Height
4 meters
Year Built
2005
Address
Macrossan Street, Port Douglas, QLD 4877
The Lowdown
The Big Outrigger at Port Douglas celebrates the ancient Pacific sailing tradition and Torres Strait Islander maritime culture. This impressive sculpture depicts the distinctive outrigger canoe design that enabled Pacific peoples to navigate vast ocean distances using stars, currents, and traditional knowledge. Australia's Torres Strait Islander peoples have used outrigger canoes for thousands of years, maintaining cultural connections across the waters between Australia and Papua New Guinea. The Big Outrigger honors this seafaring heritage and invites visitors to appreciate the sophisticated navigation skills of Indigenous maritime cultures.
Did you know?
"Traditional navigation used stars, currents, and wave patterns"
History
Outrigger canoes have been used in the Torres Strait and Pacific for thousands of years. The Big Outrigger celebrates this sophisticated maritime technology and the cultural connections it enabled across vast ocean distances.
More Fun Facts
- •Outrigger canoes enabled Pacific peoples to colonize distant islands
- •Torres Strait Islanders have used outriggers for thousands of years
- •Traditional navigation used stars, currents, and wave patterns
- •The outrigger float provides stability in ocean swells
- •These canoes could travel thousands of kilometers
Visiting Tips
- 💡Port Douglas is a gateway to the Great Barrier Reef
- 💡Learn about Torres Strait Islander culture at local centres
- 💡The Daintree Rainforest is nearby
- 💡Sunday markets at Port Douglas are excellent
- 💡Reef tours leave daily from the marina
Opening Hours
Outdoor sculpture accessible at all times.
More Big Things Nearby
Big Barramundi
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Big Golden Gumboot
A 7.9-metre tall golden fibreglass gumboot celebrating Tully as one of Australia's wettest towns.
Big Lizzie
Australia's largest traction engine at Red Cliffs, VIC, a working piece of pioneering history.