It seems that no matter where you go in Australia, big things are bound to be found eventually. However, there is a certain type of big thing that seems to be unique to small tourist towns no matter where you travel. These are, of course, the everyday objects that have been built at enormous scales as novelty architecture and dutifully filled with overpriced snack bars and trinkets to remind you of your journey to visit the big thing.
While Big Things can be found all over the country, Highway 1 between Sydney and Brisbane is where the craze started and you can easily knock off a dozen along the way.
Australian Capital Territory
[edit]- Big Coins, Deakin.
- Big Mushroom, Belconnen.
- 1 The Big Powerful Owl, Belconnen.
- Big Acorn, National Arboretum, Molonglo Valley.
Map of Australia's big things
New South Wales
[edit]
- 2 Big Ant, Broken Hill.
- 3 Big Apple, Yerrinbool.
- 4 Big Avocado, Tropical Fruit World, Tweed Heads. The (not-so-)Big Avocado is not much to look at, but the shop it advertises is worth a quick stop for its impressive range of seasonal, locally grown exotic fruit.
- Big Axe, Kew.
- 5 Big Banana, Coffs Harbour (along Pacific Highway). The one that started it all, the Big Banana is conveniently about halfway between Sydney and Brisbane and has grown into a kitschy tourist empire with theme park rides, water slides and more. Stop by for a selfie and a banana split.
- Big Bench, Broken Hill.
- Big Blue Heeler, Muswellbrook.
- Big Bottle, Pokolbin.
- Big Bowl, Port Macquarie.
- Big Bunch of Bananas, Sawtell.
- Big Cheese, Bodalla.
- Big Cherries, Young.
- Big Chicken, Moonbi.
- Big Diplodocus, Somersby.
- 6 Big Eight Ball, Port Macquarie.
- Big Elephant, Nimmitabel.
- Big Fish, Caravilla.
- Big Fruit Bowl, Bilpin.
- 7 Big Gold Panner, Bathurst.
- 8 Big Golden Guitar, Tamworth.
- 9 Big Guitar, Narrandera.
- Big Joint, Nimbin.
- 10 Big Merino, Goulburn (Hume Highway). One of the more impressive Big Things, this giant Merino sheep ram stands 15 meters tall and has a gift shop inside (selling merino wool products, of course), an observatory inside the head, and what are almost certainly Australia's largest testicles behind. Add in the location right off the Hume Highway and the pies at Trappers Bakery next door, and few travelers heading from Sydney to Canberra or Melbourne can escape its woolly charms.
- 11 Big Miners Lantern, Lithgow.
- Big Mosquito, Hexham.
- 12 Big Motorbike, Homebush.
- Big Murray Cod, Tocumwal.
- 13 Big Oyster, Taree. Sadly, what was once a top tier tourist trap is now awkwardly perched atop a car dealership, so you'll have to head into town to get your oyster fix.
- Big Pavlova, Marulan.
- 14 Big Potato, Robertson. Also known as the Big Turd, for reasons that are obvious as soon as you cast your eyes on it.
- 15 Big Prawn, Ballina. Another genuinely impressive Big Thing, rendered and painted in exquisite 3D detail. Alas, the prosaic location in a suburban Bunnings parking lot rather detracts from the Prawn's majesty.
- Big Saddle, Picton, at Saddleworld, 20/15 Henry Street.
- Big Santa, Macksville.
- Big Sundial, Singleton.
- 16 Big Sydney Harbour Bridge, Warwick Farm.
- Big Triceratops, Ballendean.
- 17 Big Trout, Adaminaby.
- Big Trout, Oberon.
- 18 Big Ugg Boots, Thornton.
- Big Wine Cask, Wentworth.
- Worlds Biggest Tennis Racquet, Barellan.
Northern Territory
[edit]- Big Aboriginal Hunter.
- Anmatjere Woman and Child.
- Big Barramundi.
- Big Beer Can.
- Big Frogs.
- Big Books.
- Big Crocodile, Jabiru.
- Big Stubby, Larrimah.
- Big Boxing Croc, Humpty Doo.
- Big Owl, Darwin.
- 19 Big Stockwhip, Noonamah.
- Big Pink Buffalo, Darwin.
Queensland
[edit]
- Big Apple, Thulimbah.
- Big Barramundi, Daintree.
- Big Barramundi, Normanton.
- Big Bicycle, Southport.
- Big Boomerang, Eumundi.
- Big Boomerang, Surfers Paradise.
- Big Brolga, Townsville.
- Big Bulls, Rockhampton.
- Big Cane Toad, Sarina.
- Big Cassowary, Mission Beach.
- Big Cow, Nambour.
- Big Crab, Rockhampton.
- Big Crocodile, Normanton.
- Big Cup, Southport.
- Big Dinosaur, Richmond.
- Big Dugong, Rockhampton.
- Big Fish, Caboolture.
- Big Frog, Brisbane Airport.
- Big Gumboot, Tully.
- Big Gun, Underwood.
- Big Macadamia Nut, Nambour.
- Big Mandarin, Mundubbera.
- 20 Big Mango, Bowen.
- Big Marlin, Cairns.
- Big Meat Pie, Yatala.
- Big Merino, Blackall.
- Big Miner, Rubyvale.
- Big Mower, Beerwah.
- Big Muffler, Southport.
- Big Orange, Gayndah.
- Big Peanut, Tolga.
- 21 Big Pineapple, Woombye.
- 22 Big Pelican, Noosa.
- Big Pumpkin, Beaudesert.
- Big Redback Spider, Eight Mile Plains.
- Big Rig, Roma.
- Big Rum Bottle, Bundaberg.
- Big Sapphire, Anakie.
- Big Shell, Tewantin.
- Big Sticks, Eumundi.
- Big Strawberry, Sunshine Coast.
- Big Stubby, Tewantin.
- Big Truck, Dysart.
- Big Turtle, Bundaberg.
- Big Easel, Emerald.
South Australia
[edit]- Big Clock, Murray Bridge.
- Big Galah, Kimba.
- Big Kangaroo, Border Village.
- 23 Big Lobster, Kingston.
- Big Miner, Kapunda.
- Big Olive, Tailem Bend.
- 24 Big Orange, Berri.
- Big Oyster, Ceduna.
- 25 Big Rocking Horse, Gumeracha.
- Big Scotsman, Adelaide.
- Big Winch, Coober Pedy.
Tasmania
[edit]- 26 Big Coffee Pot, Deloraine.
- 27 Big Penguin, Penguin.
- 28 Big Slide Rule, University of Tasmania.
- 29 Big Tasmanian Devil, Mole Creek.
Victoria
[edit]
- Big Abalone, Laverton North.
- Big Apple, Bacchus Marsh.
- Big Bottle, Rutherglen.
- Big Cigar, Churchill.
- Big Cigarette, Myrtleford.
- Big Cow, Phillip Island.
- Big Egg, Lake Boga.
- Big Koala, Dadswell Bridge.
- Big Koala, Phillip Island.
- Big Milkshake, Warrnambool.
- Big Milkshake, Tongala.
- 30 Big Ned Kelly, Glenrowan. Commemorating Australia's outlaw antihero.
- Big Rolling Pin, Wodonga.
- Big Tap, A Maze'n'things, Phillip Island.
- Big Wave, Phillip Island.
- Big Wool Bales, Hamilton.
- Big Worm, Bass.
- Big Yabby, Wandin North.
- Big Lizzie, Red Cliffs.
- Big Murray Cod, Swan Hill.
Western Australia
[edit]- Big Apple, Donnybrook.
- Big Banana, Carnarvon.
- Big Camera, Meckering.
- Big Cow, Brunswick Junction.
- Big Crocodile, Wyndham.
- Big DNA Staircase, Perth.
- Big Neptune, Yanchep.
- Big Orange, Harvey.
- 31 Big Periodic Table, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup.
- Big Ram, Wagin.
- Big Dray, Kojonup.