The Big Banana

On the way back from our holiday in NSW in 2017, we paused here at Coffs Harbour so I could take a photo of the BIG BANANA, set in a banana plantation. We have driven past many times on our travels, but I had only taken a photo once, from the car.

Claiming to be the first and most famous of Australia’s “Big Things” (although it was actually pipped by the Big Scotsman in Adelaide) the Big Banana was commissioned by John Landi to attract people to his roadside banana stall at Coffs Harbour, NSW. Over the years, the attraction has had mixed fortunes, but is now the centrepiece of an amusement park.

The Big Banana itself is made out of concrete. It was designed by engineer Alan Chapman and built by Alan Harvey, opening on 22 December 1964.
australianfoodtimeline.com.au/big-banana/

The big things have become something of a cult phenomenon, and are sometimes used as an excuse for a road trip, where many or all big things are visited and used as a backdrop to a group photograph. Many of the big things are considered works of folk art and have been heritage-listed.
Wikipedia