One of Australia’s favourite 'big things', the Big Pineapple, is back! The 16-metre former giant of Queensland tourism has been refurbished and is ready to lure back visitors.
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00:00A big day for one of Queensland's biggest attractions.
00:09The Sunshine Coast's Big Pineapple finally reopening to the public with a fresh lick
00:14of paint, new cafe and wraparound viewing platform.
00:17I think it looks fabulous.
00:18Yeah, a lot of work's been done and it's great to see it happening and reopening again.
00:23Built in 1971, it's one of the nation's original big things.
00:2893-year-old Patsy Flint was at the inaugural unveiling and worked in the souvenir shop
00:33for 22 years.
00:34I'm amazed to see it like this.
00:35It's like a whole new life for it, I think.
00:41Along with the heritage-listed pineapple, another old favourite is ready to pull into
00:46the station.
00:49The original Sunshine Plantation train, which famously carried Princess Diana and then Prince
00:55Charles when they visited in 1983.
00:58Back in its heyday, the 16-metre attraction lured up to a million visitors annually.
01:03But as the decades wore on, appetite for the Big Pineapple faded, along with the giant
01:07fruit itself.
01:09It was in pretty bad shape.
01:10We did a whole heap of fibreglass repairs to it.
01:12We pulled the fronds off the top, repaired all them because about six of them were broken.
01:17The beloved tourist attraction isn't quite back to its former glory yet.
01:21Stages two and three of the revamp are expected to take four to five years to complete.
01:26With the creative juices now flowing, the future is looking bright.
01:30I reckon we've got the number one big thing here in Australia.