Australia takes its fruit seriously enough to build giant statues of it. From the Big Banana (1964 — the icon that started the genre's commercial boom) to the heritage-listed Big Pineapple, the famous Big Mango at Bowen, plus a Big Cherries, a Big Orange, a Big Mandarin, a Big Apple, a Big Strawberry and more — fruit-themed Big Things make up the largest single category in the genre. This is the complete orchard.
Fruit-themed Big Things are the largest single category in the Australian genre — at least ten major fruit icons across the country, tied to specific growing regions. The Big Banana put Coffs Harbour on the map. The Big Mango put Bowen on it. Every regional growing area, it seems, gets a fibreglass tribute.
The original (Big Banana), the heritage-listed (Big Pineapple), and the most-news-making (Big Mango). The defining trio of Australian fruit Big Things.
The original — opened 22 December 1964 at the gateway to a banana plantation gift shop. 5m × 11m × 4m of fibreglass, on the Pacific Highway. The first commercially successful Big Thing, and the icon that proved the formula worked.
Read moreThe genre's grand statement — 16 metres of fibreglass, opened 1971 on the Sunshine Coast. The only Big Thing formally entered on a state heritage register (QLD Heritage Register, 2009). Now hosts a music festival.
Read more10m of tropical orange on the Bruce Highway — famously "stolen" overnight in February 2014 in what turned out to be a Nando's PR stunt. The Big Thing that became international news.
Read moreBig Fruit follows the growing geography — bananas, pineapples and mangoes in the tropical north; citrus in the Riverland and Sunraysia; cherries and apples in cooler upland regions; berries and stone fruit in the south.
For an interactive version with all pins, see our full Big Things map.
Filter by fruit type or browse the lot. Each card links to a full guide where one exists, plus regional info, opening hours, and what's nearby.
Big Fruit follows growing geography. The east coast is the obvious circuit (Bowen → Woombye → Coffs Harbour), but inland and west each have their own fruit-themed runs.
4–5 days, easy. Bowen (Big Mango) → Woombye (Big Pineapple) → Coffs Harbour (Big Banana). Australia's most famous fruit-themed Big Things on a single Pacific Highway drive, with stops at the Whitsundays, Sunshine Coast and the NSW Mid North Coast.
2–3 days, easy. Sydney to Wagga via Young (Big Cherries) and the surrounding cherry-and-stone-fruit country. Best in November (cherry season) for the National Cherry Festival.
3–4 days, easy. Adelaide to Mildura via the Riverland — Big Orange at Berri, plus the surrounding citrus, wine, and stone-fruit country of Australia's most productive irrigated growing region.
Flights, accommodation, car hire — plus our suggested timing tip: aim for the fruit-in-season window for each region.
Brisbane, Sunshine Coast, Whitsundays, Adelaide, regional NSW.
Trip Planner ↗Coastal resorts, country motels, regional farmstays.
Trip Planner ↗Essential for fruit-region drives — most icons are rural.
Trip Planner ↗Every major Australian airport · ground transfer specialists.
Airport Shuttle Services ↗Our flagship 8-day Brisbane–Sydney Big Things tour is the fruit-themed circuit in itineraries-form — the Big Pineapple, Big Mango, Big Banana, and detours via Big Mandarin country plus Sunshine Coast farms. Three of the genre's most famous fruit icons on a single route.
View the tour →Fruit is just one category. If you'd rather plan around a specific region, here's the state-by-state index.