Australia is renowned for its 'big' tourist attractions and an artist from northern New South Wales reckons he has come up with the most extraordinary yet — a giant wooden bong for his home town of Woodenbong.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Listen Duration: 3 minutes 45 seconds 3 m 45 s Wooden bong for Woodenbong ( ABC North Coast: Samantha Turnbull ) Download 8.6 MB

Paul Pearson makes bongs, devices commonly used to smoke cannabis, although his creations are ornamental artworks rather than functional.

Paul Pearson wants to build a bong larger than Goulburn's Big Merino. ( ABC North Coast: Samantha Turnbull )

"I've always had an interest in bong-making and art, I've been doing it all of my life," he said.

"I've made them out of dolls, plastic lobsters, vases, exhaust pipes, everything."

But when Mr Pearson moved to Woodenbong, northwest of Lismore and just south of the Queensland border, he decided to try making wooden bongs.

"Normally they wouldn't be made out of wood because of water rot," he said.

"But as soon as I heard Woodenbong, I envisioned a wooden bong."

Mr Pearson built one bong that stood at 1.5 metres, but he had an even bigger goal that he believed would bring droves of tourists to the rural community.

"I believe people from all over the world share my dream," Mr Pearson said.

"I envisioned a giant wooden bong, taller than the Big Merino [in Goulburn].

"Tourism is our only option for survival of this dying village."

Mixed response

He has started a petition to gain support for the idea, which includes a giant wooden bong with a tourist information centre underneath.

However, the concept had drawn a mixed response so far.

Paul Pearson is a wooden bong-maker from Woodenbong in northern New South Wales. ( ABC North Coast: Samantha Turnbull )

Githabul elder and Woodenbong local Gloria Williams said the town's name was adapted from the local Indigenous word Ngandgung-bunj.

Some interpret that as meaning "duck on water", but Ms Williams said she had been told it meant "place of the platypus".

"The name Woodenbong has nothing to do with a bong," she said.

"We've got enough natural beauty here, we've got beautiful landscapes and mountains.

"We don't need anything else man-made."

Not in line with 'family values'

Woodenbong-based Kyogle Shire councillor Lindsay Passfield did not mind the idea of a 'big' thing but said a bong was wrong.

"It's an innovative idea, but I think it's totally inconsistent with the culture and values of the local community," Cr Passfield said.

"This is a harmonious and very productive little community and we have good family values here and I don't think this sort of publicity would be useful."

Mr Pearson said he was undeterred by the criticism.

"I don't think I need to convince people, it's pretty obvious," he said.

"The comedy factor speaks for itself.

"It's an unfulfilled prophecy. It has to be played out."

The Woodenbong idea was not the first 'big' proposal to spark recent controversy.

The Big Bogan in the Bogan Shire town of Nyngan split opinion in the community when it was erected in 2015, and in 2010 the Ballina community fought to save its Big Prawn when the local council voted to demolish it.