By Deanne Jeffers
COLD, misty weather didn’t dampen the excitement of Rocky Varapodio and Shane Hall, just two of the region’s iconic fruit growers and key figures behind plans for a Big Pear at Kialla’s Emerald Bank.
The proposed landmark aims to celebrate the Goulburn Valley’s horticultural legacy and draw visitors to the region, with the city’s southern entrance as its stage.
“In the late 1800s… people were going to the gold fields,” Mr Varapodio, Chairman of the Big Pear Steering Group, said. “Our gold was the dirt, the climate, and the access to water… that was the gold that brought everyone to the Goulburn Valley.”
“People around Australia tend to think of Shepparton as this fruit-growing city,” Mr Hall added. “You can be travelling all around the world and say, ‘I come from Shepparton,’ and they’ll say, ‘Oh, that’s where SPC is!’ There’s a real, recognisable fruit-growing connection, and we should be capitalising on that.”
The plan is for the Big Pear to be large enough for visitors to step inside and explore Shepparton’s rich history, from orchards and canneries to the waves of migration that shaped the region.
“One of the things that makes Shepparton quite unique as a large country city is the mix of nationalities. You go anywhere else, and you don’t quite have the ethnic mix that Shepparton has always had, and to a large extent, the fruit industry was a catalyst for that migration to Shepparton,” said Mr Hall.
The Big Pear idea came from Annie Willis, whose great-grandfather was an orchardist. After returning to the area, she felt the region lacked a true symbol of its fruit-growing identity and has spent the better part of two years developing the idea.
More than just a big roadside attraction, the Big Pear is pitched as an immersive and educational experience, honouring the families who helped turn the region into Australia’s food bowl where today, 90 per cent of the nation’s pears are grown.
Mr Varapodio stressed it won’t be a gimmick. “We don’t want a Mickey Mouse attraction,” he said. “We want something really well done. When people walk out after 20 or 30 minutes and say, ‘Wow!’ — we want to surprise them.”
The proposal has already attracted significant attention, both nationally and internationally, and it has been positively received by local people and businesses as well, signifying ripe demand for the visionary project.
Founder and developer of Emerald Bank, Lloyd Mawson, has supported the idea and is prepared to gift the land for the Big Pear.
An independent report by Urban Enterprise estimates the $1.3M project, largely privately funded, would increase tourism, extend visitor stays, support local businesses, and lift the local economy.
The report, commissioned by the steering group, estimated thousands of projected visitors and a potential annual economic output of more than $2M. The associated cafe and gift shop would be run commercially.
Mr Hall said that the Big Pear would be “another brick in the wall,” in attracting tourism to the area and encouraging longer stays.
“There’s no silver bullets in getting people to Shepparton, but if you’ve put another brick in the wall of attraction, you want people who come to Shepparton for whatever reason, to leave Shepparton with a really good impression,” he said.
“Probably how you feel is why wasn’t this done 50 years ago? It’s one of those things, but there’s no better time than today,” said Mr Hall.
The Shepparton Big Pear Steering Group includes Rocky Varapodio, Andrew Prentice, Shane Hall, Lloyd Mawson, Jim Andreadis, Annie Willis, Paul Willis and Kathy Fuller.
