The Matilda Kangaroo was the mascot for Australia’s 1982 Commonwealth Games, hosted in Brisbane. The 13-metre tall mascot moved around the track at the stadium in the opening ceremony, winking at the Duke of Edinburgh.
Matilda currently resides at a Puma service station close to the Bruce Highway at Traveston, attracting visitors and continuing to be a big thing stop decades after first making her appearance.
For 25 years, Matilda stood outside Wet ‘n’ Wild 
, originally called Cade’s County Waterpark. The medal she holds in front of her, with the 1982 Commonwealth Games symbol displayed on it, was changed to the amusement park’s logo.
In 2009, Matilda was for sale and a company recognised the potential for a recognisable icon as a big thing to promote the business. In 2010, Matilda Fuel Supplies snapped up Matilda.
She was meant to remain at the Gold Coast, outside the Tugun Matilda Fuel Station. The idea wasn’t realised with Matilda standing taller than the 10-metre eight restrictions for advertising.
Instead, she found herself relocated to Kybong along the old Gympie Highway, a major Matilda fuel and rest stop between Brisbane and Gympie. The connection between the business name and The Big Kangaroo’s name disappeared as the fuel stop became a Puma fuel station.
When the new dual carriageway highway bypassed Kybong, the number of visitors to The Big Kangaroo dropped from the heights of 100,000 per month. After 10 years, ever the traveller, Matilda once again moved to her current location in Traveston.
We stopped at the Big Kangaroo early 2020, before Matilda was moved to her new position closer to the new highway. An updated photo will be needed the next time we head through and make a stop to see the freshly painted mascot from the early 80s.
I’m left to wonder if we’ll see Matilda make a revival in 2032 when the Olympics come to Brisbane. It will be 50 years since the Commonwealth Games when she made her first appearance. I’m not the only one to wonder if Matilda will come out to play in 2032 
.
We’ll have to wait a while before we find out. In the meantime, Matilda has had a great spruce-up before her 40th birthday in 2022.