Australia’s big roadside things
Facts on Coffs Harbour, Ballina, Nambour, Goulborn, Glenrowan & Bass
Visitors to Australia can find the world's biggest banana, prawn, crocodile, bull, pineapple, mushroom, sheep, wine bottle, guitar, spider and rocking horse.
As any visitor who has travelled to Australia and driven round for a bit will know, the country has a bit of an obsession with Big Things. These are the bizarre collection of super-sized roadside attractions, usually made of fibreglass, that dot the roadsides in some of the country’s more out of the way places.
The Big Banana, Coffs Harbour, New South Wales
The original Big Thing, the Big Banana was originally conceived as a marketing ploy by a banana plantation owner. Rarely in history has such a stunt worked so well – look at all the imitations it has spawned.
The Big Prawn, Ballina, New South Wales
This is a masterpiece, with the overgrown shrimp sprawled all over the top of a service station like a scantily-clad model over a car bonnet.
The Big Pineapple, Nambour, Queensland
A contender for the title of the best Big Thing, this almost qualifies as bona fide artwork. The Big Macadamia Nut and Big Cow can also be found in the same town.
The Big Bull, Wauchope, New South Wales
This is one beast that you certainly don’t want chasing you around a field.
The Big Redback Spider, Brisbane
Arachnophobes are advised to stay well away…
The Big Wine Bottle, Hunter Valley, New South Wales
Anyone who attempts drinking this is going to be some way over the drink drive limit.
The Big Ned Kelly, Glenrowan, Victoria
Glenrowan was where the famous bushranger had his last stand. He’s now come back and grown to four times the size.
The Big Worm, Bass, Victoria
At 250m long, this arguably the biggest of the Big Things. And what’s more, you can walk through it.
The Big Merino Sheep, Goulborn, New South Wales
Arguably one of the most impressive of the Big Things, this sheep looks like a fearsome monster fed on the very worst sort of GM crops.
The Big Mushroom, Belconnen, Australian Capital Territory
There are magic mushrooms, and then there is this… Don’t worry, it’s not an hallucination.
The Big Golden Guitar, Tamworth, New South Wales
It’s only fitting that Australia’s country music capital should have something suitably tacky to honour it.
The Big Rocking Horse, Gumeracha, South Australia
Any small kids trying to clamber up on top of this one are probably in for a little bit of a struggle.
The Big Boxing Crocodile, Humpty Doo, Northern Territory
Figuring that a Big Crocodile wasn’t quite gimmicky enough, they decided to put this comic masterpiece in boxing gloves. Genius.
