Is this Australia’s strangest tourist attraction? The gob-smacking site one town insists is a ‘cultural’ hotspot
- Ultimate ‘men’s shed’ on city’s top tourist attraction list
- Forget the Big Banana and the Big Apple, locals flaunt the Big W
- Do you know of a crazier ‘attraction’? Email Steven.Jackson@mailonline.com
The city has a world-famous rodeo, some of the finest sandstone architecture in Queensland and was the birthplace of legendary sheep shearer and blue shirt enthusiast, Jackie Howe.
Visitors to Warwick, located in the heart of the Sunshine State’s rolling Darling Downs, can forgive themselves for the bizarre advice given to tourists by a local guide.
A brochure from Warwick Tourism & Events, available in hotels in the small inland town, lists the local Big W distribution centre as one of six top ‘recreational/cultural attractions’ that tourists might want to visit.
While you could argue that there’s nothing more culturally Australian than a big barn β and this is undoubtedly one of the largest in the country β even locals admit they find it confusing.
βDon’t get me wrong, they think this is the largest distribution centre in the southern hemisphere,β Warwick mother Brooke Chapman told Daily Mail Australia.
But I’m not sure who we’re competing against for that honor β or why.
“It’s not exactly Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory.”
Another surprised resident, Kelly Caton, added: “It’s a little weird: some cities have the Big Banana, some have the Big Apple, and we only have the Big W.”
There’s no doubt that the Big W Distribution Centre in Warwick is impressive, but locals are questioning whether it deserves to be included on the city’s list of ‘leisure/cultural attractions’?
The city in south-east Queensland is home to a world-famous rodeo every October
Situated in the heart of the rolling Darling Downs, Warwick also boasts some of Queensland’s finest sandstone structures, including the Abbey of the Roses
The town is home to a memorial to legendary record-breaking Australian sheep shearer Jackie Howe, who was born just outside Warwick and is equally famous for his blue vests
The distribution center ranks fifth among the hot spots that tourists might want to visit, between the Jackie Howe Memorial and the local livestock markets.
‘The East Street complex covers 10 hectares of covered area and supplies Woolworths and Big W stores from Sydney to Darwin,’ the bulletin boasts.
The guidebook has reportedly been circulating in the town of around 12,000 inhabitants for at least ten years, but it is not known how many tourist clients the centre has reached with it. However, the internal workings of the centre remain strictly off-limits to visitors.
The Warwick Visitor Information Centre declined to comment on the reasons behind the warehouse’s cultural significance.
The Big W warehouse is on the list of Warwick’s top attractions
The inner workings of the centre remain strictly off-limits to passing tourists
Frog statue ‘Tiddalik’ is listed first in the tourist bulletin distributed throughout Warwick
Woolworths, which rents the distribution centre, also remained secretive about the warehouse’s operations.
Either way, tourists hoping to see the attraction in action would be better off getting to Warwick as soon as possible.
Woolworths was due to terminate its lease on the centre at the end of last year, but has now been granted a reprieve and the deal has been extended until 2026.
The company subsequently refused to make any statements about its plans for the ‘cultural attraction’.