Deep in the Noosa Hinterland, far from the chatter of the city, the gumtrees and stars once bore witness to a sonic revolution – the Duelling Banjos. The fully-playable instruments come from the musical mind of Steve Weis, and served for years as the gateway to his harmonious homestead and the many wonders within. But now the banjos duel no longer. Steve forged a reputation … Continue reading Duelling Banjos, Kin Kin, Qld
People are always complimenting me on my childlike exuberance (or, as they usually put it, my emotional immaturity), so when I found out there was a six-metre-tall statue of a playful kiddie on the Sunshine Coast, I grabbed Bigella and trundled over there. After having my sippy cup and an afternoon nap, of course! iDIDIT! was created by babyfaced artist Russel Anderson in 2017, and … Continue reading iDIDIT!, Birtinya, QLD
You must be 122cm tall to ride Sea World’s newest thrill ride – but that shouldn’t bother The King of Atlantis. At nine metres from fishy feet to golden crown, this ocean god holds the tidal for tallest humanoid sculpture in Australia, and so can do pretty much water-ever he likes. Well, except wear a shirt, apparently. But then again, who wouldn’t wanna show off … Continue reading The King of Atlantis, Main Beach, QLD
Tidying up the backyard can be as exciting as watching grass grow – unless you have the world’s largest mower! Yes, the lawn and the short of it is that Beerwah’s Big Mower is a grass-terclass in roadside architecture and a true celebration of Aussie culture. Not much information exists regarding The Big Mower – just a few clippings here and there – but we … Continue reading The Big Mower, Beerwah, QLD
Let’s go surfin’ now, everybody’s learnin’ how, come see Blue Perspective with Biggsy (and Bigella, Gordon and Gordina!). Surf’s up, dude, so wax up your board and don’t forget the shark spray, because this perspective will blue you away! With skin and hair as azure as the Pacific, this three-metre tall surf rat is hard to miss. She stands alone in Southport’s Broadwater Parklands, gazing … Continue reading Blue Perspective, Southport, QLD
Roll up, roll up to the ravishing Rolin Farm, where you’ll find a truss-see attraction – The Big Strawberry! This plump, juicy fruit stands four metres tall from rambunctious receptacle to perky peduncle, and is sure to in-stem-tly find a place in your heart. The Strawberry was crafted to draw attention to the farm’s pulp-ular store, which is open from June to October each and … Continue reading The Big Strawberry, Elimbah, QLD
Nobody wants ants to turn up during a meal, but you’ll love sharing your food with this irrepressible insect! The Black Ant was brought to life by legendary local artist Steve Weis and can be found, appropriately enough, outside the Black Ant Gourmet Cafe in the verdant Sunshine Coast Hinterland With his homespun charm and quirky, indigenous-inspired paintjob, The Black Ant is right at home … Continue reading The Black Ant, Kin Kin, QLD
Hop along to Carrara Markets to meet Kat, the world’s largest wooden kangaroo. This five-metre-tall marsupial mixes brutalist design philosophies with a fun, quirky and approachable sense of honesty. You can even climb into her prodigious pouch to live out your fantasies of being a joey! Kat bounded into the Gold Coast in 2016 (which was, appropriately, a leap year), and is the passion project … Continue reading Kangaroo Kat, Carrara, QLD
Put the hot chips away, because the Gold Coast has been taken over by a behemoth beach chicken with an amazing appetite. Fortunately, Katey Seagull is as hungry for hugs as she is for deep-fried potatoes. Named after glamorous Married… With Children actress Katey Sagal, this super-sized seabird has made her nest out front of the Tugun Domestic and Commercial Waste Facility. Leggy Katey was … Continue reading Katey Seagull, Tugun, QLD
The Man on the Bike has been the heart and soul of the Tallebudgera Valley for more than four decades, and anyone who says otherwise is pedalling misinformation. The dapper gentleman, complete with boater and bowtie, coasted into the Gold Coast in 1970 when the tandem of Cliff Douglas and shock jock Bob Rogers bought him from a ski school. I guess he could snow … Continue reading The Man on the Bike, Tallebudgera, QLD
The mournful cry of a kookaburra swept across the frozen valley, and then the world was blanketed by deep, velvety silence. Within our lonely cabin, a carefully-prepared platter of calamari linguine lay restlessly upon the kitchen table, unloved and cooling as the interminable minutes ticked by. Gordon Shumway, my lifelong partner and bosom friend, was late home from work again. Welcome to the worst days … Continue reading Maddie and Mike, Southport, QLD
“While My Big Guitar Gently Weeps” I look at the Hard Rock Cafe, see the people there eatingWhile my Big Guitar gently weepsMy love for him will not be fleetingStill my Big Guitar gently weeps I don’t know why nobody told youThe Guitar was installed in ’96It cost half-a-million to mould youI long to hold you In 2004 I noticed the Big Guitar was burningYes, … Continue reading The Big Guitar, Surfers Paradise, QLD
Believe it or not! The Gold Coast is home to the largest octopus in the whole dang world! Ladies and jellyfish, please welcome Ring-O, starr of the glitter strip! The nine-metre-wide Big Octopus wiggled into Cavill Avenue, Surfers Paradise, in Octo-ber 2020, making a home for himself above the popular Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! odditorium. He was cephala-produced by local company Pico-Play, and I … Continue reading The Big Octopus, Surfers Paradise, QLD
The Gold Coast is all about sun, surf and squamates, because the city’s been seized by a set of bug-eyed bad boys who love laying the smackdown on each other. Welcome to Geckomania! These beaut newts are in a three-way battle to become the Heavyweight Champion of Your Heart. I’m not sure what style of wrestling they’re practising, but I’d assume it’s Gecko-Roman. The suave … Continue reading Geckomania, Southport, QLD
Bigfoot is sick of hiding, and has retired to an exclusive beachside chateau on the Gold Coast. The legendary monster now spends his days perusing the local tattoo dens, dodging drunks in Cavill Avenue and tanning himself to a crisp on Surfers Paradise beach. Bigfoot’s Cave can be found in the midst of the verdant McIntosh Island Park, and can be reached via a baroque … Continue reading Bigfoot, Surfers Paradise, QLD
Bright red and perfectly spherical, the Acacia Ridge Big Apple lures in unsuspecting visitors with the promise of a wholesome photo opportunity. But be warned, because this scarlet woman is rotten to the core. Disarmingly located in a suburban car park, the innocent-looking treat is surrounded by a dog-grooming salon and a well-stocked ethnic supermarket. It’s an idyllic slice of Australiana – or so I … Continue reading The Big Apple, Acacia Ridge, QLD
Dropping the little ones off at pre-school is a heart-wrenching experience for any parent. But the mummies and daddies of Ipswich can rest easy in the knowledge their kiddies are being cared for by a bizarre giraffe/alpaca/human hybrid with a stylish bob. Ally the Alpaca is the star employee at Ally’s Kindy in the trendy suburb of One Mile, and is the wackiest Big Thing … Continue reading Ally the Alpaca, One Mile, QLD
Howdy pardner, this is your hat-wearing hawtie Biggie the Kid! I don’t mind a cockatoo, so when word rang round the holler that a gang of giant birds was causin’ trouble out near Ipswich, I jumped on my trusty stead Liberace and moseyed on out to the badlands of Camira. The settlement’s welcome sign has long been a thing of cotton-pickin’ beauty, and a source … Continue reading The Camira Critters, Camira, QLD
I believe I can flyI believe I can kiss this big guyI think about Big Blue every night and dayHis handsome wings take my breath awayI believe he wants moreCuddlin’ each other till we’re both soreI believe I can flyI believe Big Blue’s all mineI believe he’s my guy (wooooooo) The words of urban visionary R-Kelly resonate with visitors to The Big Blue-Faced Honeyeater, who … Continue reading The Big Honeyeater, Logan Reserve, QLD
Feeling famished on the long trip between Brisbane and the Gold Coast? Then bake a stop in Yatala for the best snacks money can pie. The pastries from world famous Yatala Pies receive g-rave-y reviews and are truly to pie for! This crust-see attraction is easy to spot – just keep a pie out for the super-sized snack out the front, which sits atop a … Continue reading The Big Pie, Yatala, QLD
Do you have a viper-active child with heaps of ser-pent-up energy? Want to put a great big reptile on their face? Maybe you’re just after a quiet spot to sit and enjoy a meat pie-thon? Then give the Big Red Belly a try-pan! Located in sprawling Gibirrngaan Park within Maudsland’s exclusive Huntington Estates (which, sadly, doesn’t offer anaconda-miniums), the Big Red Bellied Black Snake is … Continue reading The Big Red Belly, Maudsland, QLD
I’ve bin everywhere, man, I’ve bin everywhere! But few places can rival the majesty and mystique of Helensvale Waste & Recycling Centre – home of the Otto-ly delightful Big Wheelie Bin. At a dump-foundingly impressive three metres tall, the Bin is wheelie easy to find in the heart of the Gold Coast. He’s fun for Big Thing enthusiasts of all garb-ages, so bring the whole … Continue reading The Big Wheelie Bin, Helensvale, QLD
Trigger warning: the following article contains information and photos of a deceased Big Thing, that you may find distressing. But it also contains a super cute photo of a very young Bigs Bardot wearing a gorgeous pink hat, so it all balances out. Gympie was, for a time, the most desirable tourist destination on the planet. Hollywood stars and tech billionaires bypassed Bora Bora as … Continue reading The Big Pineapple, Gympie, QLD
Big Girls don’t cry, but I’m man enough to admit I was reduced to a blubbering mess after an encounter with this fifteen-foot female. Not even a few jars of homemade chutney and pair of happy pants from the nearby Eumundi Markets could settle me down. Officially known as For You, she’s the work of local artist Meg Geer, who installed the Big Girl in … Continue reading The Big Girl, Eumundi, QLD
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) … Continue reading The Stunning Big Things of the Sunshine Coast
She’s a sexy humpbackThem other Bigs don’t know how to actI think she’s special, what a large humpback!Go visit Nala and don’t forget a snack Have a whale of a time and a blowhole lot of fun with Nala, the 22-tonne pride of Hervey Bay! The town is one of the best places on Earth for whale watching, but now you don’t need to risk … Continue reading Nala the Big Whale, Hervey Bay, QLD
He’s absolutely mango-nificent, but this tropical treat has flirted with scandal to become one of the most controversial Bigs around. The Big Mango, who lives beside the Visitor Information Centre, stands a regal 10 metres tall and was erected in 2002 as a tribute to Bowen’s ebullient agricultural industry. He cost $90,000, weighs in at seven tonnes, and is modelled after the delicious Kensington Pride … Continue reading The Big Mango, Bowen, QLD
For an unforgetta-bull experience, head to Rocky, where you’ll find multi-bull bulky bovines on display. All six Big Bulls have moo-vie star good looks and would love to meat you, so it’d be a mi-steak to miss them! The first two Bulls – a Braford by the Bruce Highway and a Brahman located on the main median strip in town – were con-chuck-ted in 1978 … Continue reading The Big Bulls, Rockhampton, QLD
“Bigs,” I’m sure you’re screaming, “the Big Rig – despite standing 140 metres tall and being an icon of the Maranoa Region – isn’t a Big Thing at all! He’s an actual oil drilling rig from the 1960s who was relocated to the centre of Roma in 2000 to attract tourists. If you’re going to include him, you might as well open the flood gates … Continue reading The Big Rig, Roma, QLD
Tilly bounced her way into our hearts during the 1982 Commonwealth Games, taking centre stage at the opening ceremony in front of 50,000 enamoured fans. The cute kangaroo flirted with the crowd, winking her long lashes and swivelling her perfectly-proportioned head as a forklift flittered her around the track. The world drew breath as one when the voluptuous Matilda lingered in front of the Duke … Continue reading Matilda the Kangaroo, Traveston, QLD
Cairo has the Pyramids, Paris has la tour Eiffel. Bundy has its own tribute to the culture of its people – this fantastic flagon of the good old fighting juice! The Big Rum Bottle wearily outside the Bundaberg Rum Distillery, which is a mecca for barflies Big Thing fanatics. The rum-filled Romeo was constructed for World Expo ’88 in Brisbane. He overshadowed the futuristic monorail … Continue reading The Big Rum Bottle, Bundaberg, QLD
The good people of Bundy are so obsessed with ginger beer that a regular-sized barrel full of it could never satisfy them. So in 2005 they built the Big Barrel – lovingly referred to as Darrel by his swarm of admirers – in the middle of the city. This soft drink paradise is certainly sweet! Darrel serves as a shrine to the region’s enviable fizzy … Continue reading Darrel the Barrel, Bundaberg, QLD
There was a time, long before the age of man, when enormous creatures roamed the wasteland we now call Australia. From Tiddalick the Frog to Biladurang the Platypus, these behemoths filled the rivers with water, shaped the mountain ranges, and cast the stars into the sky. Dreamtime stories, passed down through a thousand generations, keep the history of our homeland alive. Gubulla Munda, a carpet … Continue reading The Big Snake, Ayr, QLD
Victorian bushranger Ned Kelly is known for his handsome beard, wacky armour, and penchant for ruthlessly slaughtering innocent people. He is not, however, known for taking relaxing holidays in sunny Queensland. So how did this seven-metre-tall tribute end up in Maryborough? Your fearless reporter, Bigs Bardot, headed to the scene to find out! My quest for the truth started by asking Ned himself, but the … Continue reading The Big Ned Kelly, Maryborough, QLD
Have you heifer herd the udder-ly moo-diculous story about the two-story cow who become a Sunshine Coast icon, fell into a life of depravity, climbed out of the gutter to become a leader of the lost, and eventually retired to a leafy farm near beautiful Toowoomba? Yeah, I know it sounds like a load of bull, but be-hoove yourself because it’s true! The Big Cow … Continue reading The Big Cow, Highfields, QLD
Queenslanders love guzzling icy cold XXXX beer almost as much as they adore their Big Things, so Koumala is like honey to the bee for those up north! The colossal can stands like a beacon outside the well-presented Koumala Hotel, luring in travellers from the Bruce Highway for a cool drink and a bite to eat from the expansive bistro menu. The titanic tinnie is … Continue reading The Big Beer Can, Koumala, QLD
For a bloomin’ great time in the Garden City of Toowoomba, visit Picnic Point to see the Big Sunflowers. The popular petal-heads have plenty of pollen power, with piles of plant-o-philes posy-ing for a picture. The bud-dies sprouted in 2012 as a tribute to the people of the city, the local schools, the Lions Club, and Toowoomba legend Ian Orford. I’m sure there were half-a-dozen … Continue reading The Big Sunflowers, Toowoomba, QLD
I highly recommend you take a squawk on the wild side and have a claws encounter with this odd, little-known and underappreciated Big Thing Continue reading The Big Parrot, Apple Tree Creek, QLD
Nothing warms the heart like a shiny new Big sprouting out of nowhere, so imagine my joy when the Big Melon was unveiled in Chinchilla one slice day in 2019. And water specimen she is! At nine metres long, three metres high and weighing four tonnes she certainly has the size to impress, but it’s the craftsmanship and attention to detail that makes this pink-and-green … Continue reading The Big Melon, Chinchilla, QLD
Next time you’re cray-ving a succulent seafood sandwich whilst driving along the Bruce Highway, nip in to the Shell service station at Miriam Vale. Not only will you encounter the most sensational food in the Gladstone region, but you can get up claws and personal with the lovable Big Crab! He’s around two-metres wide and hasn’t scuttled off the roof of the servo since arriving … Continue reading The Big Crab, Miriam Vale, QLD
This three-metre-tall beauty recently shell-ebrated its 60th birthday and is still a must-sea attraction! The Big Shell is well-hidden in a quiet, leafy residential street. Continue reading The Big Shell, Tewantin, QLD
make a splash landing in the seaside resort town of Noosaville, home of the Big Pelican! Continue reading Pelican Pete, Noosaville, QLD
Murray the Cod was built completely out of bits of old rubbish – and the end result truly is a gill-a-minute experience! Continue reading Murray the Cod, St George, QLD
There’s something fishy going on in North Queensland, and it has to do with this titanic tin of sardines! Continue reading The Big Sardine Can, Home Hill, QLD
At around one metre wide and one metre high, Buffy isn’t the largest Big Thing around, but I’m not croaking when I say he’s one of the cutest! Continue reading Buffy the Big Cane Toad, Sarina, QLD
This agri-cultural landmark has to be seed to be believed! Continue reading The Big Watermelon, Gumlu, QLD
Next time you’re veget-able to visit North Queensland, go see this gourd-geous guy Continue reading The Big Pumpkin, Gumlu, QLD
With his striking looks and worldwide fame, the Big Pineapple is a rock star of the Big Thing universe. But like most pop culture icons he’s seen the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, been hammered by scandals, fought public battles and rolled, sneering and strutting, back out into the spotlight. This is the story of the legendary Woombye Pineapple. The towering treat … Continue reading The Big Pineapple, Woombye, QLD
