WHAT WILL BE OUR NEXT BIG THING?

Ideas sought for our contender

A TOWERING surf board along the Great Ocean Road, a larger than life kangaroo on the way to the You Yangs or maybe a big Cat at Kardinia Park.

Geelong’s giant floating Christmas tree has proved a popular seasonal tourist attraction, but is it time the region had its own “big thing” to keep the visitors coming year-round?

Online travel site Wotif has today started a nationwide search to gift a regional Aussie town a new tourist attraction that will join the likes of the Big Banana and Big Pineapple.

The Next Big Thing competition will be voted on by the nation with the chosen structure to be built and unveiled by the end of the year.

Tourism Greater Geelong and Bellarine deputy executive director Tracy Carter said a “big thing” would be a welcome addition to the region’s existing attractions and events and encouraged residents to think creatively.

“If we had to put forward suggestions, first one would be a big bollard, given they’re so well known already. I think every international visitor to Geelong has a selfie with a bollard,” Ms Carter said.

“Then maybe something that relates to Geelong and its history, like a big fridge because our own James Harrison, founding father of the Addy, invented refrigeration. We could fill it with Furphy and further promote makers in our region.

“On the food and wine theme, if you went further afield to the Bellarine Peninsula and Portarlington you could do a big mussel.”

New figures reveal Aussies’ love for big things is stronger than ever, with 90 per cent of people having visited at least one of the over-sized monuments in their lifetime.

Sixty per cent of Australians will stop if they see a big thing by the highway and more than one in three will travel out of their way to visit one of the sites on a road trip.

Wotif managing director Daniel Finch said the competition presented an exciting opportunity for regional areas and encouraged individuals, councils, businesses and tourism boards to enter their ideas.

Entries will be judged by Wotif for their originality, imagination and relevance to the local area before a shortlist of finalists is put before a two-week public vote.

To register your idea visit wotif.com/nextbigthing