By Mitchell Clarke
It could be Cardinia’s answer to the Big Banana.
The ‘Big Potato’ landmark is officially on the market, and some Kooweerup residents believe the a-peeling figure could make the perfect tourist attraction, if relocated to their town.
The giant spud, which is currently located in Robertson, New South Wales, stands at a s-mashing 10 metres tall and four metres wide, and news of the sale has sparked the interest of at least one local lady.
Allison Kruizinga, who works in Kooweerup, shared the sale link to a local Facebook community noticeboard, stating the town “needed” the crisp creation.
“I think I’m the only one that has positive thoughts about it,” she later told the Gazette.
“A lot of people have no idea (about the significance of the potato in Kooweerup) and I think that’s why there’s the suggestion that we should get an asparagus statue in town because they see more of that growing in the paddocks rather than spuds.”
But Ms Kruizinga might have picked a winner here, with potato farming a popular pastime in Kooweerup, even sparking an entire festival to be created to celebrate everyone’s favourite carb.
According to the Kooweerup Swamp History Society, the first Kooweerup Potato Festival took place on 17 February 1973, drawing a crowd of over 4000 spud lovers.
The final festival reached boiling point in March 2000 – and some believe that planting this big brown tater in the town could provide the perfect tribute to potato farming in the area.
The ‘Big Potato’ has a going price of $920,000 and if by some miracle the Kifler was to one day call Kooweerup home, the next struggle would be convincing locals to get around the half hashed idea.
“Doesn’t even look like a potato,” one Facebook user said.
“Looks like a big poo,” another quipped.
