Perhaps the most famous of Australia’s ‘big things’, the Sunshine Coast’s Big Pineapple, has been relaunched.

The first stage of the Big Pineapple regeneration includes the launch of a new cafe, new children’s playground, new viewing platform and fully restored train.

The project has been undertaken by owner Peter Kendall and his company CMC Property.

Visitors will be struck by the 16m Big Pineapple’s gleaming appearance, courtesy of sandblasting, repairing and hundreds of litres of paint to ensure the prominent structure stays bright and shiny for many decades to come.

The Plantation Train has been fully restored, along with its carriages and the track, to bring it up to safety standards and certification requirements.

Situated on a 165ha site, the Big Pineapple was originally launched on 15 August 1971 in the heart of pineapple growing territory in Woombye, 100km north of Brisbane.

The Big Pineapple quickly became a food and tourism icon showcasing and celebrating Queensland’s world-class produce.

In its heyday, the Big Pineapple was one of the nation’s most popular tourism attractions, luring more than one million visitors annually.

More recently the Big Pineapple site has diversified its attractions to include Wildlife HQ Zoo, TreeTop Challenge high ropes and zipline course, award-winning coconut foods producer COYO and Sunshine & Sons distillery.

It is also the venue for the popular Big Pineapple Music Festival, which is scheduled to be staged again in October.

Owner Peter Kendall said he knew the relaunch of the Big Pineapple was eagerly anticipated by the Sunshine Coast community.

“The Big Pineapple is undoubtedly the most recognisable tourism icon of the Sunshine Coast and so I am very proud of the team’s work to restore the pineapple to its original glory,” Mr Kendall said.

“This is just the first stage of the regeneration project. Our number one priority was to reopen the main Pineapple structure and cafe and to get the train running again.

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“We are awaiting some final certification for the train and hope to start public train rides soon, providing rides across the property including access to Wildlife HQ.

“The new cafe will provide fresh home-style food and premium coffee, while the new children’s playground will ensure everyone is entertained.”

He said the next priority was to complete the renovations to the inside of the pineapple structure.

Click here to learn more about the Big Pineapple.