The Big Slurpee in Coffs Harbour
The Story of The Big Slurpee
The Big Slurpee is perhaps the shortest-lived Big Thing in Australia. It was once standing at Coffs Harbour Showground in Coffs Harbour, New South Wales.
The mammoth Slurpee was purposely built to advertise a new product for the 7Eleven chain of convenience stores in 2009. The product was described as the “biggest icy cold drink” in Australia, and to match the name, a replica of the famous drink, the Big Slurpee, was appropriate for its advertisement.
The new drink came in a 1.8-litre cup filled to the brim. Its replica stood 11 metres high and 6 metres wide. It took over four months to complete its construction, which was done in Melbourne. The gigantic cup was then transported to Coffs Harbour just in time for 7Eleven’s new drink campaign.
Interestingly, according to research, it would take eight months to fill the Big Slurpee with a drink using a normal Slurpee machine. In addition, an adult would take 14 years to finish drinking from the Big Slurpee!
Although short-lived, the Big Slurpee attracted the needed attention for the campaign, which was strategically launched in the summer when the demand for cold drinks was high. It was finally dismantled on March 3, 2009, after a successful campaign.
Big Things in the form of famous drinks are common in Australia. Here are some examples.
- Big Beer Can in Cobar, New South Wales, a former world record holder for the Biggest Beer Can.
- Big Beer Can in Ghan, Northern Territory.
- Big Rum Bottle in Bundaberg, Queensland.
Away from drinks, Coffs Harbour is home to other famous Big Things such as the Big Banana (one of the oldest Big Things of Australia) and the Big Bunch of Bananas.
