Pineapples have brought much success to the Sunshine Coast in days past, so they built a sacred monument, kind of like the golden calf in the Moses story, but it's a massive pineapple. On the "Sunny Coast", not only do we have some of the best beaches in the world, but we have The Big Pineapple. It's a building, and it's a pineapple. What's not to like? It's a pineapple with stairs... and a music festival. Coz that's the way we roll in Queensland.
image - www.bigpineapple.com.au/attraction
In its heyday it was one of the major Australian tourist attractions, with VIP's from around the world visiting it. Royalty and diplomats, and nothing gives a diplomatic welcome like a huge piece of fibreglass fruit.
One of the main attractions, other than the awe inspiring tropical tower, was the parfaits. Ice cream, tropical fruit all layered with cream, in a fancy milkshake glass, and topped with a couple of triangular wafers. The French can keep their delicate patisserie desserts, the USA, we scoff at your apple pies, we had a dessert so big and lush and creamy, you wanted to swim in it.
image - Tripadvisor
There was an open air train to take you around the plantation in comfort, with an educational audio, telling you about things like "to your right you will see breadfruit (with quick explanation)". Now the amount of times I've needed to know what breadfruit was, is surprisingly more often than you would anticipate. At least 10 times I sounded cultured instead of ignorant. So a big shout out and thank you to the disembodied voice on the Big Pineapple Train Ride.
image - Australasian Leisure Management
In addition to the train, another ride was introduced. The Nut Mobile. If you have ever been to the neighbouring town, which I grew up in, Nambour, it's easy to see where the name came from. Not so many nut trees or anything, but nuts everywhere nonetheless.
image - Wikipedia
There were animals too. A nursery of friendly Australian native and farm animals. You could feed the kangaroos while keeping one eye on the emus to make sure they didn't do a fence break. Oh good times good times. I'm not going further into this, because something bad happened. Real bad. I was a previously untroubled child that day in the 70's, as I feasted on ice-cream and learned about breadfruit in the sunshine, but I still have trauma from when one of the goats ate a hibiscus off my Hawaiian shirt. Oh dark times, dark times.
But I will give a happy mention to the barking owl, with whom I had a great conversation.
image - www.brisbanekids.com.au
Oh. And the music festival. You missed it this year, but there is always another.
images - https://www.facebook.com/pg/bigpineapplemusicfestival/photos/?ref=page_internal
The Big Pineapple is a heritage-listed tourist attraction at Nambour Connection Road, Woombye, Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Peddle Thorp and Harvey, Paul Luff, and Gary Smallcombe and Associates. - Wikipedia
