A trip to Australia is not complete without visiting the Big Mango site in Bowen. The international feature attracts tourists all over the world to experience the delicious taste of Bowens local mangos. If you want to know the fun facts about the Big Mango that will make you yarn to have a visit to Bowen, here is a couple of them.
Origins of the Big Mango
In the late 1800s, there was a blossoming horse-trading business that took place between North Queensland in Bowen and India. People used to sail between the two countries to exchange goods. On the other hand, mangoes came from India.
During the trading times, the Bowen harbourmaster and customs officer, Mr.GE Sandrock, took some mango seeds from the sailors. Afterward, he planted them in his Woodlands property located south of Bowen.
On harvesting the first fruits, Mr. McDonald received seeds from the quality trees. On his side, he planted them on his Adelaide Point property, south of Bowen. This is how mango plantations spread in Bowen. Since then, the land produces delicious mangoes in the market. In 2018, Bowen and the Burdekin region produced over 1.5 million trays of juicy mangoes.
Interesting Features of the Big Mango
In 2002, the sculpture was in Bowen. The 10 metres high feature represents the prosperous mango orchards in the area. The design and building of the sculpture cost approximately $90,000. It is made of fiberglass and weighs seven tons. If you are asking, where is the Big Mango? Head down on the Bowen Visitor Information Centre at Mt Gordon, 5 km south of the town, and you will see this iconic feature. Besides, the Big Mango carries the lush colour of the Kensington Pride Mango. The colour was introduced from India in 1871 to Bowen.
A mysterious disappearance
In February 2014, the sculpture was involved in a heist. Unmentioned thieves stole the structure at night. They loaded the gigantic fruit on a truck and drove away.
Within hours, the news of the stolen heist had hit news headlines across the globe. The story was mentioned thousands of times.
Later, it came to dawn that Nando’s, a popular restaurant chain, was behind the game. The chain did so to market and promote their new lime and mango flavour. As a result, many tourists not only in Australia but also worldwide withdrew from visiting Bowen.
A Tour in Bowen
The Big Mango is one of the big things in Australia. As a result, tourists flood Bowen to enjoy the juicy mangoes and take selfies with the structure. Besides, you don’t have to worry when you visit Bowen out of the mango season. This is because the attraction centre has a restaurant where you can enjoy frozen sorbet from ripe mangoes harvested during the season and plenty of accommodation nearby.
Also, the site has ample parking space for all sized vehicles. Besides, the place is pet-friendly and therefore, you can come with your pet during your holiday.
We believe that these facts will help you understand the tourist attraction site better. Also, it will make you thirsty for a vacation in Bowen. If you want to see the largest mango in the world and take selfies with the structure, then the Big Mango is the place to be.
Map
[googlemaps https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d46919.400125549655!2d148.20785856371546!3d-20.03318555047404!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x6bd78505ef4dffc9%3A0x9aa1110174d56e35!2sBig%20Mango%2C%20Bowen%20QLD%204805%2C%20Australia!5e0!3m2!1sen!2spg!4v1672800659064!5m2!1sen!2spg&w=600&h=450]Other Fruit Related Big Things
- The Big Banana in Coffs Harbour
- The Big Strawberry in Koonoomoo
- The Big Mandarin in Mundubbera
- The Big Avocado in Duranbah
