Aussie Big Things stamps

The Big Tasmanian Devil stands at the entrance to the privately-owned Trowunna Wildlife Sanctuary in northern Tasmania. The sanctuary is dedicated to the care and conservation of the region’s native wildlife, including the threatened Tasmanian Devil. The imposing two-by-three-metre statue, fangs bared, signals the entrance to the sanctuary and promotes its Save the Tasmanian Devil program, financed from entry fees and proceeds from the shop.

Although it is not a threatened species, the black-and-white Australian Magpie is one of Australia’s best loved birds, winning the Guardian Bird of the Year in 2017.

The bird’s defensive behaviour gives name to the Big Swoop sculpture located in Garema Place, in central Canberra. Made by local artist Yanni Pounartzis, at 2.4 metres high, 3.5 metres long and weighing half of metric tonne, the Big Swoop is truly big.

Giant Koala is located in the western Victorian town of Dadswells Bridge, 20 kilometres south-east of Horsham. Made in 1989 by Dutch sculptor Ben Van Zetten, it is composed of bronze and fibreglass supported by a steel frame. At 14 by 8 metres, this massive structure is more a building than sculpture. The interior, accessible through the Koala’s front forearms, houses a souvenir and gift shop.

The city of Swan Hill lies on the southern bank of the Murray River in northwest Victoria. The Giant Murray Cod, a tribute to a legendary native fish, is located outside the city railway station on a small park with picnic table and BBQ facilities. Fifteen metres long, three metres wide and five metres high, the steel and fiberglass Giant Murray Cod is at once a symbol of civic pride, an inducement for tourist snaps and highlights awareness that numbers of this species, once common in the Murray-Darling river system, have been greatly reduced. It was originally built in 1991 as a movie prop for a film, Eight Ball. After the film was made, the big fish was donated to the community of the City of Swan Hill.

The final Big Thing in this issue is the Big Jumping Crocodile, located in the carpark of the privately run Original Adelaide River Queen Jumping Crocodile Cruises, located just off the Arnhem Highway at the Adelaide River Bridge, Wak Wak, some 55 kilometres east of Darwin, Northern Territory. Built in 1984, the sculpture represents a crocodile balanced on its tail, in imitation of a real crocodile leaping out of the water to catch food. It advertises company’s tourist boat cruises on the Adelaide River, where visitors can witness huge saltwater crocodiles up to seven metres in length.