyards stands the Big Wine Bottle. Thousands of tourists flock every year to sample some of the best wines in the region. It was built in 1998 and the neck forms a chimney for an open fire contained within.
The Big Captain Cook has stood tall on the Captain Cook Highway in Cairns for almost forty years. The statue was originally designed as the mascot for a public bar, however, the measurements were mixed up and the statue turned out a lot bigger than expected. The statue is a tribute to Captain James Cook who is attributed to being the first white man to discover Australia back in 1770.
Just outside of Brisbane you will find this giant Lawn Mower in the town of Beerwah. It stands as a landmark for the shop aptly named “The Big Mower”.
The first sight to greet visitors to Kapunda is that of The Big Miner which sits on the side of the road into the town. This is a depiction of ‘The Cornish Miner’ who was instrumental in the development of this whole region. The statue was named Map Kernow, being the Cornish dialect for ‘Son of Cornwall’, although he is more commonly known as Map the Miner now. It was unveiled on 5 June 1988 and the sculptor was Ben Van Zetten.
The town of Robertson is well known for its rolling landscape but it is the rich soils, high rainfall, and winter climate that have made Robertson a prominent potato-growing area in NSW. Built in 1977 by local potato grower Jim Mauger, the Big Potato can be found on the main street at the eastern end of town.
Rumor has it that there are over 150 of these oversized structures across the country, some such as the Big Miner featuring in more than one state.
We hope that this gave you a bit of an insight into the quirky Australian culture and really encourage any feedback.
Just an awesome post. I am very impressed after reading this article, the way you cover all the things very clearly and also the pictures of every moment are wonderful. Great Work.