The Big Cow at Kulangoor in the hinterland of the Sunshine Coast is closed and fallen into disrepair.

Around the Sunshine Coast, two 'big things' have fallen into states of decay.

The Big Macadamia Nut and the Big Cow are losing the fight against their surrounding native environments as well as passing tourists, according to experts.

Visit Sunshine Coast CEO Simon Ambrose said in the 1980s and 1990s the 'big things' were icons, but in 2016 tourists were not as interested.

"These days, generally, people are moving away that sort of thing and into more of the experiences that you can deliver from the region," Mr Ambrose said.

"If you think about the Sunshine Coast, we've got an amazing array of natural experiences and that's probably more relevant these days, and that's how we market our region."

Tourists seeking natural experiences in 2016: expert

Despite the apparent decline in interest, Mr Ambrose said the Big Pineapple was bucking the trend as many tourists still came to get a snap outside the yellow fruit.

"The Big Pineapple in Nambour is still a great attractor and it's something that we wouldn't want to be destroyed or taken away. It's part of the Sunshine Coast," he said.

Families still interested in visiting Australia's 'big things'

One family who specifically stopped at Nambour for their chance to snap a picture and buy a postcard at the Big Pineapple was Ben Carruthers, Caylene Fenner and their four-year-old daughter Chloe.

Mr Carruthers said being from Ballina he watched the Big Prawn fall into decay, and wanted to show his daughter other "big things".

"We've got a little one and we thought she might like to see all the big sights on the way up. We're heading up to Hervey Bay so we thought we'd stop in and have a quick look," he said.

Mr Carruthers and his family planned to stop and see more of Australia's 'big things' like the Big Bull in Rockhampton. And while he conceded it was a bit kitsch, it was a great way to mark your holiday.

"I think mainly it's the novelty value of it. You can get a photo and say we've been there," he said.

Previously a tourist attraction, the Big Cow is now used as offices

Peering over the old Bruce Highway is one of the Sunshine Coast's former tourist attractions — the Big Cow. We just explain that it used to be a tourist attraction but now it's virtually just a cow sitting out there in disrepair. Sue Kane

Previously a dairy farm, the Big Cow provided an educational centre for children, students and families to learn about where milk came from.

Sue Kane, who works in an office for a disability service provider and a maritime training centre at the Big Cow venue, said the cow still attracted interest from passing tourists.

"We have families that just knock on the door wondering what's happening with the building and what's happening with the cow.

"We just explain that it used to be a tourist attraction but now it's virtually just a cow sitting out there in disrepair," Ms Kane said.

"It's all shut off. They can take pictures of it but they can't get close enough to get inside to look at the cow."

Ms Kane said the decline was felt after the Big Cow was bypassed by the upgrade to the Bruce Highway.

"The whole tourist attraction has stopped so there's no promotion of it anymore. People don't see it as well now that the highway has been bypassed," she said.

Highway bypasses impact the 'big things': expert

Media and communication lecturer from the University of Queensland Nic Carah said the bypassing of smaller towns like Kulangoor had a huge impact on the success of a 'big thing'. These places are quite manufactured, a little bit like theme parks, and those kinds of spaces don't resonate with those ethical travellers. Nicholas Carah

"They're part of driving holidays. The tradition of these Big Pineapples and Big Bananas is that they're on the road to somewhere: they were the stopover when going from A to B," Dr Carah said.

But according to Dr Carah, changes to the way we holiday means our stopovers have moved away from small towns and towards petrol stations on expressways, and airport lounges.

"Freeways mean that people don't pull off at little towns anymore. The driving holiday wasn't what it was, and I think over the last generation airfares have become so cheap that we holiday differently," he said.

Change in holidays

According to Dr Carah, the decline 'big things' reflected a change in the tourism market.

"People are looking for ways of life that are authentic to, or part of the history of the place that they're visiting, because that's meaningful to them," he said.

"These places are quite manufactured — a little bit like theme parks — and those kinds of spaces don't resonate with those ethical travellers," he said.

Dr Carah said this move towards authenticity was hurting 'manufactured' tourist destinations like the Big Pineapple.

"People go looking for the real, the things that people really do in those places — that's what it means to have a meaningful trip in this generation," he said.

"These places don't have that vibe, so that's why I don't think people don't go looking for these things so much anymore."