If you dig shovels, the charming village of Chiltern has them in spades! The only question is, can you handle the excitement? Read on, because your pal Bigs Bardot has the scoop!
The Big Miners Spade stands regally beside the southern entry to Chiltern and, at five metres tall, simply can’t be missed. Serving as a tribute to the region’s proud gold mining history, the towering tool also features a couple of regent honeyeaters on top. Maybe they need to eat some more honey, because they’re looking a bit skinny!
There’s an enviable selection of regular-sized shovels located at the base of the statue that unprepared visitors can burrow for a memorable happy snap.
This was a miner annoyance to me, as I’d spent several hundred dollars at a nearby Bunnings emporium procuring a selection of digging implements for this photo shoot. Oh well, I guess they’re going on Gumtree.
Let’s call a spade a spade – and this is a spade
The Big Miners Spade is the work of local sculptor Xavier Pinard. In 2018 he won a hotly-contested competition by the local council to find a new symbol for the town.
In my role as Chairman of Indigo Shire Council’s Big Thing Advisory Board – a role that doesn’t pay as well as you might think – I gently prodded them towards the Big Miners Spade. The other entries – a small brick wall and a one-metre-tall steel sculpture modelled on a child’s stick figure drawing of little artistic merit – were neither inspired nor Big Things.
My decision has certainly been vindicated, with Chiltern becoming a hot tourist destination since the Spade’s much-anticipated arrival. These days the town rivals nearby Rutherglen, home of the monstrous Big Wine Bottle, for popularity. Best visit the Spade first, though, as it’s not recommended to operate heavy equipment after a day of drinking!
The Big Miners Spade is just one of several bits and bobs that have been lost by the ever-forgetful Big Gold Panner. There’s also the Big Miner’s Lamp in Lithgow and the Big Gold Pick and Pan in Grenfell. Honestly, he’d forget his head if it wasn’t so sturdily attached!
Some people say digging all day is boring, but I think it’s a hole lotta fun!
