By Margaret Maccoll
The idea of researching oversized kitsch like The Big Pineapple started out as a joke for Dr Amy Clarke but the topic quickly grabbed attention and has become a serious research project for the University of the Sunshine Coast historian.
Her research has uncovered more than 500 Big Things built across Australia and Queensland leads the way with 155, proudly beating NSW with 149.
Surprisingly, these objects which Amy first thought to be products of the 1970s and 1980s when their popularity peaked first appeared in the 1950s and are still being built today.
There have been 13 constructed in Queensland in the 1910s.
But researching the objects had become problematic with little official information available as many of the big things were built “on the sly” almost as weekend projects without council approval.
“Normally with architecture you have names of the builder and plans lodged with council,” she said.
Some have been purpose built to attract tourist attention and others, including the Big Pelican on the Noosa River foreshore had former uses such as parade floats.
Amy last week told Noosa U3A guests how much communities treasured their big things. Despite many of them being made of flimsy construction suggestions over the years to demolish deteriorating items have been met with public outcry, she said.
When the Big Pineapple at Woombye came under threat a few years ago community demand led to the tourist attraction being heritage-listed by the state government
The research has raised many questions about the character of communities, the value of heritage items and how to define a big thing.
Amy plans to compile her research into a book to appeal to all readers.
