The Big Fly Swat unleashed after bar flies' inspired idea

A seven to eight hour drive into the outback north-west of Adelaide brings you to a micro town so small it's almost a ghost town.

Kingoonya, with its population of roughly 13, offers an authentic slice of Australian country life rarely glimpsed by outsiders. That is, until now.

It's hoped that the installation of Australia's latest "big thing" will draw more people to venture off the highway, visit the local pub or cafe and take a selfie to say they have seen the world's biggest fly swat.

Once a railway maintenance town for the tracks that criss-cross Australia from Sydney to Perth and Adelaide to Darwin, Kingoonya once had a population of over 100.

The trains still come — as many as 70 a week pass through — but few stop. While the railway workers and their families are long gone.

Up until the 1980s Kingoonya was still a busy petrol stop on the main road that travels up the middle of the country from Adelaide to Darwin.

But then the highways department decided to shift it 40 kilometres to the east, to Glendambo.

Overnight, the town nearly disappeared, with even the pub closing for a time.

"The population went down to one for a while," said Leesa Carty from the Kingoonya and Area Progress Association.

These days, visitors come in the form of four-wheel-drive adventurers and those en route to local stations.

It has brought revenue for the pub, cafe and caravan park. And also more carrots and apples for the retired horses who freely roam the dusty streets, mooching treats and seeking out shady spots.

Throughout all the ups and downs for Kingoonya over the many years, there has always been one constant: the flies.

Ms Carty was sitting on the front porch of the Kingoonya Bush Hotel one night with former publican Johnny Brett when the idea for the swat was born.

The tables were scattered, as they always are, with beers, ashtrays and fly swats.

The question was how to best spend a $30,000 grant from the Outback Communites Authority to bring people to town.

"I think I just went 'flies' and he went 'fly swat' and we just went, 'Yes!" she recalled.

"That's the one. We could do a big fly swat."

Many months later, the Big Fly Swat, with its accompanying fly (the eyes made from red kitchen strainers), is complete.

Painted blue, the metal swat was 8 metres long (or in South Australian parlance, about one Stobie pole high).

With its location decided on, it was cemented in place between the main street and the railway track.

At the official opening this week, Ms Carter, holding one of the pub's plastic swats, was invited by Marg Howard of the outback authority to "bash the crap" out of the ceremonial red bow placed on the big swat for the occasion.

A cheer went up from the gathered crowd of Kingoonya and surrounding residents as The Big Fly Swat was declared open.

Ms Howard was enthusiastic about the project and the town, which is one of the many little populations the authority oversees.

"I think some people will come to see it because it's a Big Thing and big things are big things in Australia."

The new owner of the 89-year-old Kingoonya Bush Hotel, Jeff Verning, was among those in the crowd at the swat opening.

A frequent visitor to the region for many years, he and wife Catherine took over the pub this year. After the celebrations died down, they joined their customers on the verandah for a drink and a smoke as they did most nights, watching the sun go down and the trains pass by.

With the swat now in place, Mr Verning is lobbying for funding for an independent water supply for Kingoonya, which currently relies on bore water pumped for free for the town by a nearby station owner.

He is hopeful by next year the town will be able to have its own bore.

Amy Clarke – who is an expert on big thing tourist attractions – believes Kingoonya can rightly claim to have world's biggest fly swat and that it will attract tourists to take the detour from the main road.

She said New South Wales' Big Bogan had been particularly successful in drawing tourists who like to take selfies with the structure, with the Big Fly Swat similarly in the same "funny and kitschy" category that made the Big Bogan a drawcard.

"I think it will be successful," Ms Clarke said.

"It'll put us on the map," he said. "I think it's a good idea."