The hulking bulb is 18 inches (46cm) around and groans the scales at 3lb (1.4kg).

It's so large it might even prove a challenge too far for the laughing gear of former Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who shot to notoriety when he chomped on a raw onion - skin and all - during a farm visit.

Gary, a retiree at Missabotti, told the Nambucca Guardian he had grown the Hunter River Brown onion from seed.

"That's the variety we grow around here and it's been a perfect season for them as all of them are pretty big. When they are getting ready to pick, they like it to be fairly dry - and that's what it's been," Gary said.

"I have a little vegetable garden and I just give them (the produce) away. I just grow them for fun.

"I didn't do anything special with the onions - just popped them in the ground and away they went."

From seed to super-sized took about six months for the whopper with plenty of a-peel. Gary said it's time to lift an onion when the leaves start dying off.

According to Yates, Hunter River Browns are a great companion plant for beets, carrots, cabbage, lettuce, parsnip, roses and tomatoes. And as Gary cautioned, avoid over-watering, as seeds may rot before germination if soil is too wet.

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