Australia's a big country with broad vistas and empty landscapes. In parts of the outback you can drive all day and not see another soul.

Motoring along the more touristed routes, you'll find more evidence of the Island Continent's massive scale. There's the big sheep, the big banana, the big pineapple . . . a veritable shopping list of big food. It's not so much a reflection of outsized Aussie appetites, as it is a response to that daunting landscape.

Here's a short guide to Australian roadside sculpture. It's by no means comprehensive -- just a few of the sites coastalsurvey found on its tour of Oz.

The Big Banana in Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, isn't hard to find. It's right along Route 1. They serve ice cream too.

Is a tourist complex like an inferiority complex? Not by the looks of it. When you see the Big Prawn in Ballina, NSW, you know that good surf is nearby.

This isn't THE Big Pineapple, which resides in Nambour, Queensland, along with the Big Cow and the Big Macadamia Nut. This is another Big Pineapple parked alongside a petrol station on the Bruce Highway somewhere south of Mackay.

This Big Whale lives out in the desert at the Nullabor Roadhouse in South Australia. Not far away is the Great Australian Bight, where you can see real whales swimming close to shore.

As you can see, the Big Oyster in Ceduna, SA, isn't very big. But it's a good reminder to order a dozen oysters on ice when you get to the local pub.

Further east at Kimba, SA, you'll find the Big Galah and the reassuring news that you're halfway across Australia.

This Big Spaceship landed along the Princes Highway just south of Port Augusta, SA. Across the road was a larger-than-life version of Ned Kelly and some other political sculpture relating to the 2000 general election. Not sure if this spacecraft was meant for Liberal or Labour MPs.

The queen of Aussie roadside sculpture, the Big Lobster in Kingston, SA is a must see. The colossal crustacean guards a diner that serves, you guessed it, lobster. Art patrons take note: the Big Lobster is for sale! No collection could be called complete without this late Twentieth Century piece.

The Big Sheep in Goulburn, NSW, really is ... big. And solid. It's cast in cement and should be a roadside landmark for many years to come.