Avondale Spider Sculpture (1975 Great North Road)

In the early 1920s, a type of Australian huntsman spider (Delena cancerides) appeared in Avondale. It was surmised that it must have arrived as a stowaway from Australia and then was transported over the railway to Avondale. As a result, the sub-species is now known as the Avondale spider. The large arachnid can be up to 20 centimetres across when its legs are extended. While some welcomed them into homes since they culled the population of moths, files, cockroaches, and earwigs, others find the creatures frightful.

The spider gained international recognition when it became the star of the horror movie Arachnophobia in 1990. The US filmmakers worked in collaboration with the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research to produce over 300 spiders for the movie, which was a massive boon for local research into the spider. Seemingly overnight, the Avondale spider had become an iconic local celebrity.

When a scripture of the spider’s likeness was spotted in a second-hand store, it was purchased and mounted on top of the Mobil gas station on Great North Road. The spider was affectionately named ‘Dale’. It spans 6 meters, weighs about 550kgs, and is made of stainless steel and fibreglass. In 1999, due to a change in policy by Mobil Australia, Dale had to be removed. Fearing the loss of the sculpture, the Avondale Business Association paid for its removal, refurbishment, and storage until a suitable new home could be found.

In 2001, work began on a web for Dale in the Avondale Central Reserve. Grants from the Portage Licensing Trust and the Avondale Community Board, in addition to funding from the Avondale Mainstreet Programme, made the $50,000 project possible. Dale now sits above the reserve, a central symbol for the Avondale community.

Continue north along Great North Road and then turn right on Racecourse Parade. Continue to the end of Racecourse Road.