The Curious ‘Big Things’ of Australia

The “Big Things” of Australia are quite a big deal. Over 150 massive sculptures ranging from wildlife to beverages are sprinkled across the country and have gained a cult following among travelers. Some Big Things are in conjunction with tourist traps, begging you to throw down your dollars for crazy water slides and overpriced baked goods. Others are simply stand alone structures that appear on the side of the road out of nowhere.

On our 60 day road trip, we saw countless Big Things. Here are 6 that were worth a stop and a photo!

1. The Big Prawn, Ballina, NSW

This massive prawn was built in 1989 as a tip of the hat to the local Ballina prawning industry. The humongous crustacean is 30 ft tall and weighs 40 tons, earning it the title of “The World’s Largest Artificial Prawn.” A likely coveted title. It is oddly locating in West Ballina right outside a Bunnings. No, we did not snack on any prawn during the visit. Yes, the only reason we swung through Ballina was to see this prawn.

The complete randomness and impressive size made the Big Prawn my favorite Big Thing of Australia.

2. The Big Avocado, Tropical Fruit World, NSW

The Big Avocado can be found at Tropical Fruit World in New South Wales Tropical Fruit World is both a commercial farm and tourist trap, erm, destination, that grows over 500 different types of fruit. You can go on farm tours, eat at the cafe, buy fresh fruits at the shop, and marvel at this here big avocado!

We didn’t go on a tour, not did be buy any avocado. But we did get some bananas, passionfruit, and dragonfruit though!

Unpopular Opinion: Avocado is overrated. The fruit has been the food trend for a few years. Marketing professionals have convinced hungry buyers that avocado is ultra-healthy, and certainly worthy of a $15 price tag when smashed on top of toast with an egg. One cup packs in plenty of micro nutrients, but it comes with 21g of fat, 12g of carbs, and 2.9 g of protein. Which is totally fine! But what isn’t fine is when unknowing eaters think it comes calorie free due to the “mega health food” status.

3. The Big Gumboot, Tully, QLD

Tully is a small town in Tropical North Queensland that is the self proclaimed “wettest place on earth.” It rains 150 days a year with the average rainfall dropping in at 176.6 in. The highest rainfall ever was recorded in 1950 at 311 inches, which happens to be height of this here giant golden Gumboot!

The fun thing about the Big Gumboot is that you can climb to the top!

4. The Big Mango, Bowen, QLD

When it comes to commercial mangos in Australia, the Kensington Pride is #1. Bowen, a coastal town in the Whitsunday Region, is home to these luscious mangoes, hence, a Big Mango to welcome visitors in!

We love mangos. (Especially when they come on top of sweet sticky rice for under $2 in Thailand). But to our disappointment, we didn’t see any mangos for sale in Bowen.

5. The Big Pineapple, Woombye, QLD

The 52 foot tall Big Pineapple was built in 1971 just southeast of Woombye as a nod to the region’s pineapple growers. It is part of the Sunshine Plantation which has shops, restaurants, attractions and tropical fruit farms with tours explaining how the products are grown, making it a popular agri-tourism destination.

Uninteresting in paying money for the experience, we snapped a photo, and continued on our way.

6. The Big Banana, Coffs Harbour, NSW

The Big Banana was built in 1964, making it one of the first Big Things in Australia. It is located in Coffs Harbour, and is the center piece of an amusement park and banana planation.

I admittedly had no idea Australia was such a big banana producer until driving past the seemingly endless banana farms in Tropical North Queensland. It was a thrill pulling up to road side stands and scoring fresh, sweet, delicious bananas for almost nothing.

What Big Things of Australia will we stumble upon next? Stay tuned!