What are the Big Things in Australia?
From the Big Banana in Coffs Harbour to the Big Galah in Kimba, Australia’s Big Things have become icons of roadside kitsch. There are more than 100 of them to see around Australia.
Australia is big. On its own, the Northern Territory is bigger than Peru or South Africa. And that’s before you throw in the rest of the country. Then there’s the world’s biggest reef system, the big red rocks and the massive killer crocodiles.
But there is nothing more Aussie than one of the Big Things. This is the name that has been given to the collection of often absurdly large concrete or fibre glass monstrosities that stand by the roadside. Most of these have been designed as shameless tourist traps, either by a local business or local authority. The idea is that people see the Big Things, pull over to take a photo, and spend some money while they’re there. In some cases, the Big Thing becomes something to know the town for.
The Big Kangaroo livens up Border Village in South Australia. It’s the first stop in the state for anyone coming across the Nullarbor Plain from Western Australia. Photo by David Whitley/ Australia Travel Questions 
The Big Galah in Kimba, South Australia. One of Australia’s roadside Big Things. Photo by David Whitley/ Australia Travel Questions The Giant Murray Cod in Swan Hill, Victoria, celebrates the Murray River’s most beloved fish. Photo by David Whitley/ Australia Travel Questions The Giant Koala in Dadswell Bridge, Victoria, isn’t exactly the highlight of the Grampians region. Photo by David Whitley/ Australia Travel Questions 
The Big Merino is the star attraction in Goulborn, New South Wales. The Big Ned Kelly is outside the post office, but Ned Kelly’s last stand took place on Siege Street in Glenrowan. Photo by David Whitley/ Australia Travel Questions The Golden Gumboot in Tully, northern Queensland, celebrates the town’s Australian record rainfall. Photo by David Whitley/ Australia Travel Questions
The First Big Thing in Australia
There’s some debate over what the first Big Thing was, although the Big Banana in Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, has a strong claim. Built in 1964, the Big Banana was originally conceived as a giant promotional tool for a roadside banana stall. It became so famous in its own right that it now hosts an amusement park with water slides.
There are more than 100 Big Things in Australia, and valiant Wikipedians attempt to maintain a full list. Even in the middle of nowhere, you’re never too far from a Big Thing.
The Big Things vary dramatically in quality. Some are pretty impressive, others are terrible. But all of them a degree of kitsch that makes them strangely lovable. Few are worth going out of your way to see, but you rarely have to go out of your way to see one while you’re driving through Australia.
Australia Travel Questions still has a fair few of the Big Things to tick off the list. But some are covered on the site. These are listed below, and the list will be added to over time.
Big Things in Australia: A (partial) list
- The Big Galah: The South Australian town of Kimba on the Eyre Peninsula.
- The Big Kangaroo: Border Village, South Australia (one of the few places in the world on Australian Central Western Standard Time).
- Goulburn’s Big Merino: Goulburn, New South Wales.
- The Big Bogan: Nyngan, New South Wales.
- The Big Ned Kelly: Glenrowan, Victoria.
- The Giant Koala: Dadswell Bridge, Victoria.
- The Giant Murray Cod: Swan Hill, Victoria.
- The Big Rocking Horse in Gumeracha, South Australia.
- The Big Orange: Gayndah, Queensland.
- The Big Easel: Emerald, Queensland.
- The Golden Gumboot: Tully, Queensland.