The town can now claim a Guinness World Record, but if you’re frightened of our arachnid friends it may be best to proceed with caution.

However, Jamberoo Action Park will be hoping they have a star tourist attraction with the ‘‘biggest funnel web spider ever built’’.

The water theme park has constructed a $250,000 steel, fibreglass and concrete-themed spider that’s reportedly 420 times larger than the female Sydney funnel web on which it is modeled.

The Big Funnel Web was awarded a Guinness World Record for ‘The Largest Spider Sculpture’, as measured on July 27, 2015. 

The park was presented with the world record certificate on Friday.

Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier Illawarra and South Coast, and Kiama MP Gareth Ward handed over the certificate.

The more than a year-in-the-making spider is attached to the Funnel Web water ride. 

The unveiling of the eight-legged (plus two pincers) creature also coincided with the launch of the park’s new season.

It stands at 19.7m to its highest leg, is 22.2m wide and 15m in length.

Dax Eddy, the park’s executive director said Jamberoo now had ‘‘something big’’ comparable to the likes of the Big Banana, the Big Pineapple and the Big Merino.

He described it as “a real labour of love” during the course of its construction. 

‘‘We’re bigger than all the ‘big’ things,’’ Mr Eddy said. 

He also joked that while funnel webs typically live underground, and only come out to feed and mate, this one would be proudly on display. 

“Receiving a Guinness World Record for building the Big Funnel Web is tremendous recognition and something that will really excite our guests this season.

“We’ve also done some landscaping improvements which were needed, and that our guests will appreciate and enjoy.”

The park will be hoping the creepy crawly will be a key factor in attracting punters when its new season kicks off today.

Sydney-based competitor Wet ‘n’ Wild also opens its doors for another season this weekend.

Wet 'n' Wild Sydney opened in December 2013.

‘‘Wet ‘n’ Wild are a major internationally recognised company,’’ Mr Eddy said.

‘‘They bring a lot of credibility to the industry.

‘‘Having parks like Wet ‘n’ Wild in NSW is going to stem the flow of people we’re losing to theme parks up in Queensland.’’

Jamberoo Action Park’s season runs until the end of April. 

After opening 35 years ago in 1980 with grass skiing facilities and a chairlift relocated from the Snowy Mountains, the park has grown into a 40-hectare, multi-million-dollar water park.