Wagga builder Kyle North-Flanagan plans to give the big metal fish some extra touches. Photo: Erin Hee.
Social media may have already gone crazy with the news the iconic ‘Big Murray Cod’ has been resurrected on the outskirts of Wagga, but there’s even more to come.
There are plans to give the big metal fish some extra touches once builder Kyle North-Flanagan returns from a hunting trip in Queensland.
“Yeah, there’s still a few things left to do up here,” he said.
“We’re going to do a little bit of gardening around the bricks at the bottom and then pull the old pole next to the monument down and paint it and put an Aussie flag up.
“It should look pretty flash once it’s fully done, but at least we got it back up for now.”
The Wagga builder and hunting aficionado said the project was a “community effort” that received no assistance or grants from council or government.
The cod on the eastern side of Wagga on the Sturt Highway was resurrected on Halloween and its return was accompanied by mirth, tears of laughter and plenty of people reminiscing its earlier incarnation.
Region‘s former editor Chris Roe’s Facebook post on Sunday (2 November) garnered almost 3000 likes overnight, with almost 200 comments reminiscing the Big Murray Cod and celebrating its return.
The Murray Cod Hatcheries and Fauna Park used to be a big tourist attraction. Photo: Bob Douglas/Lost Wagga Wagga Facebook.
“I remember taking the kids there when it was an actual the Murray Cod Hatcheries & Fauna Park way back in the 1990s,” was one comment.
Another user said: “Had a photo sitting near its mouth when I was about five and it scared me lol.”
There were a number of comments inquiring if the big fish’s eyes would still “light up” as well.
Not everyone was excited about its resurrection.
“Swan Hill already has a 3D Big Murray Cod that is far larger than a roadside sign to a tourist venture no longer open. Big Murray has moved on so Wagga should as well. Let’s strive for something a little more original,” someone commented.
However, one thing is clear: not everything that departs will remain that way … as long as we have passionate folk like Kyle North-Flanagan around.
