Oh my cod, that’s a big fish

By Gianni Francis

Apr 30, 2022

The biggest fish in Tocumwal. Photo by Mattinbgn and used under a CC BY-SA 3.0 licence.

On the Tocumwal Foreshore you'll find the ‘world’s biggest cod’ overlooking the old and new bridges linking NSW to Victoria.

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The Indigenous name for the Murray cod is ‘goodoo’, but the six-metre-long sculpture is colloquially called the ‘Big Fish’ and represents what the area is famous for.

The Big Murray Cod is one of about 150 oversized attractions around Australia, like the Big Banana.

In 1967, three forward-thinking women who made up the auxiliary of the local Chamber of Commerce decided that Tocumwal needed ‘something different’ to put the town on the map.

The women were Kathryn (Trixie) Moore, Alice Johnson and Lorna Nash.

For months they held fundraisers to raise £3000 for the cost of the fish.

When it was erected at the old swimming pool in 1968, it became the second ‘big thing’ to go on display in Australia.

Now visitors to Tocumwal can enjoy the playground, picnic and toilet facilities, and a lovely view of the Murray River, when they visit the Big Murray Cod at the Tocumwal Foreshore.

By Gianni Francis