Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Central Asia yurt night stars
Uzbekistan • 15 days, 14 nights
Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars
from
Caucasus - Geghard Monastery, Armenia
Armenia • 15 days, 14 nights
Caucasus Road Trip: Azerbaijan, Georgia & Armenia
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Midas Tümülüsü (Tumulus MM)
The Devil's Column
Weightlifting Hall of Fame
The khao soi at Gedhawa comes with a rich, coconutty broth.
Gedhawa
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The khao soi at Gedhawa comes with a rich, coconutty broth.
Gedhawa
At Nai Mong Hoi Thod, the oyster omelet is worth waiting for.
Nai Mong Hoi Thod
In this deceptively simple dish, top-quality ingredients are paramount.
Kor Panich
Customize your bowl with sliced pork, pork balls, fish cake, and offal.
Rung Rueang
Pasties are an Upper Michigan tradition dating back to mining days.
Lehto’s Pasties
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
For Aguilar-Carrasco, nature is a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of all life.
How Can National Parks Be Made Accessible to All? AO Wants to Know.
2 days ago
Podcast: Finding ‘The Great Gatsby’ in Louisville
3 days ago
Here’s which treats you can safely lug home without risking a fine.
Dear Atlas: What International Food Can I Legally Bring Into the U.S.?
4 days ago
Cely’s map is not only accurate, but captures the unique characteristics of Congaree’s trees and waterways.
How One Biologist Drew a Hyper-Accurate, Ranger-Approved Map of Congaree National Park
5 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Australia Lake Cathie Big Bowl

Big Bowl

Australian holiday town hosts world's largest bowling ball.

Lake Cathie, Australia

Added By
Nick Jackson
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
The Big Bowl in Lake Cathie, New South Wales. (Wikimedia Commons)   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia%27s...
Add Photos
The Big Bowl in Lake Cathie, New South Wales. (Wikimedia Commons)   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia%27s...
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Australia is home to more than just a couple of big things. The big country, it has been said, has a love of similarly-oversized objects. The Big Bowl is only one of a loosely related set of about 150 sculptures and large structures sprinkled across the country. Most of these, the Big Bowl included, serve as some of the country's top tourist traps and can be found along major roads and highways or between prominent travel destinations.

The Big Bowl isn't a bowl as those of us in the United States might think of one. Bowl is just Australian shorthand for Bowling Ball. The Big Bowl is an enormous blue bowling ball—the world's largest, in fact. And in can be found in Lake Cathie, near Port Macquarie, New South Wales, Australia.

Lake Cathie is a small town with a permanent population of only about 2,000. The town is a popular holiday destination for Australian's living on this section of the country because of its lake, lagoon, and beaches. In addition to the Lake Cathie Bowling Club, the town hosts a bakery, fish and chip shop, coffee shop, pharmacy, bargain shop, local tavern, post office, and ... not much else.

Related Tags

Statues Giant Spheres Spheres Monuments

Community Contributors

Added By

nbj914

Published

June 28, 2011

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • Wikipedia: Australia's Big Things: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia%27s_big_things
  • Lake Cathie Bowling and Recreation Club: http://www.lakecathiebowlingclub.com.au/
  • Wikipedia: Lake Cathie, New South Wales: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Cathie,_New_South_Wales
  • Fun Trivia: Australia - The Land of Big Things: http://www.funtrivia.com/en/subtopics/Australia---The-Land-Of-Big-Things-308344.html
Big Bowl
Lake Cathie, 2445
Australia
-31.550228, 152.854176

Nearby Places

Big Bull

Wauchope, Australia

miles away

Big Axe

Kew, Australia

miles away

Kylie Tennant's Hut

Crowdy Bay National Park, Australia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Australia

Australia

Oceania

Places 610
Stories 94

Nearby Places

Big Bull

Wauchope, Australia

miles away

Big Axe

Kew, Australia

miles away

Kylie Tennant's Hut

Crowdy Bay National Park, Australia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Australia

Australia

Oceania

Places 610
Stories 94

Related Stories and Lists

I'm Big in Australia: The Concrete Giant Obsession Down Under

giant food

By Chris White

Related Places

  • The world’s largest popcorn ball. (The Popcorn Factory)

    Sac City, Iowa

    World's Largest Popcorn Ball

    Eight feet in diameter and more than 24 feet around.

  • The Grand Kugel

    Richmond, Virginia

    The Grand Kugel

    This 29-ton granite ball spins around at the slightest touch thanks to a scientific phenomenon.

  • Merchant Ball

    Marion, Ohio

    Merchant Ball

    This moving cemetery sphere is a slowly rolling stone.

  • Boys Town, Nebraska

    World's Largest Ball of Stamps

    An idle pastime becomes a record holder in Boys Town, Nebraska.

  • Cawker City, Kansas

    World's Largest Ball of Twine

    It's big, it's a ball, and it's made of twine—the world's largest of its kind.

  • Librarian with Donkey Monument

    Ürgüp, Turkey

    Librarian With the Donkey Monument

    A monument to the Turkish librarian who delivered books on the back of a donkey.

  • Lyon, France

    Saint Exupéry Monument

    This statue stands in honor of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, the French author of 'The Little Prince' and an aviation hero.

  • Chuck and Snoopy

    Saint Paul, Minnesota

    Peanuts Gang Bronzes

    A tribute to Charles M. Schulz, who created the iconic cartoon that features Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and more.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.