10 of WA's best big things

Comprising more than 2.6 million square kilometres of land, it’s no surprise that Australia’s biggest state is also home to some of our country’s most impressive ‘big things’. Whether it's sculptures, statues, museums, or roadside icons, it’s clear that we do things bigger in the West.

With so many big things to choose from, narrowing them down can be a sizeable feat, so we’ve done the hard work for you. Here are our top 10 big things in WA.

1. The Giant Ram

The Giant Ram, in the sleepy sheep farming town of Wagin, was built in 1985 as a celebration of the town’s prosperity in the wool industry. You’ll find the 9m-tall ram—affectionately known as Bart—in Wagin’s Wetlands Park, right by the playground and nature walks. Bart is second in size only to Goulburn’s Big Merino, said to be the world's largest sculptural ram, standing more than 15m tall.

2. The Big Snail

WA is not only home to Australia’s first native snail trail, but the world’s biggest snail. Bremer Bay’s Big Snail, constructed by local artist Peter Hill, is close to 10,000 times the size of a regular garden snail and weighs a whopping 700kg. The sculpture is modelled on the South Coast Land Snail, which plays an important role within the region’s ecological landscape.

3. The world's largest periodic table

The world’s largest periodic table was the brainchild of ECU Joondalup’s vice-chancellor, Professor Steve Chapman. Taking up 662 square metres on the side of the science building, it was installed as a celebration of the 150th anniversary of the table’s creation in 2019. This scientific ode is well on its way to official accreditation, as it is four times the size of the periodic table at Spain’s University of Murcia, which was previously the largest in the world.

4. The Big Prawn

Not to be confused with its counterpart in Ballina, New South Wales, Exmouth’s Big Prawn pays homage to the region’s sustainably managed Western King Prawn fishery industry. The iconic, 7m tall fibreglass sculpture was created in 2004 by resident Brian Paskins for MG Kailis, before being donated to the Exmouth Council. Now, it sits proudly on Murat Road, outside the Exmouth Cultural Centre.

5. The Big Camera

WA is home to only one dedicated camera museum, and, rather aptly, you’ll find the collection in a building that resembles a giant 35mm camera. The Big Camera is 90 minutes east of Perth in the town of Meckering. Owner Charles ‘Chic’ Wadley’s unique collection encompasses more than 4,000 cameras, projectors, enlargers, kaleidoscopes, magic lanterns and slides.

6. Lake Ballard Sculptures

One of the world’s largest outdoor galleries calls the salt pan of Lake Ballard (near Kalgoorlie) home. The art installation, titled Inside Australia, comprises 51 metal sculptures created by acclaimed British artist Sir Antony Gormley. Notably, all materials and alloys used to make the sculptures—namely titanium, vanadium, and molybdenum—are found in Western Australian rocks.

7. The world's tallest bin

The Kalgoorlie-Boulder region is the proud home of the self-proclaimed world’s tallest bin. Standing 8m high, the bin was the brainchild of the Keep Kalgoorlie Klean Kommittee during the 1980 ‘Tidy Towns’ competition, and features artworks that were hand-painted by local schoolchildren at the time of its construction.

8. The Big Orange

A visit to the town of Harvey isn’t complete without a trip to see the Big Orange. Atop a 10m tower at the Harvey River Estate cellar door, the Orange is the perfect spot to view Harvey’s thriving farmlands during harvest (from June to October). Climb the additional 4m to reach the viewing platform within the orange itself. Entry is by gold coin donation, with all proceeds going to Telethon.

9. The Big Croc

As you enter the town of Wyndham, be prepared to come face-to-face with a ferocious-looking, oversized croc. Perched at the start of the Wyndham Three Mile is a 20m long, 3m high saltwater ’big crocodile’ that was built in 1988 by sculptor Andrew Hickson and students from the Halls Creek TAFE. The statue was designed using a combination of computer technology and nature photography to plot a crocodile’s shape accurately.

10. Leeuwin Way Whale

Often regarded as ‘The Gateway to Western Australia’, Eucla is the easternmost locality in the State, home to 90 people and one beached whale. Built and designed in Albany, the Leeuwin Way Whale is 10m long and weighs close to an impressive 4,000kg.

11. A giant emu in Nannup

The Shire of Nannup records numerous roadside emergencies and wildlife fatalities resulting from road collisions each year. As much of the township is surrounded by state forest, crash data from the past five years indicates that almost 29 per cent of crashes in the region involved an animal.

A 3m tall emu sculpture, created from wrecked car parts, is part of the shire's Living with Emus project, aiming to generate discussions about road trauma and road safety.