The story

Built in 1989 by then-prawn-trawler-owner James Bennett, the Big Prawn was originally part of a tourist complex on the Pacific Highway at West Ballina — a roadhouse, a souvenir shop, and a 9-metre concrete-and-fibreglass crustacean out the front to lure travellers off the highway. It worked, for a while.

The Big Prawn was an oversized but somewhat anatomically unconvincing creature — a 35-tonne behemoth with bug-eyes, antennae, and (controversially among crustacean purists) no tail. The missing tail was deliberate: Bennett reportedly wanted the prawn to look proud and lifted, not droopy, so the tail was simplified out of the original design.

Then came the lean years. The Pacific Highway upgrade gradually rerouted traffic. The roadhouse closed. The tourist precinct languished. In September 2009, Ballina Shire Council voted to allow the Big Prawn to be demolished. The decision sparked national outrage, a "Save the Big Prawn" community campaign, and front-page newspaper coverage across the country.

Bunnings Warehouse — yes, the hardware giant — bought the property in 2011 and committed $400,000 to restore the Prawn as part of the new store development. The 2013 restoration also gave Larry's east-coast crustacean cousin something he'd been missing for 24 years: a tail. The repainted, retailed, repositioned Big Prawn was unveiled at the new Bunnings entrance, and has been one of the most photographed Big Things in Australia ever since.

"There's something profoundly Australian about Bunnings saving a 35-tonne crustacean from demolition. Larry the Lobster got Hamish & Andy; the Big Prawn got Bunnings. Different rescues, same underlying truth — we don't let these icons go." — Adapted from Northern Rivers tourism commentary

The Bunnings rescue did more than save a single sculpture. It signalled that Australia's Big Things had become culturally important enough that even the country's largest hardware chain would invest in their preservation. The Big Prawn is now the welcoming committee for every shopper at West Ballina's Bunnings, and a free roadside photo stop for travellers heading north to Byron Bay or south to Coffs Harbour and the Big Banana.

Visiting the Big Prawn

The Big Prawn sits at the front of the West Ballina Bunnings, just off the Pacific Motorway exit at Ballina. He's about 10 minutes from central Ballina, 30 minutes from Byron Bay, and 200km north of Coffs Harbour (and the Big Banana). Stop for a free photo any time; the Bunnings store is open standard retail hours if you want to combine it with picking up some snags from the sausage sizzle out the front.

Practical info

Address
Bunnings West Ballina, 507 River Street, West Ballina NSW 2478
Hours
Big Prawn is visible 24/7 (well-lit at night). Bunnings store typically 7:00am – 7:00pm Mon–Fri, 7:00am – 6:00pm Sat, 8:00am – 6:00pm Sun.
Entry
Free — no entry fee, no parking fee, no obligation to buy power tools
Parking
Free Bunnings car park, large lot, plenty of space
Accessibility
Sealed flat path from car park; fully accessible
Best time
Morning or late afternoon for the best light on the red shell. Saturday sausage sizzle for the full Australian experience.
Get directions → Ballina Visitor Info →

What's at the site

  • The Big Prawn himself — 9 metres of bright red restored glory, complete with his post-2013 tail. Photo opportunities work best from underneath the antennae looking up.
  • Bunnings sausage sizzle — community fundraisers run most Saturdays at the entrance. Iconic in its own right.
  • Bunnings Warehouse — full hardware store, garden centre, café. Genuinely useful if you're road-tripping and need anything.
  • Bunnings car park — large, free, with toilets in the store. Convenient pit stop for a 200km+ drive.

🦐 Cooee Tours Tip

The Big Prawn is the obvious mid-drive stop on a Brisbane-to-Sydney run via the coast. Pair it with the Big Banana 200km south (about 2 hours' drive) for a "crustacean and fruit" double-header. Or pop into central Ballina afterwards — the lighthouse and beachfront are 10 minutes east of the Bunnings, and the Macadamia Castle (yes, another Big Thing, sort of) is about 15 minutes south.

What else is nearby

Ballina sits at the mouth of the Richmond River on the Northern Rivers coast — one of NSW's most loved sub-tropical regions. After the Big Prawn, easy excursions include the Ballina Lighthouse and beachfront, Lake Ainsworth at Lennox Head (15 minutes), and Byron Bay (35 minutes north). See our full Northern Rivers travel guide for the comprehensive 3-day itinerary.

For other Big Things, the closest is the Macadamia Castle at Knockrow (15 minutes south, technically not a Big Thing but adjacent), and the Big Banana at Coffs Harbour is exactly 200km south — the natural next stop. Heading north, you'll hit the Big Avocado at Duranbah (50 minutes).

Trivia worth knowing

  • The original 1989 Big Prawn was built without a tail — Bennett's deliberate design choice. The tail was finally added during the 2013 Bunnings restoration, 24 years later.
  • Bunnings spent approximately $400,000 on the 2013 restoration, including the tail, repainting, and structural reinforcement.
  • The Big Prawn appeared on a 2007 Australia Post commemorative 50c stamp alongside the Big Banana, Big Pineapple, Big Merino, and Big Lobster.
  • In September 2009, Ballina Shire Council formally voted to allow demolition of the Big Prawn. The decision was reversed after sustained community campaigning.
  • The structure is concrete with a fibreglass shell, weighing approximately 35 tonnes. It would take well over a hundred actual prawn trawler hauls to assemble that much crustacean.
  • Big Prawn appeared on the Royal Australian Mint's 2023 commemorative Big Things $1 coin series.

When to visit

The Northern Rivers has a sub-tropical climate — warm year-round but with a humid wet season from December to March. For Big Prawn visits specifically, we recommend April to October: pleasant temperatures, lower humidity, and the morning light hits the red shell perfectly for photos. Avoid school holiday Saturdays at the Bunnings if you don't like crowds.