In the pretty town of Kingston SE in the state of South Australia stands this not-so-pretty monument to the local seafood industry. “Larry” the lobster is a fibreglass-on-steel crustacean standing over 50 feet high and is obviously the first thing you notice as you drive into the town.
Larry has stood here for more than 40 years and is starting to show his age, but he is still an impressive sight. The giant lobster has changed hands a number of times since its construction in 1979, and when I last checked the site also contained a restaurant, tourist centre, playground and a wine tasting area.
Anyone taking a road trip through our country towns could be forgiven for thinking that Australians are preoccupied with oversized monuments. There are quite a lot of them – the Big Banana, the Big Pineapple, the Big Ram – and so on, most of them celebrating local industries or attractions.
The Big Lobster is one of Australia’s largest kitsch monuments and its lifespan is starting to approach that of a real lobster.
The more attractive side of Kingston SE can be seen by looking in the opposite direction (below).
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