THE Big Prawn, already an icon, has become an even more popular tourist attraction in the days since it survived the Lake Macquarie inferno.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The famous prawn remained intact, despite the service station and nursery it marked being destroyed by fire near Catherine Hill Bay.
“More than 2000 cars have stopped here since the fire,” said Ken Silverside, who is leading a clean-up of the site.
Many people who stopped took photographs of the damage and the enduring prawn.
One couple used Skype on a smartphone to show the damage to friends overseas.
Mr Silverside, who formerly owned the site, said it would be restored.
“It’ll be rebuilt in three months,” he said confidently.
“It’ll be back bigger than it ever was.”
A $200,000 refurbishment of the place was recently finished, with the prawn reconstructed.
Swansea’s Kelly Kucherenko said she was “amazed the prawn is still here and didn’t melt”.
Tacoma’s Shelley Sansom said it was a “nice place to stop” and sit at the chairs and tables overlooking the valley.
“I was here an hour before it burnt down,” she said.
“I had a turkey and salad sandwich and it was the best sandwich I’ve eaten in ages.”
RELATED COVERAGE: