Big Orange – Gayndah

You’ll spot this guy as you drive into Gayndah: the self-proclaimed orange capital of Queensland. The Big Orange overlooks a citrus farm and has an adjacent building where you can grab a bite to eat. I was hell bent on getting an orange juice from the Big Orange but was devastatingly told they were too busy to make any that day. So be warned if you find yourself there on a Saturday they may be too busy for OJ making but not too busy to make a milkshake and burger, both of which I rated a pleasant 6.5/10 

DETAILS
Size: 4m x 4m 
Year: 1977 
Address: As you enter Gayndah via the Burnett Highway, QLD. (impossible to miss!)
Photo Taken: 2012

SCORE
Size ** 
Accessibility ***** 
Aesthetics ** 
Unusual * 
Location ***** 
13/25 stars

Big Kangaroo – Kybong

Created for the opening ceremony of the 1982 Commonwealth Games, Matilda ended up outside the Gold Coast waterpark, Wet n’ Wild, before calling Kybong her home in 2011. Goldie to Kybong is a lengthy trip for a 13m Kangaroo, the Matilda Fuel chain, originally wanted to put her at their Gold Coast station but council rejected the submission due to its commercial properties. She seems happy at kybong surrounded by a serene lake, although slightly hidden at the back of the roadhouse. Perhaps slightly sad for a starlet, no longer receiving the level of fame she’d been use to! When I took the photo back in 2012 she winked! I've since been back (2015) and I can say after starring at her face for far too that she didn't give me her iconic wink :( Perhaps this is a feature they turn on and off?!?

DETAILS
Size: 13m 
Year: 1982 
Address: Matilda Fuel’s Kybong Service Centre, Bruce Hwy (South of Gympie) QLD.
Photo Taken: 2012

SCORE
Size **** 
Accessibility *** 
Aesthetics **** 
Unusual **** 
Location **** 
19/25 stars

Big Beer – Apple Tree Creek

UPDATE: 12/11/15 Thanks to our reader Jewels, we now know that this Big thing (unfortunately!) no longer exists. 

We stopped outside this pub when I yelled “pull over” on our way from the Bundaberg Airport back to Biggeden (surprisingly there are no Big Things in Biggeden). I’m not sure this xxxx beer bottle is documented too well on the net and I’m afraid I didn’t document it or its location very well either. I can tell you that we did get some amusing banter from the pub locals plus a few stares! 

DETAILS
Size: 3.5m 
Address: Bruce Hwy, Apple Tree Creek (north of Childers)QLD.
Photo Taken: 2011 

SCORE
Size ** 
Accessibility *** 
Aesthetics *** 
Unusual * 
Location * 
10/25 stars

Big Ned Kelly – Maryborough

When crossing off your Big Things list as you travel up/down the Bruce Hwy you’re going to have to detour slightly when it comes to Big Ned Kelly (found on the road to Maryborough). It’s not that much of a detour and well worth it in my humble opinion. He’s an easy find too, standing tall outside the Ned Kelly Motel/ petrol station. My boyfriend asked the servo lady, why a Ned Kelly statue wound up in Maryborough and was told (local legend) that Ned stopped in to visit rellies on his travels. Mmmm, not sure about that one :P 

DETAILS
Size: 8m x 2m 
Address: 148 Gympie Road, Maryborough, QLD. (the road that heads into Maryborough from the Bruce Hwy) 
Photo Taken : 2012

SCORE
Size **** 
Accessibility *** 
Aesthetics **** 
Unusual **** 
Location * 
16/25 stars

Big Barrel – Bundaberg

This thing is big, like really big but I also think it’s not that impressive as essentially it’s just a building, a clever designed building but still a building. Am I’m being harsh? You can check out it's spin-off over in Maleny if you really love barrels - I promise not to judge!

DETAILS
Size: 25m x 10m 
Year: 2005 
Address: ‘Bundaberg Soft Drink Company’ 147 bargara Rd, Bundaberg, QLD.
Photo Taken: 2012

SCORE
Size ***** 
Accessibility ***** 
Aesthetics * 
Unusual Location ** 
13/25 stars

Big Crab – Miriam Vale

What can I say it’s a crab on a service station, can we get any more boring? Created by Lex Milner the owner at the time wanting to promote his crab sandwiches which for me, helps to redeem the crab - just slightly :P

DETAILS
Size:2m 
Year: 1979 
Address: Shell Service Station, Bruce Hwy, Miriam Vale, QLD.
Photo Taken: 2012 

SCORE
Size * 
Accessibility 
Aesthetics ** 
Unusual 
Location 
3/25 stars

Big Dugong – Rockhampton

This guy had me perplexed for ages, is he at the University? Is he at the Dreamtime Centre? Is he somewhere else? Once I had him narrowed down to the Dreamtime Centre, thanks guy on Flickr! I soon realized you had to pay entry to go and see him. I can’t tell you, whether or not he is worth the admission fee, though he is all sorts of coolness. One of the reasons the Big Things hunt is so fun is because the Big Things are free and accessible and this guy unfortunately isn’t. If you do decide to see him make sure you plan your trip to arrive in Rockhampton during the Centre’s opening hours, from memory they are rather random. 

DETAILS
Size: 22m x 12m 
Year: 1992 
Address: ‘Dreamtime Cultural Centre’, Bruce Hwy, opp. Yeepoon Exit, Rockhampton, QLD.
Photo Taken: 2012 

SCORE
Size ***** 
Accessibility (no stars due to admission fee) 
Aesthetics **** 
Unusual ***** 
Location ** 
20/25 stars

Big Cane Toad – Sarina

Built out of Paper Mache in 1983, for a float in the Apex Sugar Festival Parade, the Sarina council eventually cast the Big Toad in fiberglass to become a permanent fixture in the town’s centre. He is one of the ugliest Big Things I’ve come across both in aesthetics and subject matter but that’s what gives the Big Toad amazing appeal, well to me anyway! Oh and you can call him “Buffy”, short for the cane toad’s scientific name ‘Bufo Marinus’. 

DETAILS
Size: 1m x 1m
Year: 1983
Address: Broad Street, Sarina Town Centre
Photo Taken: 2012 

SCORE
Size *
Accessibility ***
Aesthetics ****
Unusual *****
Location
13/25 stars

Big Mango – Bowen

Even though the Big Mango is iconic to Bowen it’s actually found 4kms outside the town in Mount Gordon at the Bowen Tourist Info Centre. I applaud the genius behind this as Bowen is one of those towns you need to exit off the Bruce Hwy to visit, whilst the Big Mango is smack bang on the Hwy. I mistakenly thought I’d need to go into the township to see the big Mango and soon realized why having an iconic big thing could only help this rather unmemorable town. So the mango finds itself in a spot that tourists are actually going to drive past, hopefully stop at and hopefully check out the Visitor Centre and from there be allured back to Bowen - clever!

DETAILS
Size: 10m x 8m 
Year: 2002 
Address: ‘Bowen’s Visitor Centre’ Bruce Hwy, Mount Gordon, 4kms south of Bowen’s Township, QLD.
Photo Taken: 2012 

SCORE
Size **** 
Accessibility* 
Aesthetics **** 
Unusual * 
Location **** 
15/25 stars

UPDATE as of the 24/02/2014 the Big Mango is officially missing after being stolen – more info here *gasp*

UPDATE 25/02/2014 Mango has been found turns out it was simply a publicity stunt by fast food chain Nandos – read more here

Big Snake – Ayre

This big snake really is big, 60 metres big! A worthwhile spot especially if you’re in need of a rest room.

Below is an excerpt from the information board...

"Gubulla Munda (Carpet Snake) is the Aboriginal Totem and the protective Spirit for the Biri Gubba people. Its construction on this site is for the honouring of the sacred burial site where many Aboriginal ancestors are buried. This monument was designed, constructed and sculpted by the artist Dr Farvadin Daliri OAM and painted by many Aboriginal artists. The Dreaming comes from the high power of Younga Yalga (Mother Earth) Gubulla Munda who travelled through the waters up to the land and rested. The perspiration of Gubulla Munda formed hills and mountains, rivers and streams. Later she travelled back down into the water and as she moved through the water, her dropping formed the islands"

DETAILS
Size: 60 metres
Address: Plantation Park, Bruce Hwy as you travel through the small town of Ayre, QLD.
Photo Taken: 2012 

SCORE
Size ***** 
Accessibility**** 
Aesthetics *** 
Unusual ** 
Location *** 
17/25 stars

Big Watermelon – Gumlu

The only research I found on this Watermelon was that it was in Townsville. After already asking many locals about the Brolga and feeling rather Big Things defeated I gave up on the idea of ever finding a Big Watermelon.  Obviously this story has a happy ending and as luck would have it, seemingly out of nowhere, I spied a watermelon sitting in what I can only assume was someone’s property. A quick car pull-over and some (very!) happy snaps later, I was big things feated! I tried to work out where exactly we were, my scribbled notes on the day recorded Gumlu and my car’s odo metre told us we were 65kms north of Bowen, I hope that info can helps other Melon hunters! 

DETAILS
Size: 4m x 2m
Address: Bruce Hwy. Gumlu, QLD (closest town) 65kms to Bowen.  Spotted heading south of Townsville.
Photo Taken: 2012 

SCORE
Size **
Accessibility *****
Aesthetics ***
Unusual *
Location ***
14/25 stars

Big Brolga – Townsville

We found ourselves at the central Townsville tourist Centre with no Brolga in sight, turns out there’s two Tourist centers, so make sure you find yourself at the Southern one if you're hunting the elusive Big brolga. We ended up asking lots of locals in our search, one guy leading us down a rather empty sports ground *crickets chirping*.
 
DETAILS
Size: 4m
Year: 1988
Address: ‘Townsville Southern Highway Visitor Information Centre’, Bruce Hwy, Townsville, QLD.
Photo Taken: 2012 

SCORE
Size ** 
Accessibility *** 
Aesthetics *** 
Unusual *** 
Location *** 
14/25 stars

Big Crab – Cardwell

Crabs are almost as bad as life-sized bulls to me. They lack uniqueness and in my experience are always positioned way too high, if you can’t touch a big thing it’s always a somewhat of a disappointment *sad face*

DETAILS
Size:2m 
Year: 1992 
Address: Cnr Bruce Hwy and Richards Street, Cardwell, QLD.
Photo Taken: 2012 

SCORE
Size * 
Accessibility 
Aesthetics *** 
Unusual 
Location 
4/25 stars

Big Gumboot – Tully

The Gumboot gets double thumbs up from me. It’s big, it’s unique, it’s well made and you can go inside it! That’s right folks 5/5 stars on accessibility! Oh and it has a cute frog on it!! It’s also a nice tribute to a town with the most annual rainfall in Australia, although some disputes with surrounding towns on that fact. They can’t dispute though that Tully officially holds the record for highest amount of annual rainfall in Australia (of a populated area) of 7.9m in 1950 and it just so happens the gumboot is 7.9m tall - clever! 

DETAILS
Size: 7.9m x 6.1m 
Year: 2003 
Address: Butler Street (Banyan Park – ‘Tully’s Bus Transit Centre’) Tully You’ll see it as you enter the township from the Bruce Hwy, QLD.
Photo Taken: 2012

SCORE
Size **** 
Accessibility ***** 
Aesthetics **** 
Unusual ***** 
Location ** 
20/25 stars

Big Cassowary – Mission Beach

Did you know there could be a few as 1000 remaining Cassowaries left in Australia? Mission Beach is one of the hubs for Cassowaries and hence the need to celebrate with a Big Thing. Mission Beach unfortunately went through devastation when Cyclone Yasi ripped through in Feb 2011. There was so much concern for the survival of the Cassowaries that they arranged fruit drops for them. I’m happy to report, I was lucky to see five Cassowaries up north when I was there in 2012, let’s hope one day, Cassowaries can make it off the endangered species list! 

DETAILS
Size: 4m x 4m 
Address: Outside ‘Wongaling Beach Shopping Complex’, Wongaling Beach Road, Mission Beach, QLD.
Photo Taken: 2012 

SCORE
Size **** 
Accessibility ** 
Aesthetics **** 
Unusual ***** 
Location * 
16/25 stars

Big Peanut – Tolga

He kind of cheats because half of him is just a sign but his tacky-ness wins me over, I mean just look at that bow tie, hat and cheesy grin - amazing! 

DETAILS
Size:8m 
Year: 1977 
Address: ‘The Peanut Place’ Kennedy Hwy, Tolga , QLD.
Photo Taken: 2012 

SCORE
Size **** 
Accessibility *** 
Aesthetics *** 
Unusual ** 
Location * 
14/25 stars

Big Barramundi – Tarzali Lakes

Nobody could dispute the hugeness of this fish, he’s also nicely made, I just want to like him more than I do. Perhaps because in the Big Things World, fish are a dime a dozen. 

DETAILS
Size: 6m
Address: “Australian Platypus Park’ Corner of Weaver Street and Atherton Herberton Road, Tarzali Lake, QLD (5mins out of Atherton)
Photo Taken: 2012 

SCORE
Size ***
Accessibility
Aesthetics ***
Unusual Location ****
10/25 stars

Big Strawberry – Elimbah

Don’t be fooled, like I did and think that the strawberries visible from the Bruce Hwy, during strawberry picking season (june-oct) are the actual Big Strawberry, no no no! These imposter 1m tall strawberries (there are two of them – seen below) are merely there to bring in traffic to Rolin Farms. The real gem (top photo) is at the farm itself.

DETAILS
Size:4m x 3m 
Address: Coming from the Sunshine Coast to Brisbane, Take exit no. 157 (Toorbul/Donnybrook) onto pumicestone rd, then the first left (road adjacent to the Bruce Hwy). About 500 metres down this road you’ll come across one of the smaller imposter strawberries (during picking season june-oct) but you need to travel another 3kms down the road to the actual farm (124-190 Rutters Rd, Elimbah QLD 4516) to grab a picture of the Big Strawberry. 
Note: I was still able to grab a photo of the Big Strawberry in the off season! 
Photo Taken: 2013 

SCORE
Size ** 
Accessibility ** 
Aesthetics *** 
Unusual 
Location *** 
10/25 stars

Big Mower – Beerwah

It’s horribly commercial but its tacky-ness makes me love the Big Mower! I also salute the designer who realized, a simple metal bar (making up more than half of the design) could make the big mower, big!

DETAILS
Size: 7m x 3m Year: 1974
Address: “Big Mower” 89 Beerwah Parade, Beerwah, QLD.
Photo Taken: 2012 

SCORE
Size **** 
Accessibility ** 
Aesthetics *** 
Unusual *** 
Location * 
13/25 stars

Big Hand/Mobile – Kunda Park

I’m torn about whether or not to include this one in my Big Things list. It’s purely commercial and rather uninspiring but it’s still big-ish. 2/25 stars sums it up well! Seek out on your own demise. 

DETAILS
Size:2m
Address : Outside business “East Coast Garage Doors & Gates” 2/30 Enterprise St, Kunda Park 
Photo Taken: 2012 

SCORE
Size * 
Accessibility 
Aesthetics * 
Unusual 
Location 
2/25 stars