Pages from the old Outback Now tours directory about roadside oddities — "the pig" at Kingaroy, the "ute on the pole" at Deniliquin and the dingo statue at Dingo — still attract links. Here they are, with other quirky stops worth a detour.
Inland Queensland
Dingo — the small Capricorn Highway town near Duaringa has a dingo statue and has held a dingo trap throwing competition.
Kingaroy — the peanut capital of Australia in the South Burnett has peanut silos and quirky sculptures, including a pig statue listed in the original Outback Now.
Hughenden — a giant replica Muttaburrasaurus ("Hughie") stands near the Flinders Discovery Centre.
Normanton — a life-size statue of "Krys", the 8.63 m saltwater crocodile.
Winton — the Musical Fence and Arno's Wall.
New South Wales and Victoria
Deniliquin — the "Ute Capital of the World", home of the Deni Ute Muster in some years, has a ute on a pole near the town entrance.
Goulburn — the Big Merino, a giant concrete ram that honours the wool industry.
Broken Hill — the Living Desert Sculptures and an enormous painted mural trail.
South Australia and the NT
Coober Pedy — a "Big Winch" and spaceship sculptures left from film sets.
Wycliffe Well (NT) — styles itself as a UFO capital, with alien statues and murals.
Daly Waters (NT) — the historic pub is decorated with bras, banknotes and badges left by travellers.
Tips for Big Thing hunters
Most are free and accessible from the highway. Pull over safely, use designated parking and support the local café or shop that maintains them.
Why Australia loves Big Things
Australia's "Big Things" — oversized sculptures of fruit, animals, people and objects — became a roadside phenomenon from the 1960s onward, as car ownership and family road trips grew. Towns and businesses built them to give travellers a reason to stop, and many became local landmarks and symbols of civic pride. In the outback, where towns are far apart, quirky landmarks do the same job: they mark the place, tell its story and invite you to stretch your legs, buy a coffee and spend a little money in town.
Many outback icons aren't strictly "big" at all. Pubs covered in memorabilia, sculpture parks in the desert, odd fences and themed towns are part of the same tradition of outback humour and self-promotion.
More quirky stops in Queensland
Cunnamulla — a bronze statue of the "Cunnamulla Fella", celebrating the song made famous by Slim Dusty, stands in the main street. See Cunnamulla.
Barcaldine — the Tree of Knowledge memorial, a striking timber structure that shelters the remains of the ghost gum where striking shearers met in 1891, lights up at night. See Barcaldine.
Ilfracombe — a "machinery mile" of historic vehicles and farm equipment lines the highway east of Longreach.
Winton — in addition to the Musical Fence, the town's main street features "Arno's Wall", a long wall studded with everything from motorbikes to typewriters. See Winton.
Charleville — the Cosmos Centre and its night-sky shows give the town a space-age twist. See Charleville.
More in New South Wales and Victoria
Nyngan — the "Big Bogan", a statue of a larrikin bogan with a guitar and an Akubra, plays on the name of the Bogan River and Bogan Shire.
Lightning Ridge — the Car Door Tours use painted car doors to guide visitors around the opal fields, a uniquely outback way of signposting. See Lightning Ridge.
Silverton — the Mad Max 2 Museum, the Silverton Hotel with its film memorabilia and the replica Interceptor parked outside have made the town a pilgrimage site for film fans. See Silverton.
Swan Hill — the Big Murray Cod, near the railway station, in Victoria's Mallee.
Hay — the Shear Outback museum honours shearers, and the town's quirky bridge and plains make the Hay Plains a memorable crossing. See Hay.
More in South Australia, the NT and WA
Kimba — the Big Galah, on the Eyre Highway, marks what the town promotes as halfway across Australia.
Coober Pedy — beyond the Big Winch, look for the rusting "spaceship" prop from a film and the town's many underground attractions; see Underground Coober Pedy.
Tennant Creek — the Devils Marbles (Karlu Karlu), south of town, are natural rather than built, but no less extraordinary. They are a sacred site for Traditional Owners; visit respectfully. See Tennant Creek.
Lake Ballard, WA — Antony Gormley's Inside Australia sculptures stand on a salt lake near Menzies, north of Kalgoorlie, and are one of the outback's most unusual art installations.
Leonora and Gwalia, WA — the Gwalia ghost town preserves miners' cottages and a historic headframe. See Leonora.
Planning a quirky road trip
Big Things and roadside icons are easy to string together on a road trip. Classic routes include the Matilda Way through central Queensland, the Great Inland Way and the Stuart Highway on the Adelaide to Darwin drive. Plan fuel and accommodation carefully, as distances between towns can be long, and check that attractions are open — some museums and themed businesses keep seasonal hours.
Etiquette
Big Things are often privately owned, maintained by volunteers or attached to businesses. Park safely off the highway, don't climb on sculptures unless signs say you can, keep an eye on children near roads and buy something from the shop or café that looks after them. Sharing your photos and tagging the town helps small communities, too.
Further reading
Frequently asked questions
How many Big Things are there in Australia?
There are well over a hundred "Big Things" across the country, though exact counts vary as new ones appear and others are removed.
What is the most famous Big Thing in Australia?
Contenders include the Big Banana at Coffs Harbour, the Big Pineapple on the Sunshine Coast, the Big Merino at Goulburn and the Big Prawn at Ballina.
Sources and further reading
Facts on this page were checked against these primary and official sources. Conditions change — confirm before you travel or buy.
- Big Things — Tourism Australia
