A giant concrete penguin that has stood proudly on Tasmania’s north-west coast for nearly half a century has been granted heritage status.
The Big Penguin, which stands approximately three metres tall, was built in just one week in 1975 to mark the town of Penguin’s 100th birthday.
It was created by Andrew Bennie of Goliath Cement, who used photos of real penguins to make the sculpture three-dimensional and slightly altered the beak.
The Big Penguin was originally built with bird wire and plaster, with a steel rod inserted into the head for lifting with a crane.
Concrete was then applied to the wire frame and a plastic bag was used to cure the concrete quickly to meet the deadline.
The 600kg Big Penguin was transported to Penguin on a truck with its head covered and a crane lifted it onto a concrete pad outside the town hall.
The determination by the Tasmanian Heritage Council makes the Big Penguin the first of Tasmania’s 12 known ‘big things’ to receive heritage status.
Tasmania’s 12 ‘Big Things’:
– Big Spud (Kenny Kennebec), Sassafras
– Big Apple, Spreyton
– Big Rock Lobster, Stanley
– Big Coffee Pot, Deloraine
– Big Cherry, Latrobe (removed from location c.2021)
– Big Platypus, Latrobe
– Big Penguin, Penguin
– Big Tasmanian Devil, Trowunna Wildlife Park, Mole Creek
– Big Thumbs Up, Scottsdale
– Big Wickets, Westbury
– Big Slide Rule, University of Tasmania, Hobart
– Big Axe, Longley
