The History of The Big Boot
The original location of the Big Boot was at the Morris Boot and Footwear Factory founded in the 1880s in the suburb of Paddington. In the 1960s, the factory moved to a new location, the Corner of Caxton and Hale Street, where the boot perched atop the building.
Along the way, the footwear factory closed shop and was replaced by a new restaurant in 1976. The Spaghetti Emporium customized their business to blend with the Big Boot by serving their beverages in boot-shaped glasses.
However, the restaurant business was short-lived as it stopped trading in 1979 and was replaced by Brisbane Underground Night Club with the boot still in place. The nightclub ran out of business years later, but no new business popped up in the building. Instead, the building was demolished in the 1990s, rendering the Big Boot jobless.
Luckily, the fibreglass structure got a new job from the Boots Camping footwear store and moved to Chermside along Gympie road. But, as fate would have it, Boots Camping relocated, leaving the Big Boot atop the building that later became The Car Mine roadside car yard.
After many years of advertising many businesses under its sole, the Big Boot was ready for retirement. In 2019, a plan was hatched to relocate it back to its hometown. As expected, many residents of Gympie, who had grown fond of the iconic boot, protested its relocation.
After about 60 years of service, the boot had reached the end of its advertising career. With the new acquisition of the car yard area for development purposes, retiring the massive old boot was inevitable. Although retired, the car yard’s owner hopes that the Big Boot will reclaim its glory in a new location once again in the future.
The Big Boot aside, Thornton, New South Wales, is home to another pair of Big Ugg Boots with an equally interesting story.
