Some Big Things are 60-second highway photo stops. Others can fill an entire day with theme-park rides, animal experiences, and climb-the-icon novelty. This roundup is the second kind. The Big Banana at Coffs Harbour and the Big Pineapple at Woombye are genuine full-day theme parks. The Big Rocking Horse at Gumeracha lets kids climb inside Australia's tallest Big Thing. The DNA Tower offers 101 steps of staircase adventure. Plus the photo stops kids actually remember.
Not every Big Thing is a kid's destination — some are highway statues with no shade and no facilities. The ones in this roundup are deliberately family-friendly: shaded car parks, climbable structures, theme-park entertainment, working cafes, or genuinely fun photo moments.
Theme parks, climbable icons, and the rare Big Things that justify a half-day stop. The best of the family-friendly category.
The 16m heritage-listed icon is the centrepiece of a working theme park — train rides through the plantation, animal enclosures, water slides, restaurants, and the climbable lookout inside the pineapple itself. A genuine full-day stop on any Sunshine Coast trip.
Read moreThe original — and now Australia's longest-running Big Thing theme park. Water slides, ice skating, mini-golf, the World of Bananas plantation tour, and the giant banana itself. The full Coffs Harbour family experience.
Read moreClimb 18.3 metres to the head of Australia's tallest Big Thing, then receive a Certificate of Completion at the bottom. The attached Toy Factory makes traditional wooden toys. The Adelaide Hills' best family day out.
Read moreMost family-friendly Big Things cluster near major holiday regions — the Sunshine Coast, the NSW Mid North Coast, the Adelaide Hills, and Perth's Kings Park. Easy to combine with broader holiday plans.
Filter by experience type or browse the lot. Each card links to a full guide where one exists, with kid-relevant info and facilities.
Each combines two or three full-day Big Things into a manageable family-paced holiday — not a marathon.
5–7 days, easy. Sunshine Coast (Big Pineapple full day) → Brisbane → Byron Bay → Coffs Harbour (Big Banana full day). The two flagship Big Things theme parks plus all the easy coast in between. Suits ages 4–14.
2–3 days, easy. Adelaide → Adelaide Hills (Big Rocking Horse climb + Toy Factory) → Hahndorf → Murray River. Compact, all-ages-friendly, with a guaranteed photo of your kid climbing Australia's tallest Big Thing.
1 day, very easy. Kings Park (DNA Tower climb + Federation Walkway + State War Memorial + Botanic Garden picnic). A complete Big Things experience inside one of the world's largest inner-city parks. Free.
Tips: book theme park days separately (Big Banana, Big Pineapple, Toy Factory), travel in school holidays for fully-staffed attractions, pack lunch for the photo-stop icons (some are remote with limited food).
Sunshine Coast, Coffs Harbour, Adelaide, Perth — direct to your icons.
Trip Planner ↗Apartments & resorts with kitchens, pools and laundry — essential.
Trip Planner ↗Booster seats and child restraints — request when booking.
Trip Planner ↗Booster seats available · group family bookings welcome.
Airport Shuttle Services ↗The flagship 8-day Brisbane–Sydney Big Things tour visits both the Big Pineapple and the Big Banana — Australia's two flagship Big Things theme parks — plus another 6+ Big Things, with family-friendly accommodation and pacing throughout. The most efficient way for a family to see the east coast's Big Things.
View the tour →