Save this article for later<\/p>\n
Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime.<\/p>\n
Got it<\/p>\n
Uncoiling outside Queensland\u2019s Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA), it resembles a gargantuan green tree snake, but The Big Hose, which launched on September 22, represents the latest in the Aussie adoration of all things large.<\/p>\n
Measuring some 119 metres long, this interactive play-sculpture perched on the banks of the Brisbane River pays homage to the quintessential Queensland lifestyle with its subtropical gardens, yawning verandas and the most coveted of all: a backyard.<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/515eadddbecb54551792cac627450fafb01c5fda.jpeg\")
The Big Hose is 119 metres long.<\/p>\n
A collaboration by Brisbane First Nations\u2019 artist Tony Albert and a Sydney contemporary artist who goes only by the first name of Nell, the sculpture even features a native water rat sculpture hidden in the end of the hose attachment, which has been deliberately designed to encourage climbing children.<\/p>\n
Is The Big Hose proof you can\u2019t water down the Australian enchantment with giant tourist attractions? Yes, according to University of Melbourne academics Associate Professor David Nichols and Dr Cristina Garduno Freeman, whose research paper into the subject seems to indicate there is no end to this peculiar passion.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn one hand, these iconic-yet-useless structures are built to demonstrate without fear of contradiction how advanced and resourceful a nation is,\u201d they published in the university\u2019s online publication, Pursuit.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn the other, they are just a bit of fun: sculptures that encapsulate homo ludens or, in real-speak \u2013 the playful element of cultures and societies.<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/4c6fb67ad2eff6c6e8d9bddda79071caa84c43aa.jpeg\")
The work is designed to encourage children to play on it. <\/p>\n
\u201cAustralian local businesses and governments are pragmatically visionary, concentrating on local industries and branding \u2013 or brandscapes. They frequently deploy a quirky ridiculousness that has quickly passed into the realm of kitsch.\u201d<\/p>\n
But are Australia\u2019s big things \u2013 estimates on how many exist vary greatly but there is believed to be more than 150, prompting entrepreneurial types to publish maps on the most iconic \u2013 an actual destination drawcard or simply something travellers stumble upon in their journey?<\/p>\n
Queensland Arts Minister John-Paul Langbroek believes, at least in the case of Australia\u2019s latest big thing, it adds to a destination\u2019s desirability.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Big Hose is an accessible arts experience that transforms a public space and helps to strengthen the state\u2019s reputation as a vibrant cultural destination ahead of Brisbane 2032,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/d57d2803b91575792e3482b6ac2050b2bae5a10f.jpeg\")
The Big Hose is a collaboration by Brisbane First Nations\u2019 artist Tony Albert and Sydney contemporary artist Nell.<\/p>\n
University of the Sunshine Coast history lecturer Dr Amy Clarke, who is researching \u201cthe global history of big things\u201d says high-profile attractions, particularly new ones, attract visitors in their own right.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut there are so many of them, people do also stumble across them. The interesting thing with The Big Hose is it\u2019s in the middle of a city rather than by a roadside,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
Related Article \u201cThere\u2019s usually a popularity for a couple of weeks while it\u2019s in the news but it\u2019s a bit like the latest movie \u2013 if you haven\u2019t gone out of your way to see it, you probably won\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n But for now, 60 years since Australia\u2019s first giant attraction The Big Scotsman opened in Adelaide in 1963, followed closely by Coffs Harbour\u2019s The Big Banana a year later (and who can forget the Sunshine Coast\u2019s iconic The Big Pineapple in 1971?), the idea that \u201cbig is beautiful\u201d continues to flourish in this big wide land.<\/p>\n Sign up for the Traveller newsletter<\/p>\n The latest travel news, tips and inspiration delivered to your inbox. Sign up now.<\/a><\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n![\"Don\u2019t](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/30ba78bca6b8827b32d8d14a030ed0237faee966.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n