As we breezed up the south-east coast of South Australia, there was one town we just had to drop in on. Kingston SE is a seaside town of 1,600 residents and home to one of the most iconic of Australian tourist attractions.

Since 1979, the 17 metre tall Larry the Lobster has delighted locals and visitors alike as he’s stood by the Princes Highway, with many people travelling vast distances to see him as they tick off Australia’s list of ‘Big things’.

For years, a rumour circulated that Larry was never meant to be as big as he is, with the builder confusing imperial for metric. However, this has now been debunked by the original artist who noted that his size was very intentional to draw tourists to the restaurant and information centre beside it.

When we stopped in, I couldn’t resist getting a photo of Willow who wasn’t much impressed with the alien-like creature. The restaurant was a hive of activity as it served local delicacies and wine from the region, though we didn’t go in.

The last time the three of us were in the area was 2017. Steph took a snap of Willow and I with Larry behind us as you can see from the photo below. I can’t believe that was 6 years ago!

Back then, the restaurant had been closed for a number of years, so it was great to see that the site had been revamped and Larry would live on bring joy to many more.

Of course, the great thing about travel is going to places you have never been to before, but there’s also something comforting about getting to return to somewhere we once visited, to see how it’s changed.

What’s a place you’d like to go back to?