Big Things of NSW
Sometimes size does matter
Big things – so quintessentially Australian. Scattered across the country from north to south and east to west. Every Australian road trip should have a rest stop at a big thing somewhere along the way!
Here are a few larger than life creations we have come across on our travels in country NSW…
The Big Trout
Location: Adaminaby, Snowy Monaro, NSW
Where else would you expect to find a giant trout but in this popular fly fishing town. Recently refurbished this fishy friend was originally built by a local artist in 1973. Measuring in at 10 metres tall the statue is made of fibreglass over mesh and a steel frame. The scales were made by covering the work in mesh, adding a final layer of fiberglass, and then removing the mesh before the fiberglass set.
The Big Kookaburra
Location: Kurri Kurri, Hunter Valley, NSW
Standing proud in Rotary Park in the centre of Kurri Kurri, this bird has the last laugh at 4.5 metres tall. He was made from recycle aluminium and steel by local artist Chris Fussel to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the nearby Hydro Aluminium smelter. His claws are made from old horseshoes and his feathers are individually forged, definitely worth stopping for.
The Big Marino
Location: Goulburn, NSW
The Big Merino was built in 1985 to honour Goulburn’s fine wool industry. At over 15 metres and weighing in at 97-tones, he is modelled on Rambo, a stud ram from a local property. You can climb the stairs inside the giant ram and look out at the world through his eyes, well the carpark anyway. There is an exhibition and a gift shop on site, and just over the road is Trappers award winning bakery if you have a hankering for a pie.
The Big Pick and Pan
Location: Grenfell, NSW
You are going to need a big river to go fossicking with this pick and pan. Built from recycled materials, they are a tribute to Grenfell’s contribution to the gold mining era in the 1860’s. Standing proudly between the Goods Shed and historic Station Building at the old Railway Station precinct, you can camp here too. Pull up the van or pitch the tent and settle in for some quality admiration time with Australia’s largest gold mining tools.
The Big Cherries
Location: Young, NSW
To be honest the Big Cherries were not as big as I expected, but relative to the size of an actual cherry they are definitely more than a mouthful. Near the tourist information centre in Young, the big cherries cheerfully welcome you to the cherry capital of Australia. If you visit during the summer cherry season you can pick your own (up to 20 different varieties), try some cherry jam, cherry ice-cream or even cherry wine. For the full cherry experience a locally baked cherry pie is a must!
The Big Avocado
Location: Duranbah, NSW
The Big Avocado has been standing proud since 1983 outside what used to be known as Avocadoland. Now the famous fruit farm is called Tropical Fruit World and is home to over 500 varieties of fruit. The mammoth fruit sits plump and ripe atop a pole and marks the entrance to the café and fresh fruit market where you will find all sorts of weird and wonderful delights for sale. You can do a plantation tour and there are farmers markets each Saturday morning. I can’t help wondering how much guacamole you would get out of an avo that size!
The Big Fruit Bowl
Location: Bilpin, NSW
Bilpin = fruit. Mainly apples, and everything that goes along with that. Pick your own fruit, baked goodies and juices – fermented and otherwise.
The Bilpin fruit bowl sits alongside the Bilpin Fruit Bowl Shop, proudly family owned and run since 1985. The home of one of Bilpin’s most famous treats – the apple pie! With the change of seasons, you may also be tantalised with pies made from peaches grown in their orchard, cherries, blueberries, mangoes, apricots and raspberries.
The two-meter-tall goblet is overflowing with juicy delights. It reminded me of a Carmen Miranda head piece, if you don’t remember her have a google – not everyone could get away with that exotic style.
The Big Banana
Location: Coffs Harbour, NSW
What better way to get passing traffic to stop a roadside stall than a giant yellow fruit that you can walk through!
The giant banana was designed by a local engineer by cutting the best looking banana he could find into 40 pieces to develop plans for the builders to follow. Construction began in September 1964 and was completed in just three months. The 13m long, 5m high, 2.4m wide banana was officially opened on December 22 that year.
From its humble beginnings The Big Banana Fun Park now boasts a water park, a state-of-the-art laser tag, toboggan, demolition derby, ice-skating rink, “The World of Bananas” theatre and plantation tour experience, mini golf, the biggest slide in the country, a cafe, gift and souvenir shop, candy kitchen, opal centre, reptile world, and 4D ride simulator. It really is a destination in itself.
The Big Apple Pie
Location: Bilpin, NSW
A little further up the road from the Bilpin Fruit Bowl is the Royal Gardenia Café. Easy to spot with a colossal apple pie sitting on the back of a flatbed truck outside their front door. Inside you can buy yourself a freshly cooked apple pie made with those famous Bilpin apples, along with many other temping fresh foods and beverages. Facts and figures on this gigantic faux pastry creation are a bit thin on the ground but suffice to say it would take a lot of apples to fill a pie that size.
The Big Miners Lamp
Location: Lithgow, NSW
The Big Miners Lamp serves as a beacon to mark the location of the Seven Valleys Tourist Information Centre at Lithgow. Lithgow was the birthplace of the Australian iron and steel industry and the lantern is a symbol of its unpretentious beginnings. Stop to find out more about the area and have a rest inside the lantern – you will find it illuminating!
The Big Gold Panner
Location: Bathurst, NSW
The Big Gold Panner can be found in front of the Gold Panner Motel on the eastern side of Bathurst on the Great Western Highway. He is easy to spot, kneeling down and looking hopefully into his oversized pan. The first gold was found in 1951 near Bathurst and heralded the beginning of the Australian gold rush. The town boomed in the 1860’s when it became the commercial centre for those hoping to make their fortune in the gold fields.
The Big Trout
Location: Oberon, NSW
The Big Trout of Oberon (not to be confused with the Big Trout of Adaminaby) sits outside the Big Trout Motor Inn. One does wonder which came first. Lake Oberon is famous for trout fishing and in days gone by anglers came from near and wide to cast their rods and try their luck for brown and rainbow trout. Recently renovated with a lick of paint and new mural highlighting local attractions, this enormous trout looks ready to leap into your frying pan in time for dinner.
The Big Potato
Robertson, NSW
Known locally as the Big Spud, The Big Potato is one of hundreds of oversized objects scattered across Australia. These iconic sculptures have become symbols of the towns they represent and Robertsons potato was built in the 1970’s to promote the area’s major crop. Robertson is known as “the green heart of the Southern Highlands,” its rich red soil providing perfect conditions for potato growing.
The Big Spud is modelled off the North American Sebago and measures in at an impressive 10 meters wide and 4 meters high. Sitting in the middle of a park on the main road it isn’t hard to find, and there is ample opportunity to stop for a photo. There are also picnic tables if you would like to stay for longer and spend some quality time with the starchy landmark.
