Everyone’s favourite giant South Australian attraction, The Big Rocking Horse, has a new accessory to celebrate one of Australia’s most popular sporting events. The World’s biggest rocking horse, standing more than 18 metres tall amongst the treetops at Gumeracha, now has a new friend: The Big Bicycle.
Designed by owner Mell Penno and built by South Australian artist Peter Parsons, The Big Bicycle measures approximately three metres in length and two metres in height and was built with entirely South Australian wood by Parsons, the toy factory’s longest serving employee.
While the bicycle may appear small when photographed alongside The Big Rocking Horse and The Big Park Bench, this new installation has already been drawing hundreds of visitors and photographers marvelling at its scale in person, according to owner Mell Penno.
Parsons, a South Australian local, began building wooden toys back in 1981 and officially joined The Big Rocking Horse’s toy factory two years later. Although he’s now retired, Peter still heads into the factory once a week to assemble new toys. In fact, his contributions to the business have been so extensive, that The Big Park Bench beneath the Rocking Horse was built in his honour.
Since the Tour Down Under track passes by The Big Rocking Horse, Mell and the team at Gumeracha wanted to show their support for all the riders this year with a new installation to endorse the sporting event.
Mell said, “Usually the helicopters fly over and film the horse from above. So we thought, let’s add a bike to it and show everyone that the Tour Down Under is a big thing for South Australia. So many people have come to see the big bicycle already, taking lots of photos and saying ‘Oh wow, look at that bike under the horse'”.
With the extensive list of large, quirky roadside attractions across Australia, Mell believes that big structures like the rocking horse play an important role in our cultural identity:
“Australia is well known for big things and big thing tours. Lot’s of people have them on their bucket lists when they’re travelling around Australia.”
Her personal favourite is, naturally, The Big Rocking Horse, a staple of South Australia that she used to visit as a young girl and now owns.
Mell says that The Big Rocking Horse is gearing up for three more exciting attractions this year. She can’t disclose what they’ll be just yet, but you can be sure we’ll have our finger on the pulse as soon as everything is revealed.
The Big Rocking Horse is part of a larger complex featuring a toy factory, a cafe and a wildlife park. The factory sells a large range of wooden toys and souvenirs, while the seven-acre wildlife park is inhabited by a number of native species like emus, wallabies and kangaroos.
Now joined by The Big Bicycle, The Big Rocking Horse is open from 9am til 5pm, seven days a week, including on public holidays.
WHAT: The Big Rocking Horse
WHEN: 9am until 5pm, 7 days a week
WHERE: 452 Torrens Valley Road, Gumeracha
COST: $2 to climb The Big Rocking Horse/ $4 to enter the Fauna Park
For info: Click here
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