Tag: Noosaville

  • The Stunning Big Things of the Sunshine Coast

    Big Things are a super-sized slice of Sunshine Coast tourism, with holidaymakers thrilling to the delights of the Big Shell and Big Pelican. There are plenty of roadside attractions within a short drive of the tourist hotspot of Noosa, and they’ll put a giant smile on your face!

    Read this definitive guide to Sunshine Coast Big Things and see if you can visit them (Big) Pineap-all!

    The Big Shell, Tewantin

    The Big Shell

    Even though this three-metre-tall beauty recently shell-ebrated her 60th birthday, she’s still a must-sea attraction! The Big Shell is well-hidden in a quiet, leafy residential street, making for a very different Big experience. It feels a bit weird to pose for photos in a stranger’s front yard, but from all reports the owners are welcoming to any Big Thing enthusiasts who wash up on their doorstep. If you see them, give ’em a wave!

    Is the Big Shell worth visiting? beach your own conclusion after reading this!

    Pete the Big Pelican, Noosaville

    Big Things of the Sunshine Coast

    Next time you spread your wings and visit the Sunshine Coast, make a splash landing at Pelican Boat Hire, home of the Big Pelican! The overgrown chicken is known to his legion of admirers as Pete, and boasts an un-beak-lievable backstory. After all, how many other Big Things have spent time at the bottom of the ocean?

    Why did Pete spend time submerged in the sea? Find out here!

    The Big Pineapple, Woombye

    The Big Pineapple

    With his striking looks and worldwide fame, the Big Pineapple is a rock star of the Big Thing universe! The 16-metre-tall fruit has a pleasing pineapple museum in his belly and a viewing platform from which to look out over the nearby Big Macadamia and the thrilling Nutmobile ride. You’ll have a pine time there!

    Does this pineapple belong on a pizza? Find out here!

    The Big Child, Birtinya

    The Big Child

    You’ll be head over heels and staring in childish wonder at this eight-tonne toddler! The big baby loves tumbling outside the Sunshine Coast Health Precinct, and you’ll be feeling healthier than ever after a visit!

    Matilda, Kybong

    Matilda the Kangaroo

    Tilly bounced her way into our hearts during the 1982 Commonwealth Games, taking centre stage at the opening ceremony. The cute kangaroo flirted with the crowd, winking her long lashes as a forklift flittered her around the track. These days Tilly’s just as beautiful as ever and is in a great location for photos and hugs, after recently bounding along to the new Traviston mega service station.

    Hop along to discover more about Matilda!

    The Big Mower, Beerwah

    Tidying up the backyard is never fun, but you’ll have a cutting good time with this mega mower! You can find him at the appropriately-named Big Mower shop, where you can pick up a whipper-snipper after snapping a photo!

    Chop chop! Learn more about The Big Mower!

  • Pelican Pete, Noosaville, QLD

    Pelican Pete, Noosaville, Queensland

    A wonderful bird is the Big Pelican
    His beak can hold more than his belly can
    He’s the size of a house
    And really quite grouse
    I can’t wait to visit my friend Pete again!

    Next time you spread your wings and visit the Big hotspot of the Sunshine Coast, make a splash landing in the seaside resort town of Noosaville, home of the Big Pelican! The overgrown chicken – known to his legion of admirers as Pete – boasts an un-beak-lievable backstory – after all, how many other Big Things have spent time at the bottom of the ocean?

    The supersized seabird hatched in 1977, and spent his early life as a float for the Festival of the Waters parade – a similar childhood to fellow Queensland legends Buffy the Big Cane Toad and Matilda the Kangaroo, and NT megastar Lefty the Big Pink Buffalo. The pelican could turn his head, open and shut his bill, flap his wings, blink his eyelashes, and wiggle his tail cheekily as his fans flocked to see him

    The float was so advanced that it took two dedicated technicians to keep Pete running, using a complicated system of levers, pulleys and cables. Sports stars, politicians, beauty queens and TV stars were seen riding on his back, but their celebrity was often overshadowed by that of the pelican. Pete didn’t get a big head about it, though, because he already had one!

    Peli-can things get any worse?

    The early 80s were a rough time for Pelican Pete, who deteriorated badly and was at one point dumped into the Noosa Although it might sound like an abs-bird coincidence, the same thing happened to the other Big Pelican in South Australia. It seemed like a tragic end for such a beloved figure.

    However, he was plucked out of the drink and put on permanent display next to Pelican Boat Hire. His functionality was restored – apparently the bill was particularly large! To this day, he still flies out for parades, making him one of the few mobile Bigs.

    There are few more picturesque locations for a Big Thing, and few things in life match the joy of eating a bag of hot chips under a lush Noosaville tree, the sparkling river on one side, the world’s largest penguin smiling happily on the other.

    A number of local shops sell Pete souvenirs and, best of all, the Big Shell is only a few minutes away in Tewantin. I’m not sure life peli-can get any better!

    A brief note on Trudi

    Amidst my dalliance with Pete, I was approached by Trudi, a Noosaville local with a strong affinity for this plucky Pelican. Trudi told me that she sees Pete every single day on her morning walk and, from the way she played with her hair when she was around the affable chap, it was obvious their relationship is very special indeed.

    “Pete’s the only man who’s never let me down,” gushed the long-time reader of this very website. “No matter what state I’m in, or how bedraggled, Pete always greets me with a big smile and a non-judgemental attitude. Unlike my ex-boyfriend Diego! Now that’s one guy who would never make it onto a website called Land of the Bigs, if you know what I mean.”

    I do, Trudi. We all have a Diego in our past.

    For fear of turning Land of the Bigs into a crass dating site (long-time readers will remember how that turned out last time), I’d like to welcome respectable expressions of interest from any young men who’d like to step out with Trudi. Honestly, this girl needs a man, she’s been spending too much time around that pelican!