From the iconic Big Banana in Coffs Harbour to the towering Big Lobster in Kingston, Australia’s landscape is dotted with more than 150 oversized attractions that have captured the nation’s imagination for over six decades.

These whimsical roadside giants, born from grassroots community initiatives in the 1960s, have evolved from simple tourist magnets into significant economic drivers for regional Australia.

But beyond their obvious role as Instagram-worthy pit stops and tourism drawcards, could Australia’s ‘Big Things’ be influencing something far more substantial, the property markets of the towns they call home?

The phenomenon began in 1964 with Coffs Harbour’s Big Banana, erected to celebrate the region’s banana-growing industry.

What started as a clever marketing ploy quickly sparked a national trend, with communities across the country erecting their own oversized tributes to local industries, produce, and wildlife.

Today, these structures serve multiple economic functions that extend far beyond their initial tourism appeal, acting as powerful branding tools that help regional towns establish distinct identities in an increasingly competitive landscape.

However, as part of the 2025 Ray White Regional Report, new analysis of property performance in Big Thing towns reveals a more complex relationship between quirky attractions and real estate values than their tourism success might suggest.

The data shows a clear coastal advantage among Big Thing locations.

Woombye, home to the Big Pineapple on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, commands a median house price of $988,500, a remarkable 31.5 per cent above the broader regional Queensland market.

Similarly, West Ballina’s Big Prawn sits in a market valued at $882,500, nearly 10 per cent above regional New South Wales averages.

Even the established Big Banana market in Coffs Harbour holds steady at regional parity with an $800,000 median.

This coastal clustering reveals a fundamental truth: natural amenities and accessibility appear to matter more than novelty attractions when it comes to sustained property value growth.

These seaside Big Thing towns benefit from lifestyle appeal, proximity to growth centres, and established tourism infrastructure that extends far beyond their oversized monuments.

The contrast with inland locations is stark.

Bowen’s Big Mango, despite the town’s status as a significant agricultural centre, sits in a property market valued at just $480,000, 36 per cent below the regional Queensland average.

Mission Beach’s Big Cassowary faces similar challenges at $550,000 despite its coastal location, trailing regional markets by 27 per cent. These gaps suggest that geographic isolation and limited economic diversity can’t be overcome by tourism attractions alone.

Intriguingly, some heritage-focused Big Things in wine and tourism regions buck the trend.

Rutherglen’s Big Wine Bottle shows exceptional 15.7 per cent annual growth and 166 per cent growth over the decade, likely driven by the Murray Valley’s evolution into a premium wine tourism destination.

This success illustrates how Big Things can amplify existing economic strengths rather than create them from scratch.

Tasmania presents an interesting case study where both Big Thing locations, Penguin and Latrobe, outperform their regional market. T

The Big Penguin town commands $615,000 (12 per cent above regional Tasmania), while Latrobe’s Big Platypus sits marginally above regional averages.

This suggests the island state’s broader property performance has lifted all markets, regardless of roadside attractions.

The data also highlights the limitations of Big Things in economically stagnant areas.

Goulburn’s Big Merino, celebrating the traditional wool industry, sits 21.8 per cent below regional NSW averages at $629,000. Similarly, Humpty Doo’s Big Boxing Crocodile, despite proximity to Darwin, shows minimal 10-year growth of just 8.3 per cent, well below the territory’s broader performance.

Western Australia’s Big Apple in Donnybrook provides another cautionary tale, sitting 13.7 per cent below regional WA averages despite the state’s resource-driven property boom.

This underperformance suggests that even in strong regional markets, isolated locations struggle to capitalise on broader economic momentum.

The evidence suggests Big Things work best as tourism amplifiers in areas with strong fundamental advantages, coastal lifestyle appeal, wine tourism potential, or proximity to growth corridors.

They appear incapable of single-handedly transforming property markets in isolated or economically declining areas.

As Australia’s regional property markets continue their current growth trajectory, these findings indicate that while Big Things remain important cultural icons and tourism drivers, their influence on real estate values depends heavily on location, accessibility, and broader economic fundamentals.

In the complex world of property markets, it seems that substance ultimately trumps size, even when that size reaches truly monumental proportions.

Vanessa Rader is Ray White Group’s Head of Research