Description
The Big Mango, unveiled by Bowen mayor Mike Brunker on 25 May 2002, is one of the more recent additions to Australia's many BIG things. The 10-metre high structure represents the delicious fruit which the town of Bowen is known for - the Kensington Pride mango.
The Big Mango was a community initiative in a struggling rural town. After a study in 2001 showed that just 6 per cent of the one million drivers took the short detour off the Bruce Highway into Bowen, they decided that a big mango might be the answer.
After some initial problems with the construction and costs, the Big Mango was finally erected... upside down! Debate rages among the locals to this day; some argue a mango is the right way up when it sits in the tree. Growers maintain a mango is the right way up when it is packed for sale, with the stem at the bottom.
Whichever way you look at it, Bowen's Big Mango - the biggest mango in the world - is worth taking a detour for. If you're in Australia when the Kensington Pride mangoes are in season (in Summer), you'd be crazy not to buy some! The best place to eat them is on the beach.
The Big Mango is located at the Bowen Visitor Information Centre at Mount Gordon, 5 kilometres south of Bowen. Tel: (07) 4786 4222.
Photos
