If you’re a born and bred Aussie, you know we have an unexplained obsession with Big Things. Having already covered the biggest and best Big Things you can visit in South Australia and Queensland, it’s time to discover what large monuments and statues Victoria has to offer.
Whether it’s the Big Koala or the Big Ned Kelly, Victoria has a wonderful selection of Big Things worth checking out on your travels.
Also Read: A Guide to Australia’s Big Things
Read our guide to Victoria’s Big Things below.
The Big Gnome
Langwarrin
As part of the McClelland Commission—an initiative between Peninsula Link company Southern Way and the McClelland Sculpture Park and Gallery—established in 2013, 14 pieces of art will be constructed and displayed at roadside locations across Victoria over a 25-year period until 2037.
Of the structures completed so far, the Big Gnome, officially known as Reflective Lullaby, is the most recognisable. Crafted by Auckland-based artist Gregor Kregar, the Big Gnome stands 9 metres tall and is coated in a reflective chrome, making it hard to miss.
Originally stationed at Peninsula Link’s Cranbourne Road exit for four years before spending the next four on the corner of Moorooduc Highway and Hastings Road in Frankston, the Big Gnome now sits in its new home at the McClelland Sculpture Park and Gallery.
The Giant Koala
Dadswells Bridge
No journey between Melbourne and Adelaide is complete without a stop at the Giant Koala. Nestled between Stawell and Horsham beside the Western Highway, this massive koala stands 14 metres tall and weighs roughly 12 tons.
Designed by Ben Van Zetton in 1989, you can take the internal staircase to the top for views of the surrounding area before popping into the downstairs souvenir shop and grabbing a koala keyring.
There’s also a petting zoo for the kids and a cafe and shop where you can pick up snacks for the trip home.
The Big Abalone
Laverton North
Melbourne is known as the ‘Abalone capital of the world’, so it’s only fitting there’s a large replica of one in the ‘Garden State’.
Found in the town of Laverton North, just a half-hour drive out of Melbourne, the Big Abalone was unveiled by Premier Steve Bracks in 2001.
Made from fibreglass, it sits atop a 5.3m sign near the Australian Abalone Exports headquarters.
Fun fact: the Big Abalone is one of only two Big Things that rotates, with the other being the Big Rolling Pin at Henri’s Bakery in Wodonga.
The Big Ned Kelly
Glenrowan
An ode to Australia’s most famous bushranger, the Big Ned Kelly is a towering 6-meter-tall statue found in Glenrowan, the town where Kelly and his gang made their last stand.
The monument features Ned Kelly holding a rifle and wearing his famous armour and mask.
There have been three Ned Kelly statues featured in Glenrowan over the years. There isn’t a lot of information about the first, except that it was stolen soon after being built and thrown into a nearby river.
The second was built by Bob Hempel in 1980 and remains at his Kellyland museum, which is still open today.
The final Big Ned Kelly is on display in front of the local post office. It was crafted by Sydney special effects guru Kevin Thomas. It cost $12,000 to build and took 11 hours to transport from Sydney to Glenrowan where it was unveiled on April 14, 1992.
The Big Wave
Newhaven
Although not as big as any real wave you’re likely to encounter surfing the Victorian coastline, the Big Wave in Newhaven is a cool tourist attraction that’s part of the Big Wave Complex on Phillip Island.
The complex includes backpacker accommodation, a cafe, an acupuncture centre and an exhibition centre where you can learn about the history and culture of surfing in Australia.
Unlike other Big Things, this one is interactive. There’s a surfboard inside the wave you can pretend to hang ten on while getting a snap for the gram.
The Giant Murray Cod
Swan Hill
Next to Swan Hill train station sits the Giant Murray Cod, a monument to the tasty fish that once flourished in the nearby Murray River before overfishing and drought impacted their numbers.
This Big Thing was originally built as a prop for the 1991 independent movie Eight Ball before being donated to the town and erected near the train station.
Affectionately known as Arnold, the Giant Murray Cod is 15 metres long, 5 metres high and 3 metres long. It’s also one of the few Big Things kept in good shape and still looks relatively new.
The Big Purse
Melbourne
Take a walk down Melbourne’s Bourke Street and you’ll encounter the Big Purse.
Simon Perry was commissioned by the City of Melbourne as part of the Precent for Art Program to create the unique Big Thing in 1994.
As well as resembling a clip purse, the Big Purse acts as a seat for those needing to rest their weary feet after a Melbourne shopping spree.
The Big Cigar
Churchill
The Big Cigar isn’t a replica of a cigar as many think, but is actually a 32-metre tall spire commissioned by Victoria’s Housing Commission in 1967.
There’s no official reason why the statue was built, but it’s believed to have earned its nickname the ‘Big Cigar’ due to Winston Churchill’s love of cigars, the man the town is named after.
As reported by the ABC, the townsfolk successfully applied to the Latrobe City Council to register the spire’s official name as the ‘Churchill Town Symbol’ to stop it being associated with cigars and smoking. It hasn’t worked so far.
The Big Pheasant
Tynong
This colourful Big Thing is found at the entrance to Gumbuya World, an amusement park in Tynong that consists of a water park, a wildlife park and a bunch of thrilling rides.
It used to be a pheasant farm before being turned into Gumbuya Park in 1978, with the Big Pheasant a nod to the land’s past as well as the wildlife inside.
In 2011 a man vandalised the Big Pheasant by attaching explosives to its tail and blowing off its rear. It caused $50,000 worth of damage and took six months to fix, with the man who caused the destruction arrested and charged for his crime.
The Big Wine Bottle
Rutherglen
A 127-year-old water tower that once supplied all the fresh water to the town of Rutherglen is now known as the Big Wine Bottle.
Up close it looks like any water tower you’d come across in the country, but from a distance, it resembles a gigantic bottle of wine thanks to a mesh section that was added to the top of the tower in December 1969.
While the inside is empty and you can’t climb to the top, the Big Wine Bottle remains an attraction many tourists love to get a snap of when hitting up the wineries in the region.
The Big Miner
Warrenheip
It’s not just South Australia that’s home to a Big Miner. Victoria’s gold mining town of Ballarat also features an 8-meter-tall statue in tribute to the area’s mining past.
The Big Miner was designed by Wayne Johnston of 3D Theme Concepts and sculpted by Steve Bristow using polystyrene. The statue is said to have cost somewhere around the mark of $1.5 million, making it unofficially the most expensive Big Thing in the country.
The statue sits on a 2-meter-high base weighing about 15 tons and was revealed to the public by Mayor Wayne Johnston in 2006.
The Big Strawberry
Koonoomoo
As well as being one of Victoria’s Big Things, the Big Strawberry is also the name of a strawberry farm where you can pick your own berries in the Goulburn Valley.
Owned and operated by Darren and Tarm Hayes, most who visit have a photo with the bright red strawberry before heading into the cafe and sampling a wide range of products made from strawberries, including their homemade strawberry ice cream.
As for the actual Big Strawberry, it’s crafted from 5,430 metres of steel covered in multiple layers of fibreglass. Standing over 6 metres tall and roughly 5 metres in diameter, it’s painted Ford Monza Red as a tribute to Darren’s love of Ford automobiles.
Other Notable Big Things in Victoria:
- The Big Mallee Bull | Birchip
- The Big Skipping Girl | Abbotsford
- The Big Magpie | Euroa
- The Big Golf Ball | Heatherton
- The Big Cherry | Wyuna
- The Big Milkshake | Warrnambool
- The Big Cows | Newhaven
- The Big Orange | Mildura
- The Big Malle Fowl | Patchwollock
- The Big Watermelon | Wantirna
- The Big Shovel | Chiltern
- The Big Apple | Bacchus Marsh
