The Story of The Big Mallee Root
The Big Things of Australia come in different shapes, forms and sizes (mostly oversized). But the Big Mallee Root isn’t your ordinary Big Thing.
Unlike other Big Things, The Big Mallee root is an actual mallee root, not an oversized replica. For instance, The Big Funnel Spider sculpture in Jamberoo, NSW, is 420 times bigger than the actual funnel spider!
Back to the Big Mallee Root, the gigantic root, located at a park in Ouyen, Victoria, was discovered by Albert Holland. He dug it up three decades ago when clearing land to pave the way to construct the town’s railway land.
Speaking about the encounter, Holland told ABC News that it took him about an hour to dig the massive root of the dwarf eucalyptus.
In 2017, the giant root put the town on the map after being named the world’s biggest root. More than 1,000 people attended the event that confirmed the famous root as the largest in the world, beating competition from the nearby community of Toolebuc.
The massive root has a circumference of 10.69 metres, while its counterpart in Tooleybuc measures 10.55 metres.
The huge root has been a part of Mallee history for quite a long time, dating back to the days when the land was being cleared for development. The massive stumps were then placed atop old GY trucks and shipped to Melbourne.
The region also hosted the root tossing competition. During the competition, players were required to stand inside a circle and throw a nine kilograms stump the furthest distance. The winner was decided based on the distance thrown.
Mallee has inspired several Big Things of Australia. Besides the Big Mallee Root, you’ll also find the Big Mallee Bull in Birchip and the Big Mallee Fowl in Patchewollock. Both are located in Victoria.
