Big Pelican, Tourist attraction on Noosa River, Queensland, Australia

The Big Pelican is a pelican sculpture on the Noosa River foreshore at Noosaville, built of paper mache over a metal frame and later strengthened with fibreglass. Two people once sat inside its body working levers, pulleys and cables to turn its head, blink its eyelashes, open and shut its bill, flap its wings and wiggle its tail, and a seat on its back let a passenger ride and wave.

The sculpture was created in 1977 for the Festival of the Waters parade and originally took part in multiple street events. These early appearances made it a recognizable part of the local festival celebrations.

The sculpture has become a recognizable local symbol and appears in children's picture books and television shows about the region. Visitors often recognize it from media portraying the area and its character.

The sculpture is located on Gympie Terrace next to the river, with parking available along the promenade nearby. Access is straightforward from the street, and there are several spots nearby for relaxing and taking photographs.

Two operators could hide inside the structure to control moving features such as the blinking eyes. This hidden aspect made each performance unpredictable, leaving onlookers curious about how the mechanical animation worked.