The Big Axe was built to commemorate the ‘timber getters’ who traded timber in the region between the mid 18th and early 19th century. Later, tree harvesting in the region reduced due to regulations passed to preserve the forests in the area.

AUSTRALIA IS A BIG COUNTRY that, it has been said, has a love of similarly-oversized objects. The Big Axe is only one of a loosely related set of about 150 sculptures and large structures sprinkled across the country. Most of these, the Big Axe 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.

Located about 2 kilometers north of Kendall in Kew, alongside the Kew Visitor Information Centre, the Big Axe stands about eight meters tall. Originally constructed in 1979, the first wood sculpture was replaced in 2002...
www.atlasobscura.com/places/big-axe