Souvenirs Australia Warehouse
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Souvenirs Australia Warehouse
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Here we bring you stories about the Australian
fascination with Big Things. MORE 'BIG THINGS' NEWS COMING SOON Big Pineapple faces the chop Courtesy SMH Online 17 June 2005 The Big Pineapple on Queensland's Sunshine Coast Residential developers are expected to snap up the 34-year-old tourist
attraction which, in addition to the giant fruit, features 80 hectares of prime
real estate on Queensland's Sunshine Coast hinterland. The Big Pineapple agricultural tourist attraction is one of Australia's
oldest "big things", second only to the Big Banana in Coffs Harbour,
New South Wales. The property, which includes the 16m-high fibreglass pineapple, was a smash
hit with families when it was first opened in 1971 and has evolved into a
much-loved feature. But in recent years it has struggled to break even in the face of tough
competition from Gold Coast theme parks and Steve Irwin's nearby Australia Zoo. Last year the venue was put into liquidation, but dug itself out of debt. Savills Sunshine Coast director Jerry O'Reilly, acting on behalf of the
owners - the Sydney-based Hayes family - said they were no longer interested in
maintaining the labour-intensive property. "It's not one of their prime assets, they have other assets in Sydney
and Melbourne, ... so they've decided that it's time for them to get out,"
he said. Calling for expressions of interest on the property, which includes five
separate land titles, Mr O'Reilly said buyers now had until July 27 to make an
offer. Mr O'Reilly said the Big Pineapple still had a lot to offer - either as a
tourism destination or a development.
AAP
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Coffs Harbour’s and indeed Australia’s most
famous icon would have to be THE BIG BANANA. This 33 year old giant structure modeled on a prize
winning banana is probably the most photographed object in Australia.
At any time of the day cameras are clicking away - individuals,
couples, honeymooners, small groups, families, whole
coach loads of people - all recording their visit to The Big Banana.
Many are returning with children and grandchildren to continue a family
tradition. Frequently the comment has been; “The Big
Banana is not as big as I remember”. Well, it is still 11
metres long, 5 metres high, and 2.4 metres wide but the
surrounding developments have lessened its impact. In 1995
The Big Banana moved - forward on the site, up on a higher
platform, and sideways slightly to centre it between the
buildings. It now presents a more imposing facade once again. Located just north of Coffs
Harbour on the Pacific Highway, 565
kilometres north of Sydney and 450 kilometres south of Brisbane The Big
Banana is always a favourite stopping place with people of all ages and
has been for over 30 years. With fun rides, educational tours and exhibitions,
recreational activities, a variety of food experiences as well as
several retail outlets, The Big Banana is “A FAMILY PLACE - SOMETHING
FOR EVERYONE”. The photo and information above is courtesy of the Big Banana web site. Information courtesy of the Big Golden Guitar Tourist Centre web site. For more information on the Big Golden Guitar please visit: http://www.biggoldenguitar.com.au/ .............................................................................................................................................................. Australia's wettest town is hoping tourists will get a kick out of its
controversial new eight-metre golden gumboot. The giant boot was erected today in Tully, north Queensland, which in 1950
clinched the record for the country's highest annual rainfall with 7.93 metres. It is the latest in a "big things" boom in the tropics, which
includes Bowen's recently finished big mango and Sarina's big cane toad. The struggling sugar town came up with the idea to attract tourists and
cement its status as the rain capital, a title hotly debated by neighbours. The golden gumboot was originally a rubber boot awarded to one of Australia's
three wettest towns - Tully, Babinda or Innisfail - depending on which had the
most yearly rainfall. According to legend it became a two-horse race when Innisfail's rainfall
dropped out of contention around the time the rain gauge was moved from the
vicinity of the public toilets. When Tully's Rotary Club decided to claim the gumboot permanently, Babinda,
which has had more rainfall in recent years, responded with plans to build a
giant umbrella. The $30,000 boot was built on the Atherton Tablelands but the finish date was
delayed by more than a month by heavy rain, said local councillor Ron Hunt. "Because it's so big there was no shed big enough, so it had to be built
outdoors," he said. "And you wouldn't believe it, Millaa Millaa has more wet days than Tully
- they don't have more rain, but it has more wet days." Tully Rotarian Roger Chandler, who carved the green tree frog climbing up the
boot, said opponents of the new attraction were not confined to Babinda. "A lot of people (in Tully) think it's stupid; I've run into people who
say 'that stupid-looking thing is down here already," he said. "The town's divided into those who like it and those who hate it." Millaa Millaa Sculptor Bryan Newell, who modelled the creation on his own
gumboot, said the boot was already succeeding in drawing people to Tully. The golden gumboot has been built to cyclone specification and was paid for
by fundraising and local government grants. A spiral staircase will be built into the heel over coming weeks, allowing
visitors to climb up to a viewing platform. Its progress from concept to reality was filmed by a documentary crew
studying Australia's Big Thing phenomenon. AAP .......................................................................................................................................................... Travellers
in Australia usually do not get very far before they come across a “big”
something or other. About 3
km north of Coff’s Harbour, for instance,
is the Big Banana, an enormous yellow concrete banana. The surrounding complex includes various other tourist attractions. Other
“big” items include the following:- The
Big Gold Panner, Bathurst, N.S.W.
The
Big Prawn, Ballina, N.S.W. The
Big Mandarin, Mundubbera Mundubbera, Queensland The
Big Orange, Berri, South Australia The
Big Oyster, Taree, N.S.W. The
Big Lobster, Kingston, South Australia The
Big Merino, Goulburn, N.S.W. The
Big Bull. Wauchope, N.S.W. The
Big Lizzie, Red Cliffs, Victoria The
Big Tree Goanna, Crystal Brook, South Australia The
Big Cheese, Bodalla, N.S.W. The
Big Rocking Horse, Gumeracha, South Australia The
Big Wool Bales, Hamilton, Victoria The
Big Ram, Wagin, Western Australia The
Big Winch, Coober Pedy, South Australia The
Big Barramundi, Daintree, Queensland The
Big Pineapple, Nambour, Queensland The
Big Cigar, Churchill, Victoria The
Big Penguin, Penguin, Tasmania The
Big Crocodile, Wyndham, Western Australia The
Big Orange, Gayndah, Queensland The
Big Bull, Rockhampton, Queensland The
Big Potato, Robertson, N.S.W. The
Big Golden Guitar, Tamworth, N.S.W. The
Big Roo, Border Village The
Big Tree, Pemberton, Western Australia The
Big Bowl of Fruit, Bilpin, N.S.W. The
Big Ned Kelly, Glen Rowan, Victoria The
Big Milkshake Container, Kyabram, Victoria The
Big Apple, Stanthorpe, Queensland The
Big Avocado, Byron Bay, N.S.W. The
Big Bottle, Mangrove Mountain, N.S.W. The
Big
Macadamia, Nambour, Queensland The
Big
Cow, Nambour, Queensland The
Big
Orange, Tenterfield, N.S.W. The
Big Peanut, Kingaroy, Queensland The
Big Rock, Barrington Tops, N.S.W. The
Big Trout, Adaminaby, N.S.W. The
Big Windmill, Coff’s Harbour, N.S.W.
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The 12m high Big Golden Guitar weighs half a ton!
March 3 2003 (Courtesy of the Sydney Morning Herald)