ROAD TRIP AUSSIE STYLE !!!!!!!!!!
When I think about other countries there are always landmark images that spring to my mind. Iconic, Beautiful and quintessentially of that particular country. If I ever go to America I’m going to do a road trip and go and check out Mount Rushmore and the Grand Canyon.In France I'd visit the Eiffel Tower, and vineyards at Bordeaux.And a road trip in England would have to include Big Ben and Stonehenge.
Let me tell you what Australians think about when we plan a road trip. It’s not Uluru or the Daintree Rain Forests. It’s BIG things. Freakishly big things. We are obsessed in this country with making things big that should be normal sized. And then plonking them by the roadside to scare the crap out of unsuspecting tourists. And then making them buy tacky souvenirs of the BIG thing they've just visited. I know there is some place in America that has the world biggest ball of string, but really our big stuff beats that hands down.
We are inordinately proud of our BIG things here. So proud in fact that we have about 150 of them scattered across the country. And it is the law that they must be referred to in conversation and in writing prefaced by the word BIG – just like that in capitals. Naturally we have a BIG kangaroo, and a BIG koala and other BIG marsupials but we also have some other random big things that are pretty darn funny. And some are just plain bloody ridiculous.
Does that koala look like he's about to go postal? Imagine bombing along the Highway and coming across that round a corner in the middle of nowhere.
So, grab some beer and a pizza,pack your salty pretzels and come with me on an Aussie Road Trip to check out some of our BIG things.
First stop is 20 minutes from my house at the BIG rocking horse which stands 18 metres (60 feet) high. Can you imagine cleaning up poop from that?
What road trip would be complete without the BIG red back spider. Scary shit. Literally. That's a dunny it's perched on in parody of a very famous Australian song called "Redback on the Toilet Seat" . Google it...
Next stop is the big rolling pin. I'm seeing giant pies ....Mmmmmmmmmm...Pie.
Yes we have a Big Pie too!
The Big Mower. I have to ask ...why? About now I need to stop for a toilet break and some greasy roadhouse food because I haven't eaten since the big rolling pin.
Fruit Salad anyone? The Big Fruit Bowl. I'm driving straight past because I filled up at the big pie.
We also have the Big Banana , The Big Orange and The Big Pineapple.
Seafood anyone? ..The Big Lobster reminds me of something from a Japanese monster movie from the 1950's. My parents used to live 15 minutes from Larry here. When you've seen him 4 million times he ceases to be exciting.
The Big Trout (looks like a dolphin to me )
The big Prawn ( aka Big Shrimp- which is actually an oxymoron because shrimp is small and this is HUGE )
Only in Australia can you road trip it to the big cigarette...seriously. Just looking at it makes me want to smoke.
The Big Beer ...(in Darwin of course)
The Big Bottle of Bundy (Bundaberg Rum) Imagine the hangover that would give you...
May I present the Big Stubby ( a stubby is a bottle of beer)
The BIG camera.
The Big Poo ..
We love our big things. And if you laugh at us, we'll kick your butt with our big gumboot.
Good Bye from Australia's Big Things ...all 150 of them.
There 's nothing like a country with a sense of humour. Thank Goodness we can laugh at ourselves.
27 comments:
I'm the saddo that would go and see them! I went to Atlanta for work years ago and one evening used my spare time to go and find the BIG chicken! http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/7021
Made me laugh for ages! I didn't even eat there, just drove past.
I was really cracking up at the big cigarette - I lookes like it is behind a fence for protection! I also love the bottle of Bundy - is that a BIG pig in the background?
You make Australia sound so wonderful - perhaps I should take my mother up on her offer for me to go to Australia with her. I don't think she would like to visit the BIG sites though. Maybe I could come see you, we could get Marg and go on a real road trip!! Hey could we throw in a few quilty and antique shops? That would be a dream vacation to me.
So sorry, I just looked at the photos again and realized I should have said beer not bundy!
I love the BIG stuff! We used to have a few around here, mostly big cows in front of cheese factories, big chickens, and other ginormous farm animals.
Oh my gosh! I would visit just to see the BIG penguin that's in the last collage of pictures! And yes, I'm the kind that would stop at all of these attractions and take a picture with EVERY SINGLE ONE.
I think my favorite is the creepy koala :)
I have a BIG appetite. I think I'll fit right in when I visit. :)
We have these things in Canada too. LOL Check this out: http://travel.ca.msn.com/canada/photogallery.aspx?ucpg=3&cp-documentid=24427840
Love it! Now that's some decidedly fun stuff. I must admit that I found the spider gripping the outhouse a little creepy--but in a fun way. :-) The big lobster was a hoot too.
Texans like their things big too: Check out this pic: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Amarillo_Texas_Big_Texan_Steak2_2005-05-29.jpg
Home of the 72 oz steak.
The BIG fruit salad threw me back to The Boy's Wiggles days. Mad obsession he had. That Murray sure does rock his guitar.
Seriously, all I could think of was "fruit salad, yummy, yummy"
Sad eh?
I loved this post!! Until I got to the BIG Prawn and the BIG lobster, because those did indeed scare the bejesus out of me. And now I am in the mood for a BIG beer and a BIG cigarette!!
I remember my first sighting of a big thing was The Big Merino/Sheep when I was a kid driving on a road trip from Melbourne to Sydney. The next was The Big Banana in Coffs Harbour, that was THE best as it seemed so tropical, back last century when I was a teenager. Now I live 15 mins from The Big Pineapple that's way more tropical, I'm so lucky.
Cynthia, you have to come, although I live roughly 1300 miles from Mrs P.
I thought I could compete, I really did. After all, we have this: http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2127
And to compete with your spider (which made me laugh out loud) we have this right here in Rhode Island: http://members.cox.net/alysoun/BigBlueBug.jpg
But then I ran out. I was in awe. You Aussie's are something else. And you get the great accents, too. And DavidThorne. Hey, did you run into my friend's son yet? He's in Adelaide now. At a "cute little hostel"?? And he's not feeling so hot-guess he has a cold from camping out in swag or some such thing. Actually that was this morning so maybe he is gone. Anyhow. Cute little hostel does not really compute after seeing your photos.
That koala cracked me up! I kept having to go back and look at it.
When I was a kid, I was awed by the gas station (can't recall which chain of gas stations that was now) that had the giant dinosaur as its mascot. It was huge, and terrified me (I've since learned it was one of those vegetarian type dinosaurs, so the only danger I would have been in had it been real was from being stepped on, or standing under it at the wrong time).
....and there is always the BIG Galah (Kimba) that I used to drive past when I went home to visit from time to time....the big galah sort of fits in with who I am...LOLOL
Yeah, the BIG koala is freaky. Drove past it for the first time last year. It sort of looks like a mangey koala. Like a kindy kid's craft project. Not slick at all. At least the BIG rocking horse is slick! My favourite visit to the BIG rocking horse was one summer when the whole thing was covered in ladybugs. What a sight! Oh! And for the commenter who said she might come to Australia, but wouldn't seek them out, impossible!!! If you drive from place to place, you will see them!
That's great! I think I am jealous.
Whoa, that big Koala looks seriously pissed off. They're dangerous enough at normal size. I'm not tangling with that guy. Course I'll probably never get to Australia so I guess I don't have to worry aside from in my dreams. I had no idea you had such interesting(?) things in your country.
how delightful!!!!! i adore all these *tacky* gigantic things....how fun!!!! yay!
I just discovered I can drag that little comment box anywhere on my screen!
I'll just say that if I had seen a spider like that on my toilet seat, the BIG Poo would have had competition.
I just LOVE Tuesdays!
I live about eight minutes from Los Angeles International Airport. When I come home, I always look for the giant donut sign for Randy's Donuts. I've never eaten there, but when I was a little girl, I would day dream about having a donut that big all to myself.
Big poo? What the French Toast?
All those BIG things were a bit creepy. Do children have nightmares about the big rocking horse coming to get them?
The BIG trout was pretty cool. Coming from an outdoorsy kind of state (where I stay indoors as much as possible) seeing a bigger-than-life fish isn't too scary.
HA!~HILARIOUS! Oh my. I thought we Americans had it all!!! You have us beat! lol
Love your blog!!!
I remember the big Banana! But what the??? The BIG Poo! This one had me and hubby in stitches...imagine living just near that and giving directions to your house....just turn Left at the big poo and then round the s-bend...Sorry toilet humour - doesn't appeal to all of us ;-)
I am hugely amused! What fun!
Post a Comment