If you haven’t read the previous blog post (part 1) here’s a brief outline of what this is all about.
Australia has, some might say oddly, embraced ‘big things’ (think the Big Pineapple or the Big Merino) as a way to promote a business or attract tourists. After some research I discovered there were literally hundreds of these large attractions scattered willy nilly around the continent.
In my last blog post I embarked on a road trip starting in Sydney circumnavigating the country taking in as many ‘big things in Australia’ as possible. I left off at the Big Lobster in Kingston South Australia, which, I must say, is a mighty fine example of a big thing in Australia.
Day 5 – Kingston to Adelaide
(3 hours 10 minutes)
Hit the road again heading towards Adelaide!
A couple of hours on, in a little town called Tailem Bend we come across The Big Olive (or more accurately… the Big Olives!). The Big Olive is located at the gateway to one of the largest olive processing plants in the Southern Hemisphere and produces olive oil, table olives, tapenades and other olive related products. Much like a winery Cellar Door the Big Olive offers free tastings of its oils and products along with tours of its state of the art facility. For a normally small fruit, the whole Big Olive set up is pretty impressive.
The Big Things in Australia tour continues heading into the Adelaide hills we are greeted by the sight of our second Big Strawberry on this tour, unfortunately if you’ve seen one big strawberry you’ve seen them all. Although on the plus side, this big strawberry fronts the Beerenberg Strawberry farm where once again you can pick your own strawberries and sample some of their beautiful jams, preserves and sauces. The Soho Hotel, an Ascend Hotel Collection Member is an excellent hotel conveniently located near the airport. Take a look at other accommodation options in the area.
Day 6 – Adelaide to Port Augusta
(3 hours 15 minutes)
Just 80 kilometres drive North of Adelaide brings us to Kapunda, home to the Big Miner. The Big Miner looms over the road entering the mining town and was erected as a monument to the ‘Cornish Miner’ who was instrumental in the development of the region. The town of Kapunda is worth looking around with its open cut mines, historic buildings and rich mining history.
Another 200 kilometres north, our Big Things in Australia tour, takes us to Port Germain which boasts what is thought to be the longest jetty in the Southern Hemisphere aka the Big Jetty. Stretching an impressive 1532 metres into the sea, the jetty was built in 1881 to load grain onto sailing ships. A walk down this jetty takes a good 15 minutes and its seamlessly never ending planking certainly qualifies it as a ‘big thing’.
Port Augusta is the next stop with its Big Dinosaur or more accurately, big dinosaur mouth! The gaping dinosaur mouth is the entrance to The Wadlata Outback Centre, the winner of six state tourism awards and taking a trip down the dinosaur’s gullet to do a self guided tour of the ‘tunnel of time’ is well worth the time. The Wadlata Outback Centre has a second big attraction in the form of a giant snake; the Big Snake is suspended from the ceiling and is an ophidiophobic’s (someone with a fear of snakes) worst nightmare. The Comfort Inn August Westside is located only a 5-minute drive from the Wadlata Outback Centre and provides comfortable Port Augusta accommodation in luxury serviced apartments with all rooms featuring well stocked kitchens.
Day 7 – Port Augusta to Ceduna
(4 hours 50 minutes)
Heading west from Port Augusta to the small town of Kimba we come across the Big Galah perched in front of a tourist gift shop called ‘Half Way Across Australia’, reflecting Kimba’s claim of being the midway point between the east and west coasts of Australia. Although a little bit underweight, the Big Galah is a fairly life like looking replica and at seven metres tall, hard to miss in a town the size of Kimba.
The eight metre tall Big Farmer in the town of Wudinna is the next stop, taking 17 years from concept to completion the Big Farmer was built to represent the early settlers of the region. Carved from granite the statue weighs an impressive 70 tonnes. Next stop on the Big Things in Australia tour only a few hours North West brings us to Ceduna the home of the Big Oyster and the first two holes of the World’s Longest Golf Course.
The Big Oyster was originally built for use on a float for Ceduna’s annual oyster fest by the local oyster farmers but has been retired from duty since 1994. It now beckons passersby to visit the local oyster farms, although excuse me for being a little underwhelmed! In opposition I was rather impressed to learn of Nullarbor Links – the World’s Longest Golf Course which is an 18 hole, par 72 golf course spanning 1,365 kilometres across the Nullarbor from Ceduna to Kalgoorlie with a hole in each participating town along the Eyre Highway. Now that’s big!
Next: The Choice ‘Big Things’ in Australia Tour – Part 3
Previous: The Choice ‘Big Things’ in Australia Tour – Part 1
