Big Cherries

The Big Cherries - there are more than one statue of this kind in the immediate vicinity - are only a part of a loosely related set of about 150 sculptures and large structures sprinkled across Australia. Most of these, the Big Cherries 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.

The most famous set of Big Cherries, pictured in the second and third slot above, were unveiled in 1987. Another Big Cherry, which stands by itself and is pictured in the first slot above, measures about six feet across and 12 feet tall if you include the droopy stem. All of these cherries are in Young, New South Wales, Australia, which considers itself the cherry capital of the country.

In the South West Slopes region of this part of the country, Young, despite only housing about 7,000 people, hosts the National Cherry Festival every year. Visitors and tourists come from all over to Young, which is situated on the Olympic Highway and is about a two-hour drive from the Canberra area, for the festival.

It’s surprising that Young isn’t bigger than it is. In addition the cherry festival and the cherry capital of Australia, the town has the honor of being the first anywhere in the country outside of the capital cities to install electricity in the homes and streets of the township. Young was electrified all the way back in 1889. Despite this, though, the population never took off.