My first was the Big Banana.

Giant Koala, Dadswell Bridge VIC

My first was the Big Banana. Everyone has to start somewhere.

Australia's highway network seems small compared to the roads I've traveled in the US. The towns are fewer with more space between them. The roads are narrower; the roadhouses less frequent.

Big Whale, Eucla WA

I grew up in a small town in Illinois nestled along old Route 66. On our weekly trip to my grandma's house, we'd pass remnants of old restaurants and motels. We ate in the truck stops and drive-ins that were still operating. The original highway had been replaced with it's wider, faster cousin - Interstate 55. The rich history of Route 66 was starting to slip away.

Amazon.com popped up while I was finishing college, just as I was ready to hit the road myself. One of my first purchases was The New Roadside America. Billed as the modern traveler's guide to the wild and wonderful, The New Roadside led me to some of America's finest kitsch. I didn't seek it out, but I'd pull over and stop if I happened to be passing a giant Michelin man or a six-legged cow. At the time,  I made most of my long road trips solo and these distractions were just the break I needed to stay awake and refreshed.

I wasn't the only one who benefitted from the stops. Highways are a lifeblood for a small town. They bring in strangers and with them comes money. You need to give people a reason to stop. You need to give them a Big Banana.

Another big whale in the Nullarbor

When I moved to in Australia in 2003, I learned that the Aussies had their own brand of roadside flair. It may have been the Big Merino, but I'm pretty sure the Big Banana was my first. Beginning in 1963, towns and businesses around Australia started building their own giant things to draw people in and give them a reason to visit. The big things hit their heyday in the 1970s, but the structures keep coming with a surprising number built in the last five years. There's about 150 big things in Australia with a rough list on Wikipedia, but I know it's incomplete.

We learned quite early in our travels not to seek them out, because you'll likely be disappointed. If anyone ever recommends the Big Potato in Robertson to you, run the other way. It's the most disappointing of all. But if we're driving by and happen to see a big thing sign, we'll pull up and stop. When you're driving in the Nullarbor with the roadhouses sporadically placed, you inevitably stop at all of them. 

Craig exceptionally misaligned to hold the ball of The Giant Ram, Wagin WA

This trip we added The Big Kangaroo, The Giant Ram, The Giant Koala, The Big Whale, another slightly less big whale, a giant great white, the Big Olive, a Big Miner and two large Ned Kelly's to those things we've already seen. Sometimes we stop for a twee travel pose, other times we roll by slowly glancing from the car.

The Gold Miner, Ballarat VIC

We aren't keeping score though and never set out with a plan. Looking at the Wikipedia list, it seems we missed several on our 5000 kilometer journey. A few won't make it as they age with time, but most will still be there for years to come awaiting our return.

The Big Kangaroo, Bordertown

I confess I've put far too much thought into roadside attractions, but I've also spent a lot of time in cars. I dutifully checked off those stops I saw in my American Roadside guide, but the Australian stops have only been loosely noted in the sketchy memory banks of my mind. I can only guess right now, but I think I have seen 30 or 40 Australia's finest big things and about five giant duds.

I've even concocted my own roadside plan, should a plot of land next to the highway magically appear in my hands. When that happens, I'll be building a giant tiered wedding cake with a cafe on the lower level, a chapel in the middle and photo opportunities on top.  A grandiose and ridiculous plan, I'm sure it needs built.

Closing thought: We may travel in different eras, but our roadside experiences are shared nonetheless.



This is part 4 of our Nullarbor crossing, train and camping trip. In part 5, a dog pees on me twice.