You will easily spot the Big Tennis Racquet along Yapunyah Street, Barellan, New South Wales, erected inside the Evonne Goolagong Park.
The Story of the Big Tennis Racquet
Built in October 2009, the Big Tennis Racquet, complete with a tennis ball, was erected to celebrate Evonne Fay Goolagong Cawley, a retired successful tennis player from the town.
Evonne was a resident of Barellan before moving to Sydney, where she stayed with her coach and his family. She won several tennis championships and titles in her career, including the Order of Australia honour and the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.
Her success in the sport brought pride to residents of her hometown, prompting one local farmer, David Ivrin, to create the idea of the Big Tennis Racquet in her honour.
The Size of The Big Tennis Racquet
The oversized replica of the tennis racquet was built on a scale of 20:1 of Evonne’s battered wooden signature Dunlop racquet.
It measures 13.8 metres long from top to bottom. Its handle alone is 7.8 metres, while the head covers the rest of the length.
The Big Racquet slants slightly on its handle while the 1.25-metre fibreglass tennis ball sits tossed up on a pole.
Other Big Things Celebrating Sports In Australia
Australians have demonstrated a high sense of creativity with their Big Things ideas; here is a list of some famous structures commemorating sports, both locally and internationally.
- The Big Boxing Crocodile in Humpty Doo, Northern territory – built to celebrate Australia’s win in America’s Cup in 1983.
- The The Big Bowl in Lake Cathie, New South Wales – the world’s largest lawn bowl replica.
- The Big Golf Ball in Heatherton, Victoria – celebrates the local’s love for golf.
