Big Lamb

Australia is home to more than just a couple of big things. The big country, it has been said, has a love of similarly-oversized objects. The Big Lamb is only one of a loosely related set of about 150 sculptures and large structures sprinkled across the country. Most of these, the Big Lamb included, serve as some of the country’s top tourist traps and can be found along major roads and highways or between prominent travel destinations.

Constructed by the town of Guyra, New South Wales, Australia, in 1988, the Big Lamb was meant to promote the potato and lamb industries that this area of the country is known for. Wait, potato? Yes, potato. In the statue, if you look more closely, you’ll see that the lamb is not just unfinished, but is standing over a potato plant, protecting it from harm.

Every year since before the lamb statue was even erected, the town of Guyra has been hosting the Lamb and Potato Festival. A town of only about 2,000 people, Guyra is flooded with tourists – and tourist dollars – for this annual, week-long celebration. Each January, the festival, which has evolved from a small, volunteer-led event, hosts various forms of entertainment, from live musical acts to outdoor movie screenings; vintage car displays; World War II vehicle displays; vendors from all over; food outlets; an antique machinery rally; and much more. Most of the money that is raised during the festival is disbursed to community organizations.