Height
3 meters
Year Built
1992
Address
Capricorn Highway, Blackwater, QLD 4717
The Lowdown
The Big Damper in Blackwater celebrates Australia's most iconic bush bread - the simple damper that has sustained stockmen, drovers, and swagmen for over two hundred years. This enormous golden loaf captures the rustic beauty of freshly baked damper, its crackled crust hiding soft bread within. Damper required only basic ingredients - flour, water, and salt - that could be carried on horseback and baked in the coals of a campfire, making it the essential bread of the Australian bush. The recipe was adopted from the Indigenous Australian method of grinding seeds and cooking flatbread on hot coals. The Big Damper honors this tradition of making do in the harsh Australian outback and the ingenuity of those who lived off the land.
Did you know?
"The technique was adopted from Indigenous Australian cooking methods"
History
The Big Damper was erected in 1992 to celebrate the bush cooking traditions of Central Queensland's cattle country. Damper has been baked in Australia since the earliest days of European settlement, with the technique borrowed from Indigenous Australians who had been making similar breads for thousands of years. The name 'damper' likely comes from the method of 'damping down' the fire before burying the dough in the coals.
More Fun Facts
- •Traditional damper requires only flour, water, salt, and a campfire
- •The technique was adopted from Indigenous Australian cooking methods
- •Damper is best eaten warm with butter and golden syrup
- •Stockmen would cook damper in a camp oven or directly in the coals
- •Adding beer to the dough makes for lighter damper
Visiting Tips
- 💡Try making your own damper at a bushland campsite
- 💡Blackwater's bakeries make modern damper
- 💡The town is gateway to the gemfields around Emerald
- 💡Nearby Blackdown Tableland National Park has Aboriginal rock art
- 💡Great stop between Rockhampton and Longreach
Opening Hours
The Big Damper can be viewed at any time.
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Big Mango
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