It’s nearly impossible to discuss watermelon farming in Australia without mentioning Gumlu, a small coastal town in the Whitsunday Region, Queensland. According to the 2016 census, this town had a population of around 181 people.
Size and Location of the Big Watermelon
You’ll find this oversized watermelon by the side of the Bruce Highway, next to an open-air shop selling fruits and vegetables. Measuring around 3 metres wide, this fruity beauty comes with a small window close to the bottom, where visitors can pop in their heads and take a photo with the massive sculpture.
A few metres away, you’ll find the Big Pumpkin, another oversized sculpture of a pumpkin, sitting as a true testimony of Gumlu’s rich and fertile soil. The 3-metre tall sculpture sits just right off the Bruce Highway, seeming more real than an actual pumpkin.
Aside from pumpkins and watermelons, Gumlu is known for growing a wide range of fruits from April through November. For example, the town harvests tons of mangoes sold locally and in other states across Australia in the summer.
Speaking of Mangoes, an oversized mango sculpture sits at an attraction centre in Bowen. That’s a 46-minute drive South East of Gumlu via the Bruce Highway. The town of Bowen is well-known across Australia and beyond for its mango farming activities. During the harvesting season, tourists from across the country visit the town to have a share of the juicy mangoes.
Around 200 kilometres south of Gumlu (which is approximately a two-hour drive), you’ll also find the town of Calen, home to the Big Thongs, the regions newest Big Things of Australia. These oversized thongs were built in 2021 to bring more tourists to the town. They also symbolize the popularity of thongs in almost every Australian household.
