If you’re doing a road trip around the Great Southern Land, one thing that you will probably notice (apart from some colourful Australian Slang) are the Big Things In Australia.
I’m not talking about natural stuff like mountains, lava tubes, the Great Barrier Reef, or even bogans.
I mean the large constructions of various animals, fruit and other miscellaneous objects which are placed around the country as tourist attractions to lure people in to normally buy stuff. You are more or less guaranteed to come across some of these big things at some point in your trip down under!
Here are some examples. Note, I’ll keep updating this list whenever I get the chance to visit each of the Big Things in Australia which keeps the Aussie road trip alive! And an Aussie road trip is always a long one!
Let’s go state by state, anti-clockwise!
Queensland
Queensland is a major culprit for big things. I know, because I live here. Let’s check them out:
The Big Captain Cook – Cairns
Originally built to lure weary travellers into a now demolished motel, the Big Captain Cook is located just on the outskirts of Cairns and does rather stand out like dog’s testicles when compared to surrounding dwellings.
The Big Crocodile – Normanton
Most big things are an exaggerated form of animal. But the Big Crocodile in Normanton is life size replica of the biggest saltwater croc found in Australia. Scary. Like, make sure you wear the brown underpants scary.
The Big Gumboot – Tully
This ageing masterpiece is located in one of the wettest places in Australia and it’s height of over 7 metres pays tribute to a very wet year in Tully. Yes, rainfall here is measured in metres, not millimetres.
The Big Cattle – Rockhampton
Loads of cattle pass through Rockhampton which is the self declared cattle capital of Australia. Your burger probably once passed through here. You’ll see dozens of large cattle statues around town.
The Big Mango – Bowen
A good excuse to have a break on a long road trip, the Big Mango is a monument to one of the region’s most important fruit crops – the Bowen Mango. One of my favourite fruits, I’d have a crack at eating this one if it was real.
The Big Brisbane Sign – Brisbane
Brisbane can’t seem to get over that it hosted the G20 once. So much so, this large sign at Southbank has become a permanent fixture. I’m sure you’ve seen it on Instagram somewhere!
Other Big Things in Queensland
OMG, there’s heaps! Check this out!
| Name | Location |
| The Big Apple | Thulimbah |
| Big Apple | Acacia Ridge |
| Banana the Bullock | Banana |
| Big Banana | North Mackay |
| Big Kronosaurus | Richmond |
| Big Barrel | Bundaberg |
| The Big Barramundi | Normanton |
| The Big Barramundi | Daintree |
| Big Bolt and Nut | Roma |
| Big Boomerangs | Nindigully |
| The Big Boot / Shoe | Chermside |
| The Big Brolga | Townsville |
| Big Brolgas and Snake | Near Mackay |
| The Big Cane Toad | Sarina |
| The Big Cassowary | Mission Beach |
| The Big Cockatoo | Mossman |
| The Big Cow | Kulangoor |
| Big (Mud) Crab | Cardwell |
| Big Crab | Miriam Vale |
| Big Crocodile | Daintree |
| Big Crocodile | Wangetti |
| Big Deck Chair | Winton |
| The Big Dinosaur | Ballandean |
| The Big Dugong | Rockhampton |
| The Big Easel | Emerald |
| The Big G | Gracemere |
| Big Golf Ball | Broadbeach |
| The Big Gun | Underwood |
| The Big Hard Rock Guitar | Surfers Paradise |
| The Big Macadamia Nut | Nambour |
| The Big Mandarin | Mundubbera |
| Big Map of Australia | Goondiwindi |
New South Wales
Check these out!
The Big Banana – Coffs Harbour
Whilst most Australian bananas are grown in Queensland, Coffs Harbour decided to pinch this big thing before the northern state did.
Here’s a video still of me in front of it!
The Big Tennis Racquet – Narellan
The Big Tennis Racquet pays homage to former Australian tennis champion, Evonne Goolagong who grew up there. You can’t miss it.
The Big Playable Acoustic Guitar – Narrandera
I like the marketing slogan for this piece which ‘held the world record in 1991‘. It actually works and you can play it, especially if you have large arms and fingers. Worth a look and bonus points if you can strum ‘Stairway to Heaven’.
The Big Tree of Life – Pilliga
Located at Pilliga Pottery, the Tree of Life is an impressive ‘tree’ of broken pieces of pottery stuck together. This would have taken a tonne of work!
Other Big Things in New South Wales
| Name | Location |
| Big Ant | Broken Hill |
| Big Apple | Batlow |
| Big Apple | Yerrinbool |
| Big Avocado | Duranbah |
| The Big Axe | Kew |
| Big Ayers Rock | North Arm Cove |
| Big Banana | Coffs Harbour |
| The Big Beer Can | Cobar |
| Big Bench | Broken Hill |
| The Big Blue Heeler | Muswellbrook |
| The Big Bogan | Nyngan |
| Big Bowl | Lake Cathie |
| Big Bull | Wauchope |
| Big Bunch of Bananas | Coffs Harbour |
| The Big Bicycle | Chullora |
| Big Cheese | Bodalla |
| Big Cherries | Young |
| Big Chook | Moonbi |
| Big Chook | Mount Vernon |
| Big Fish | Manilla |
| Big Funnel Web Spider | Jamberoo |
| The Big Gold Panner | Kelso |
| The Big Gold Pick and Pan | Grenfell |
| The Big Golden Guitar | Tamworth |
| The Big Knight | Knockrow |
| The Big Hammer | Mudgee |
| The Big Headphones | Newcastle |
| The Big Kookaburra | Kurri Kurri |
| The Big Lamb | Guyra |
| The Big Merino | Goulburn |
| The Big Miner’s Lamp | Bowenfels |
| Big Mosquito | Hexham |
| Big Murray Cod | Tocumwal |
| Big Orange | Tenterfield |
| The Big Oyster | Taree |
| The Big Playable Guitar | Narrandera |
| Ploddy the Dinosaur | Somersby |
| The Big Peg | Canowindra |
| The Big Potato | Robertson |
| The Big Poo | Kiama |
| The Big Prawn | Ballina |
| Big Rabbit Trap | Albert |
| The Big Rocket | Moree |
| Big Rubik’s Cube | Maroubra |
| The Big Slurpee | Coffs Harbour |
| The Big Soldier | Uralla |
| The Big Spider | Urana |
| The World’s Biggest Sundial | Singleton |
| The Big Swan | Dunedoo |
| Big Tennis Racquet | Barellan |
| The Big Trout | Adaminaby |
| The Big Trout | Oberon |
| The Big Turtle | Forster |
| The Big Ugg Boots | Thornton |
| The Big Windmill | Coffs Harbour |
| The Big Wine Barrel | Hanwood, Griffith |
| The Big Wine Bottle | Pokolbin |
| The Big Wine Cask | Mourquong |
| The Biggest Smallest Town | Mullumbimby |
Victoria
Loads here too!
| Name | Location |
| The Big Abalone | Laverton North |
| Big Apple | Bacchus Marsh |
| Big Lizzie | Red Cliffs |
| The Big Apple | Gladysdale |
| The Big Cherry | Glenrowan |
| Big Cigar | Churchill |
| Big Coffee Maker | Brunswick |
| Big Cows | Newhaven |
| Big Dead Fish | Fish Creek |
| Fairfield Industrial Dog Object (FIDO) | Fairfield |
| The Big Flower | Yarra Junction |
| The Big Golf Ball | Clayton South |
| Big Hens | Meredith |
| Big Koala | Cowes |
| The Giant Koala | Dadswells Bridge |
| Big Lizard | Marysville |
| Big Mallee Bull | Birchip |
| Big Mallee Fowl | Patchewollock |
| Big Mallee Root | Ouyen |
| Big Miner | Ballarat |
| Big Ned Kelly | Ballarat |
| Giant Murray Cod | Swan Hill |
| Big Cherry | Wyuna |
| The Big Ned Kelly | Glenrowan |
| The Big Pheasant | Tynong |
| The world’s largest rolling pin | Wodonga |
| Big Smoke | Myrtleford |
| Big Strawberry | Koonoomoo |
| Big Tap | Cowes |
| Big Wave | Newhaven |
| Big Wine Bottle | Rutherglen |
| Big Wool Bales | Hamilton |
| The Giant Worm | Bass |
| Public Purse | Melbourne |
| Giant Pocket Watch | Melbourne |
South Australia
| Name | Location |
| The Australian Farmer (also known as the Big Farmer) | Wudinna |
| The Big Ant | Poochera |
| The Big Bee | Kingscote |
| The Big Bob-tail Lizard | Port Lincoln |
| The Big Cherries | Pages Flat |
| The Big Church Block Bottle | McLaren Vale |
| The Big Cockroach | Port Wakefield Rd, Lower Light |
| The Big Dice | Barrier Highway |
| The Big Galah | Kimba |
| The Big Hat | Cradock |
| The Big Kangaroo | Border Village |
| The Big Lobster | Kingston SE |
| Map the Miner | Kapunda |
| The Big Olive | Tailem Bend |
| The Big Orange | Berri |
| The Big Oyster | Ceduna |
| The Big Pelican | Loxton |
| Another Big Pelican | Meningie |
| The Big Ram | Karoonda |
| The Big Rocking Horse | Gumeracha |
| The Big Santa (Father Christmas) | Adelaide |
| The Big Scotsman | Medindie, Adelaide |
| The Big Teddy Bear | Minlaton |
| The Big Winch | Coober Pedy |
| The Big Windmill | Penong |
| The Big Wombat | Bookabie |
| The Big Yabby | Clayton |
Western Australia
| Name | Location |
| Big Apple | Donnybrook |
| Big Banana | Carnarvon |
| World’s Tallest Bin | Kalgoorlie |
| Bert Bolle Barometer | Denmark |
| Big Bobtail | Stirk Street, Kalamunda, Perth |
| The Big Camera | Meckering |
| Cow on the Corner | Brunswick Junction |
| The Big Crocodile | Wyndham |
| The Big Lobster | Dongara |
| The Big Marron | Old Kent River Winery, |
| The Big Mushroom | Balingup |
| Big Orange | Harvey |
| The Big Prawn | Learmonth |
| The Giant Ram | Wagin |
| Leeuwin Way Whale | Eucla |
| King Neptune | Two Rocks, Yanchep |
| The Big Wheelbarrow | Port Hedland |
Tasmania
| Name | Location |
| Big Apple | Spreyton |
| The Big Cherry | Latrobe |
| The Big Coffee Pot | Deloraine |
| The Big Penguin | Penguin |
| The Big Platypus | Latrobe |
| The Big Rock Lobster | Stanley |
| The Big Slide Rule | University of Tasmania, Hobart |
| The Big Spud | Sassafras |
| The Big Tasmanian Devil | Mole Creek |
| The Big Thumbs Up | Scottsdale |
| The Big Wickets | Westbury |
The Big Beer Cup Snake – Various Cricket Grounds
Like most events in Australia, a day at the cricket is a thing disguise for a booze up. Robin Williams famously described cricket as like ‘baseball on valium’ and that’s probably why people become board and stick their plastic beer cups together to form a snake!
More Big Things From Australia
I’m only scratching the surface here. There’s craploads more big stuff like this! Stay tuned and come back here more often as I’ll update this page with more big stuff when I lay my eyes on it! I still have quite a few states and territories to go!