THE BIG PINEAPPLE Kabi Kabi Country
Located in Woombye on the Sunshine Coast, the Big Pineapple stands 16 metres tall and is one of the most-visited tourist attractions in Queensland. The giant tropical fruit was created in 1971 – and it’s been a pretty big deal ever since. In 1983, it was visited by Princess Diana. In 2009, it was listed as a heritage site. In 2023, a coin was struck with its image. Pining to go? The attraction also has a café, a treetops challenge, a zoo and a train that you can ride through the pineapple plantation. And yes, you can climb inside the pineapple, if you’re into that kind of thing.

THE BIG BANANA Gumbaynggirr Country
Unveiled (unpeeled?) in 1964, the Big Banana is one of Australia’s oldest ‘big things’. It’s 13 metres long, meaning it might just be the biggest banana in the world (don’t tell my boyfriend I said that). The Coffs Harbour icon was commissioned by a fella named John Landi as a mascot for his roadside banana stall. John hired an engineer, who cut the best-looking banana he could find into 40 pieces and used them to develop his building plans. These days, the site is quite the extravaganza – there’s a water park, laser tag, tobogganing, bumper cars, ice skating, minigolf, a giant slide and more.

PLODDY THE DINOSAUR Darkinjung Country
Ploddy (also known as “grandma of the bigs”) is an enormous 30-metre-long concrete Diplodocus that weighs almost 100 tonnes. She was built in 1963 to attract visitors to the Australian Reptile Park in Wyoming, New South Wales. In 1996, the Reptile Park relocated to the nearby town of Somersby, and thousands of people lined the streets to bid the beloved giant farewell. Want to see Ploddy for yourself? You won’t find her at the park’s entrance (that prime real estate is reserved for Frilly the Lizard). But rest assured, Ploddy is a few hundred metres away, on a hill, overlooking the M1 motorway. Keep your eyes peeled.

THE BIG EASEL Gayiri Country
Did you know one of the world’s biggest paintings is located in Emerald, Queensland? The Big Easel is part of artist Cameron Cross’s Van Gogh Project, which consists of seven giant reproductions of Vincent Van Gogh’s sunflower paintings, located in seven different countries. Each selected site has a connection to Van Gogh or sunflowers. Emerald is a major grower of sunflowers in Australia, and hosts a sunflower festival each year, so it was a shoo-in. Each Big Easel sculpture props a 7-by-10-metre painting atop a 23-metre (17,000kg) steel easel.

THE BIG ROCKING HORSE Peramangk Country
Located in Gumeracha, South Australia, the Big Rocking Horse weighs over five tonnes and stands at over 18 metres tall. It was built in 1981, to draw attention to the Wilkinson family’s wooden toy shop. Although the shop has changed owners a few times since then, it’s still a great spot to buy locally made wooden toys, and the site also boasts a seven-acre wildlife park and café. Yes, you can climb the Big Rocking Horse. And yes, you get a certificate of completion to take home.

THE BIG NED KELLY Yorta Yorta Country
The Big Ned Kelly is located in Glenrowan, Victoria, which was the site of the Kelly Gang’s final showdown with the police. The statue was erected in 1992, is six metres tall and weighs 1.5 tonnes. Controversially, there’s a bigger Ned Kelly statue in Australia (it’s in Maryborough, Queensland, and is seven metres tall). But Maryborough wasn’t the site of the last stand, so it kinda doesn’t count. If you’re into Ned and his gang, a visit to Glenrowan is worth it. There’s a replica of the Kelly homestead, Ned’s Burger House, the Kelly Country Motel, Kelly’s Cookhouse Cafe and two Ned Kelly museums.

THE GIANT KOALA Wotjobaluk and Jardwajali Country
Located at Dadswell Bridge between Stawell and Horsham, the Big Koala stands 14 metres high and weighs 12 tonnes. Some consider it the “Guardian of the Grampians”. Others (aka reviewers on Tripadvisor) consider it “creepy as hell”, “disturbing” and “the ugliest tourist attraction I’ve ever seen”. Admittedly, it does have the vacant stare often seen in amateur taxidermy – but that’s just part of its charm. The Big Koala was created in 1988, as a mascot for the Koala Kountry Motor Inn and roadhouse. And no, you can’t go inside the koala. There is a viewing platform on the koala’s head, but it was never allowed to open to the public because it doesn’t have a fire exit. Personally, it’s a risk I’d be willing to take.

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