The future of Australia's famously odd Big Potato is now in the hands of the courts after a proposal to remove the iconic roadside attraction for a supermarket redevelopment was knocked back. The giant spud, which sits on the main street of Robertson in the Southern Highlands, NSW, has spent decades attracting puzzled looks, roadside selfies and plenty of debate among locals.
Now the ageing structure is at the centre of a legal fight after Wingecarribee Shire Council's Southern Regional Planning Panel canned a proposal to relocate the landmark as part of a supermarket expansion project. The proposed redevelopment, lodged in December last year, included plans for a larger supermarket and a relocation of the quirky tourist attraction, with the cost of the project estimated at about $3 million. However, planning documents reportedly did not specify exactly where the landmark would eventually be relocated.
The giant tin spud has become one of Australia's more infamous "big things", joining the ranks of the Big Banana in Coffs Harbour, the Big Pineapple on the Sunshine Coast, the Big Merino in Goulburn and the Big Prawn in Ballina. The Big Potato has stood on Robertson's main street since 1979, becoming one of Australia's most recognisable "big things". Australians have long embraced oversized roadside attractions, particularly in regional towns hoping to tempt travellers off highways and into local businesses.
Robertson's oversized contribution was built in 1979 by community groups wanting to celebrate the district's once-thriving potato industry and the rich red volcanic soil that made the region famous for its produce. Despite appearances, the landmark is not made from concrete; the giant potato is constructed from tin. It was originally intended to operate as a potato information centre, although generations of passing motorists have spent more time wondering what could be inside and continuing on, rather than actually entering it.
Over the years, locals developed a love-hate relationship with the brown structure, which at times fell into disrepair and became the target of ridicule, with some dubbing it "the Big Turd" because of its shape and colour. But the giant roadside sculpture found renewed popularity last year after undergoing an unexpected transformation linked to one of Robertson's most famous cultural exports. The town served as a key filming location for the beloved 1995 family film Babe, a heartwarming story about a gentle talking pig which became a global sensation.
To celebrate the movie's 30th anniversary in 2025, local artist Samuel Hall repainted the Big Potato as "Big Babe", transforming the landmark into a giant pink pig. The makeover quickly drew attention online, attracted fresh waves of tourists to the Southern Highlands town and inspired a new nickname: the "Pig Potato". Hall told Region Illawarra at the time the project was intended to be "something for the community". The makeover helped soften some locals' opinions of the long-divisive attraction, with many embracing the quirky tribute to the beloved Australian film.
With the Big Potato remaining firmly planted on Robertson's main street for now, the fight over its future is now headed to the NSW Land and Environment Court.
