Mundubbera claims to be ‘the citrus capital of Queensland’, and what better way to prove that than by building a Big Mandarin? The orange wonder measures nine metres from dimpled bottom to leafy crown, and can be found in front of the aptly-named Big Mandarin Caravan Park.

And oh-my-lordy, he’s Mandarin-credible!

The Big Mandarin looms large over the tiny town, and is a really cool, old-skool Big. Yes, it’s seen better days. Yes, Mundubbera’s a bit out of the way, and far from the tourist trail. But this roadside attraction is well worth the detour.

Peel back The Big Mandarin’s history and you’ll find a juicy tale. Enterprising locals Graham and Elaine Mergard came up with the idea for The Big Mandarin in 1980, as a way of promoting their holiday park, then known as the Citrus Country Village.

They contacted the talented Neville Roger, who built the mandarin in 10 sections from his workshop in Brisbane, and delivered it to Munduburra aboard a conga-line of semi-trailers. It was then painstakingly welded together on-site.

Sounds like thirsty work – good thing Nev and his mates had plenty of mandarin juice on hand!

Queensland Minister for Tourism, Tony Elliott, officially opened the site on May 23, 1983 – and every man-darin, woman and child turned up!

The Mundubbera Marvel

The Big Mandarin originally housed a tourist information centre offering a selection of souvenirs but, sadly, it was shuttered long ago. The front door was locked when Gordon and I arrived, so we weren’t able to see inside the structure.

“Maybe we should Manda-ring the doorbell,” Gordon chortled.
“Yes, maybe someone is waiting Manadar-inside,” I tittered.

Despite this disappointment, we found the caravan park‘s cabins clean and well-priced, so I highly recommend staying in one the next time you’re travelling through the North Burnett Region.

But here’s an idea for the owners – why not convert the Mandarin into a cottage, allowing Big-thusiasts to spend the night inside it?

These days the caravan park is mainly inhabited by fruit pickers from the region’s many citrus farms. Apparently it’s not unusual to see a couple of bleary-eyed Filipinos, the smell of Red Horse heavy on their breath, attempting to pick The Big Mandarin at six in the morning.

And that gave me an idea.

“Gordon, I have a cunning plan,” I gasped. “If we become fruit pickers, we could live here and admire The Big Mandarin every day. Maybe even fall in love with a couple of German backpackers.”
“That’s an adorable idea Bigs,” Gordon sighed, “but you remember what happened the last time we became fruit pickers and fell in love with a couple of German backpackers.”
“Helga and Gertrüd,” I sniffed, trying to mask the hurt in my voice.
“Yes,” Gordon whispered, a single tear cutting a silvery path down his furred cheek. “Helga and Gertrüd.”

Fruit, Glorious Fruit!

The good folk of Mundubbera have a healthy rivalry with the residents of the nearby town of Gayndah. Both villages claim to be the centre of the citrus universe, but there’s something BIGGER to this conflict.

Gaynda, which is just 30 minutes down the road, is home to the beloved Big Orange, which rivals the Mandarin in size and, erm, orange-ness.

But these are far from the only flippin’-yoooooj fruits in the (Queens)Land of the Bigs. There’s the world-famous Big Pineapple in Woombye, The Big Strawberry in Elimbah, and The Big Apple in Thulimbah.

Visiting Brissie? There’s another Big Apple there but, ah, you might want to watch out for the locals.

There’s also a super-sized slice of Melon in Chinchilla – what a slice thing to visit!

Head further north and you’ll also find Bowen’s Big Mango, and Gumlu’s Big Watermelon and Big Pumpkin.

Queensland, hey? Fruit-iful one day, perfect the next!