The ACT is the smallest state or territory by area (2,358 sq km), the second-smallest by population, and home to very few traditional Big Things. What Canberra does have is public art at a national scale — Skywhale balloons, sculpture gardens, and a few committed novelty pieces. If you're after a proper Big Things drive, the easy fix is to cross into the Southern Tablelands of NSW — Goulburn's Big Merino is 90 minutes north.
Canberra was built as a planned capital, and its "Big" attractions tend toward serious public art — Patricia Piccinini's Skywhale balloons, the National Gallery sculpture garden, the giant entries on Anzac Parade. Big Things in the roadside-attraction sense are scarce, by design.
Not a traditional Big Things lineup — but Canberra's three most "Big Thing"-adjacent attractions all reward a visit on their own merits.
Patricia Piccinini's 23-metre hot-air balloon shaped like a winged whale with ten mammary glands, commissioned for Canberra's 2013 centenary. Genuinely a Big Thing, just one that occasionally flies. Now joined by Skywhalepapa.
Read moreA 4-metre fibreglass mushroom in the bushland west of Canberra — quirky, slightly unsettling, and one of the few traditional Big Things the ACT possesses. Best visited on a Mount Stromlo Observatory day trip.
Read moreNot a single Big Thing but a constellation of them — including Bert Flugelman's 6-metre Cones, Clement Meadmore's Virginia, and Auguste Rodin's The Burghers of Calais. Free entry, on the lake shore.
Read moreCanberra-centric, as you'd expect. The territory is small enough that "where to find them" really means "within the city".
For an interactive version with all pins, see our full Big Things map.
Honestly, this is a short list. The territory's small enough that we can include the borderline-Big-Thing public art too — and we strongly recommend pairing the ACT with a Goulburn or Yass detour for the genuine roadside-icon experience.
For a genuine Big Things drive in the Canberra region, you need to cross into NSW. Here are three routes that combine an ACT visit with the Southern Tablelands and Snowy Mountains.
1–2 days, easy. Canberra north to Goulburn for the Big Merino at "Rambo" the giant ram. Includes a stop at Old Bungendore Wood Works on the way (Big Skirt and craft shop).
3–4 days, moderate. Canberra north via Yass and Cootamundra to Tamworth — the Big Cherries at Young, the Dog on the Tuckerbox at Gundagai, and the Big Golden Guitar.
2–3 days, easy. Canberra south to the Snowy Mountains — the Big Trout at Adaminaby, Mt Kosciuszko, and Lake Eucumbene. Great winter alternative to inland NSW.
Flights, accommodation, car hire — everything you need to plan a Canberra base for the broader Southern Tablelands.
Canberra Airport · direct flights from most major cities.
Trip Planner ↗Canberra CBD hotels, lakeside apartments, surrounding farm-stays.
Trip Planner ↗Essential for the cross-border NSW Big Things drives.
Trip Planner ↗Canberra airport & cross-border to NSW.
Airport Shuttle Services ↗The ACT isn't on our flagship East Coast Big Things tour — but a Canberra-based long weekend combining the capital with the Big Merino and Southern Tablelands is one of our most popular short bespoke trips.
Plan a custom trip →The ACT is small — the other states and territories have considerably more roadside-icon firepower.