Australia's big things

The Big Things of Australia are a loosely related set of large structures or sculptures. There are estimated to be over 150 such objects around the country, the first being the Big Scotsman in Medindie, Adelaide, which was built in 1963.

Most Big Things began as tourist traps found along major roads between destinations.

The big things have become something of a cult phenomenon, and are sometimes used as an excuse for a road trip, where many or all Big Things are visited and used as a backdrop to a group photograph. Many of the big things are considered works of folk art and are being heritage-listed.

List of 'big things' (by state or territory)

A.C.T.

Name	Location	Built	Size	Notes	Image
Giant Mushroom	Belconnen	1998	8m x 4m	Located in the Belconnen Fresh Food Markets, the Giant Mushroom shelters a children's playground. It was officially launched in 1998 by the ACT Chief Minister.

New South Wales

Name	Location	Built	Size	Notes	Image
Big Ant	Broken Hill	1980		Designed by artist Pro Hart, the Big Ant was erected in 1980 and originally stood at the Stephens Creek Hotel. It was moved to its current location, next to the Tourist Information Centre in Broken Hill, after being donated to the city in 1990.
Big Apple	Batlow
Big Apple	Yerrinbool			Visible from the Hume Highway
Big Avocado	Duranbah			Located at Tropical Fruit World.
The Big Axe	Kew	1979	8m	Located alongside the Kew Visitor Information Centre. The original sculpture was replaced in 2002 as a result of ant induced damage.
Big Ayers Rock	Karuah	1990		Technically not a Big Thing (as it is substantially smaller than the item it is modelled on), the Rock Restaurant is loosely grouped with the Big Things as an object of roadside 'art'. The 1/40 scale model of Uluru was formerly an attraction at Leyland Brothers World.
The Big Banana [4]	Coffs Harbour	1964	13m x 5m	Sometimes claimed to be the first 'Big Thing' in Australia. The Big Banana tourist complex includes a banana-themed souvenir shop, tours of the surrounding plantation and an indoor ski slope.
The Big Beer Can	Cobar	1990	5m x 2.5m	Tooheys New design. Located above the entrance to the Grand Hotel.
Big Bench	Broken Hill			In September 2002 as part of the Landscapes and Backgrounds exhibition, a 2.5 times scale park bench was constructed on the top of the Line of Lode, which is a high hill of mine deposits in the centre of the city of Broken Hill.
The Big Blue Heeler	Muswellbrook	2001	2m high
Big Bottles	Mangrove Mountain and Hanwood
Big Bowl	Lake Cathie, New South Wales			World's largest Bowl at Lake Cathie, near Port Macquarie, New South Wales
Big Bull	Wauchope		14m x 21m	It has now been pulled down.
Big Bunch of Bananas	Coffs Harbour			Formerly located in Sawtell, the Big Bunch of Bananas was relocated when the Pacific Highway bypassed the town and now lie just to the south of Coffs Harbour.
The Big Bicycle	Chullora	1997	9m x 6m	The Bicycle built by Jonh Ridley, Andy Lugiz and Phillip Becker adorns the entrance to the Chullora Waste Transfer Station, Chullora NSW
Big Cheese	Bodalla
Big Cherries	Young		2m x 4m
Big Chook	Moonbi	1970s	2m x 4m
Big Chook (2)	Mount Vernon		4m x 4m
Big Flower	Ourimbah
The Big Gold Panner	Bathurst	1979	5m x 3m
The Big Golden Guitar [5]	Tamworth	1988	12m x 4m	Modelled on the Golden Guitar trophies given to winners at the Country Music Awards of Australia ceremony night during the Tamworth Country Music Festival.
The Big Lamb	Guyra	1988		Erected by the town and district to promote the lamb and potato industries in New England. The lamb is stood over a potato plant.
The Big Merino [6]	Goulburn	1985	15m x 18m	Goulburn and The Big Merino were bypassed by the freeway in 1994, leading to a reduction in visitor numbers. On 26 May 2007 Rambo (as the Merino is locally known) was relocated by low-loader to a new home within sight of the Hume Highway.
The Big Miner's Lamp	Lithgow
Big Mosquito	Hexham	1993		Ossie the Mossie at the Hexham Bowls Club is modelled on the local Hexham Grey mosquito species.
Big Murray Cod	Tocumwal	1967	2m x 7m
Big Orange	Tenterfield
The Big Oyster	Taree		12m x 4m
The Big Playable Guitar	Narrandera	1991	6m x 2m	The largest playable guitar in the world.
The Big Potato [7]	Robertson
The Big Poo	Kiama	2002	1m x 5m	The Big Poo was built by local residents as a protest against Sydney Water's decision not to reuse waste water in the area. Built from foam, it was unveiled by Ian Cohen on 29 April 2003.
The Big Prawn	Ballina	1989	6m x 9m
Big Rubik's Cube	Maroubra 33.946349°S 151.257975°E / -33.946349; 151.257975	2008
The Big Slurpee	Coffs Harbour
The Big Soldier	Uralla			In front of Hassett's Military Museum.
The Big Spider	Urana	2009		The Big Spider (named "Not so Itsy" by the artist) was created by Andrew Whitehead, a nearby resident of the town. The spider commemorates the local football club, who were, for many years, known as the Spiders, and is built from a range of materials – including a wash tub and a hot dog muffler.
The World's Biggest Sundial	Singleton	1987		Presented as a gift from Lemington Mine as a Bicentennial gift. There are a few bigger sundials around the world, but it appears to be the largest one-piece sundial in the Southern hemisphere.
Big Tennis Racquet	Barellan	2009	13.8 m long	Built in honour of Evonne Goolagong, who grew up in Barellan. She unveiled it on 3 October 2009.
The Big Trout	Adaminaby	1973	10m x 3m	Designed by Andy Lomnici, the Big Trout is located on the shore of Lake Eucumbene in the Snowy Mountains. Opened in 1973, the trout is built from fiberglass over a steel frame.
The Big Trout [8]	Oberon
The Big Windmill	Coffs Harbour	1972		Although work started on the Big Windmill in 1972, the death of Franz De Kever in 1974 delayed completion until 1982, as it was not until the site was purchased by Hans Eecen that work was able to resume. The Big Windmill has since changed hands, and is now operated by Mark and Jodi Taylor. The site includes a 41 room motel and a restaurant.
The Big Wine Bottle	Pokolbin	1998	7m x 1.5m	Located at the Hunter Valley Gardens [9]. The neck forms a chimney for an open fire contained within.
The Big Wine Cask	Mourquong		8m x 6m	Located at the Constellation Stanley winery

Northern Territory

Name	Location	Built	Size	Notes	Image
The Big Boxing Crocodile	Humpty Doo		8m x 8m
The Big Stockwhip	Acacia		7m x 10m
The Big Stubbie	Larrimah

Queensland

Name	Location	Built	Size	Notes	Image
The Big Apple	Thulimbah		4m x 3m
Big Apple	Acacia Ridge			1102 Beaudesert Road
Big Banana	North Mackay
Big Barrel	Bundaberg
The Big Barramundi	Normanton		6m x 2m
The Big Barramundi	Daintree		6m x 2m
The Big Brolga	Townsville
Big Bulls	Rockhampton
The Big Cane Toad	Sarina
The Big Captain Cook	Cairns		7m x 2m
The Big Cassowary	Mission Beach		5m x 5m
The Big Cow	Yandina		6m x 10m
Big Crab	Cardwell
Big Crab	Miriam Vale
Big Crocodile	Daintree
Big Crocodile	Hartleys Creek
Big Crocodile	Normanton	1996	8.63m long	An accurate artist's impression of the largest recorded saltwater crocodile ever killed. "Krys the Savannah King" was shot in 1957 by Krystina Pawlowski on the banks of the Norman River.
The Big Dugong	Rockhampton
The Big Dinosaur	Ballandean
The Big Easel	Emerald
Big Golf Ball	Broadbeach
The Big Golden Gumboot	Tully	2003	8m x 6m
The Big Gun	Underwood			A 155 mm field gun mounted on top of a two-story fruit shop. The gun was in a metal scrap yard that occupied the site in the 1960s before the shops and offices were built in the 70s.
The Big Hard Rock Guitar	Surfers Paradise		10m x 3m
The Big Macadamia Nut	Nambour		5m x 10m
The Big Mandarin	Mundubbera		11m x 15m
The Big Mango	Bowen	2002	12m x 8m
The Big Marlin	Cairns		8m x 2m
Big Merino	Blackall
The Big Miner	Rubyvale
The Big Mower	Beerwah
The Big Ned Kelly	Maryborough		8m x 2m	The Big Ned Kelly stands in front of the Ned Kelly Motel and service station [10].
The Big Orange	Gayndah
The Big Orange	Lockyer Valley			Corner of Lake Clarendon Way and Crowley Vale Road
The Big Paperclip	West End, Brisbane		3m x 2m
The Big Peanut	Tolga
The Big Pelican	Noosaville			Mounted on a motorised float in parkland next to the Noosa River
The Big Pick, Shovel and Sieve	Sapphire
The Big Pie	Yatala		4.5m diameter	Mounted atop a 10m pole next to the car park of the Yatala Pies drive-through pie shop.
Big Pineapple	Gympie	1971	16m high	Formerly located next to a service station on the Bruce Highway, the Gympie Big Pineapple was demolished in 2008 during redevelopment of the site.
The Big Pineapple	Woombye	1971	16m x 6m
The Big Pumpkin	Beaudesert
The Big Red Elephant	Lockyer Valley
The Big Redback	Eight Mile Plains, Brisbane	1996	3m x 3m
The Big Rig	Roma	30m+ tall			A Tourist Attraction which commemorates to finding of oil in Roma.
The Big Rum Bottle	Bundaberg	6m x 1m
The Big Sapphire	Anakie
The Big Sapphire Ring	Sapphire
The Sausage King	Centenary Heights, Toowoomba			The Sausage King sits on the roof of Gray’s Modern Meat Mart in Centenary Heights. In 2010 it was stolen, and in spite of 10 kg sausage reward from the store and an additional $500 being offered by radio station Triple M, it was eleven months before it was discovered in a local quarry.
The Big Shell	Tewantin		3m x 1m
The Big Shoe	Chermside			A large shoe mounted on the roof of a car sales yard on the corner of Rode and Gympie Roads.
The Big Spanner	Sapphire
The Big Stubby	Tewantin		9m x 4m	No longer there.
The Big Whale	Kinka Beach

South Australia

Name	Location	Built	Size	Notes	Image
The Australian Farmer	Wudinna	2008	8m	Taking 17 years to develop from the initial proposal to the final unveiling, the Australian Farmer, located in the town of Wudinna in South Australia, was carved by artist Marijan Bekic and his son David between 2007 and 2009. Representing the early settlers of the region, the work stands at 8 metres (26 ft) in height, and was carved out of approximately 70 tonnes (69 long tons; 77 short tons) of local granite.
The Big Church Block Bottle	McLaren Vale, South Australia	2010	10m	The Big Church Block Bottle, named Our Work of Art, is a 10 metre high replica bottle of Wirra Wirra, Church Block wine. The bottle was constructed to launch the Melbourne Food and Wine festival in March 2010, located at Southbank in Melbourne, Victoria. The bottle was located in Melbourne from 14 March 2010 through to 19 March 2010 before it was re-located to the Wirra Wirra vineyard in McLaren Vale, South Australia during April 2010. The bottle was designed in 5 sectional pieces, made from steel framework covered in wire mesh. The mesh has been cladded entirely by recycled corks. Each cork was individually drilled and threaded onto elastic before being cable tied around each section of the bottle.
The Big Dice	Barrier Highway			The Big Dice consist of six concrete blocks piled into a small pyramid. They can be found between Yunta and Mannahill, just off the Barrier Highway.
The Big Galah	Kimba	1993	8m x 2.5m	Residing at the "Halfway Across Australia Tourist Shop" at Kimba, South Australia, the Big Galah was built from fiberglass over a steel frame by Robert Venning, and was opened in 1993. Modelled on the Galahs that frequent the region, it stands at 8 metres (26 ft) high and 2.5 metres (8 ft 2 in) wide, and weighs in the vicinity of 2.3 tonnes (2 long tons; 3 short tons).
The Big Kangaroo	Border Village	1986	5m x 2m	Also known as "Rooey II", the Big Kangaroo can be found at Border Village in South Australia, located just shy of the border with West Australia. Made from papier-mâché and fiberglass over a steel frame, from a design by Bill Metheral, Rooey was intended to capitalise on traffic journeying to Perth for the America's Cup, and was opened in 1986.
The Big Lobster	Kingston SE	1979	17m x 15m x 13m	Known locally as "Larry", the Big Lobster was designed and built by Paul Kelly (who also designed the Big Scotsman) as a means of attracting attention to the visitor centre and restaurant at which it is located. It was built in six months out of a steel frame with a fiberglass shell. The size is said to have been an error: the original plans were drawn in feet, but the designer misinterpreted them to be metres.
Map the Miner	Kapunda	1988	8m x 2m	Named Map Kernow, the "son of Cornwall", Map the Miner represents the Cornish miners who once worked at the town of Kapunda. Standing at the southern end of the town, the work was built by Ben van Zetten and opened on 5 June 1988. The statue was destroyed by a fire in 2006, but has since been rebuilt.
The Big Olive	Tailem Bend	2009	11m	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 metres (26 ft) and weigh over 1 tonne. The olives were constructed out of fiberglass by The Newell Group, and were placed on the site in April 2005.
The Big Orange	Berri	1980	15m x 12m	Located in the South Australian Riverland, the Big Orange was constructed with fiberglass panels covering a steel frame, with the entire structure weighing in the vicinity of 85 tonnes. The structure consists of four levels, with a function room on the first floor, a souvenir shop and cafe on the second, a mural depicting the local scenery on the third, and a lookout on the fourth.
The Big Oyster	Ceduna	1992		As with the Big Pelican, the Big Oyster was originally built as a float for a local festival – in this case, Ceduna's annual Oysterfest. Built by Leon Veerhuis out of ferro-concrete, it was retired from parade duties in 1994.
The Big Pelican	Loxton	1992		The Big Pelican was originally constructed as a float for a local Mardi Gras in 1979. After being employed for this purpose on a number of occasions, including once in Adelaide, the papier-mâché structure was remodelled, and, in 1992, it was overlaid with fibreglass. Today it can be found at the Loxton Caravan Park.
The Big Ram	Karoonda	2003	2m x 3m	The Big Ram in Karoonda recognises the importance of the sheep industry in the region. Instigated by the Karoonda Development Group and located on the Railway Lawns, the Big Ram is 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) high and 3 metres (10 ft) long, and is built from concrete. It was completed in 2003.
The Big Rocking Horse	Gumeracha	1981	18m x 17m	Part of a complex that includes a wooden toy factory and a wildlife park, the Big Rocking Horse in the Adelaide Hills stands at over 18 metres tall and weighs more than 25 tonnes. Designed by David McIntosh, it took eight months to build at a cost of over $100,000. The steel structure incorporates three viewing platforms.
The Big Scotsman	Medindie, (Adelaide)	1963	5m x 1m	The Big Scotsman, also known as Scotty, was erected in 1963 and thus predated the Big Banana by a year. Located on the corner of Scotty's Motel in the inner-city suburb of Medindie, the Big Scotsman was designed by Paul Kelly, who later went on to build the Big Lobster.
The Big Winch	Coober Pedy	1986	8m x 5m	The Big Winch acknowledges Coober Pedy's opal mining industry. Built by Klaus Wirries in the 1970s, the original Big Winch was destroyed in 1986 and rebuilt shortly thereafter.
The Big Yabby	Clayton	1973	2m	Built in 1973 by Henry Jones, the Big Yabby resides at the Murray River town of Clayton, and originally sat outside his family's Yabby City Restaurant. While the concrete yabby remains, the restaurant has since changed both owners and name to become Sails at Clayton, and yabbies are no longer on the menu.

Tasmania

Name	Location	Built	Size	Notes	Image
Big Apple	Spreyton
The Big Coffee Pot	Deloraine
The Big Penguin	Penguin	1975	3m x 1m	Constructed from fibro cement to mark the centenary of the proclamation of the township of Penguin. Unveiled 25 October 1975.
The Big Platypus	Latrobe
The Big Slide Rule	University of Tasmania (Hobart)			Located in the School of Mathematics and Physics
The Big Spud	Sassafras
The Big Tasmanian Devil	Mole Creek		2m x 3m
The Big Wickets	Westbury		3m x 8m	Located at the front of the local Westbury Cricket Pitch, just off the side of main road

Victoria

Name	Location	Built	Size	Notes	Image
Big Abalone	Laverton North			A fibre glass replica of an abalone that sits atop a 5.3 m tower at the Plummer Road premises of the Australian Abalone Exports office. Once it was illuminated, and rotated slowly. Now however, it fails to do either.
Big Apple	Bacchus Marsh
The Big Cherry	Glenrowan			Owners of the property removed the big cherry in 2010/2011
Big Cigar	Churchill			Replica of Sir Winston Churchill's cigar, after whom the town is named
Big Cows	Newhaven
Big Dead Fish	Fish Creek			Positioned on the roof of the Fishy Pub.
Fairfield Industrial Dog Object	Fairfield
Big Koala	Cowes
The Giant Koala	Dadswells Bridge	1989	14m x 8m	The Giant Koala is 27 km north-west of Stawell in the small township of Dadswells Bridge. The Koala is 14m high, and weighs 12 tonnes. Made of bronze set on a steel frame. The sculptor is Mr Ben Van Zetton who was hired in 1988 to design and construct the piece.
Big Mallee Bull	Birchip
Big Mallee Root	Ouyen
Big Miner	Ballarat	opened 1 December 2006
Giant Murray Cod	Swan Hill		3m x 9m
The Big Ned Kelly	Glenrowan		6m x 2m
The Big Pheasant	Tynong		8m x 17m
The world's largest rolling pin	Wodonga
Big Smoke	Myrtleford			No longer painted as the 'Big Smoke' due to closure of cigarette factory, located on Myrtleford-Yackandandah Road
Big Strawberry	Koonoomoo		2m x 4m
Big Tap	Cowes
Big Watermelon	Wantirna South
Big Wave	Newhaven
Big Wine Bottle	Rutherglen
Big Wool Bales	Hamilton		3m x 12m
The Giant Worm	Bass		250m x 4m

Western Australia

Name	Location	Built	Size	Notes	Image
Bert Bolle Barometer	Denmark	1985	Over 12.5 metres	A working water barometer being the largest barometer in the world, recognised by the International Guinness Book of Records. Built in the Netherlands by Bert Bolle and donated to the community of Denmark in 2007. The barometer is considered a monument and carries the name ’The Bert Bolle Barometer’. It is set up in The Barometer Tower in the Denmark Visitor Centre.
Big Apple	Donnybrook		7m x 4m
Big Banana	Carnarvon		6m x 1m
The Big Camera	Meckering
Cow on the Corner	Brunswick Junction		5m x 1.5m
The Big Crocodile	Wyndham	1987	18m x 3m
Big Orange	Harvey		2m diameter
The Giant Ram	Wagin		13m x 9m x 6m
Leeuwin Way Whale	Eucla		10m x 3m

In popular culture

Locations of a number of Australia's big things

• The London production of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert: the Musical references the Big Prawn, Big Merino, Big Pineapple and the Big Banana.
• The ABC produced a documentary titled Big Things as part of its programme The Big Picture.
• The National Museum in Canberra has a comprehensive multimedia exhibit displaying many Big Things.
• In 2007 Australia Post issued a set of 50c postage stamps commemorating five of the most iconic Big Things:
  • The Big Banana at Coffs Harbour (NSW)
  • The Big Golden Guitar at Tamworth (NSW)
  • The Big Lobster at Kingston SE (SA)
  • The Big Merino at Goulburn (NSW)
  • The Big Pineapple at Nambour (QLD)
• Danny Wallace mentions Australia's big things in his book Yes Man.
• Travel writer Bill Bryson details his visit to the Big Lobster and the Big Bull in his book Down Under / In a Sunburned Country
• In the Australian comedy film Young Einstein, when the titular character books into a hotel the desk clerk asks if he's "Here to see the Big Bed?"
• English stand-up comedian Ross Noble, visits many of Australia's big things during his 2009 tour "Ross Noble's Australian Trip".

See also

• New Zealand's big things
• List of World's Largest Roadside Attractions
• Novelty architecture
• Dunedoo, New South Wales, which decided against "The Big Dunny"

Media related to Big Things of Australia at Wikimedia Commons

References

General references

• "Big Things" by David Clark, published by Penguin (ISBN 0-14-300200-7);
• "The Little Book of Big Aussie Icons" by Craig Scutt, published by Five Mile Press (ISBN 9781741786002).

Specific references and notes

External links

• Australian Big Things Comprehensive list of Australian big things, big things statistics and photographs
• ABC Online – Friends, Family and Big Things – photographs of Australian Big Things, including lesser known examples
• Big Things Guide Learn all about this great Australian art form, marvel at the photos or add stories of your encounters, in Travelmate's BIG THINGS.
• Coastalsurvey Big Stuff in Australia. Coastalsurvey found some notable additions—including the big lobster.
• http://maps.google.com.au/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=100304412553771473558.0004679567a1b697f7f49&ll=-26.902477,134.296875&spn=40.807051,90&z=4. map of big things.
• The big bench The making of an Australian big thing; The Big Bench Broken Hill