The Big Pineapple at the Sunshine Plantation

Nambour
Major service town for the Sunshine Coast.
In an area of total tourist insanity Nambour presents itself as a relatively ordinary large centre which serves both the travellers on the Bruce Highway and the surrounding agricultural population. It is a town of supermarkets rather than historic buildings; a town where the sugar railway line crosses the Bruce Highway and runs down the middle of the main street. At crushing time it is commonplace to see a cane train winding its way down the street.

Located 30 m above sea-level and 101 km north of Brisbane, Nambour was probably named after the local Aboriginal word for a red flowering tea-tree.

The district was settled by Europeans in the 1860s but it wasn't until the arrival of the railway in 1890 that the local economy became focused on sugar production. A sugar mill was built in 1896.

Nambour is the most southerly of Queensland's major sugar towns and, interestingly, the cane was still cut by hand in the area as recently as the 1970s. This was only because of the hilly terrain which was not suitable for cane-cutting machines.

In recent times the agricultural base of the area has expanded to include a variety of tropical crops - particularly macadamia nuts, bananas, citrus fruits and pineapples.

Things to see:  

The Sunshine Plantation (The Big Pineapple)
The big attraction in the area is the Sunshine Plantation which lies south of the town and is a typical Queensland tourist trap theme park. It is a place to spend money on tropical fruits and gifts while clambering up the Big Pineapple (16 metres high), taking a ride on a cane train through the tropical plantation, hopping aboard the Nutmobile for a journey through the macadamia orchards and rainforest surrounds of 'Nutcountry', enjoying the Harvest Boat Ride or visiting the animal nursery. Information about the state's tropical fruit industry is to be found within the Big Pineapple which offers views of the surrounds from its summit. Macadamia and honey products (food, soaps and other body products) are for sale in the Nut Shop. The Sunshine Plantation has a licensed restaurant and a huge greenhouse and is located just off the Bruce Highway, along the Nambour Connection Rd, at Woombye. It is open daily and admission is free, tel: (07) 5442 1333.

Thrill Hill Fun Park
A little further west along the Nambour Connection Rd is Thrill Hill Fun Park, which is also open daily, tel: (07) 5442 1033.

	Motels
	Centrepoint Motel 26 Coronation Ave Nambour QLD 4560 Telephone: (07) 5441 4811 Rating: ***
	Koala Welcome Inn McKenzie Rd Nambour QLD 4560 Telephone: (07) 5442 1411 Rating: ***
	Nambour Lodge Motel 171 Currie St Nambour QLD 4560 Telephone: (07) 5441 2611 Rating: ***1/2
	Nambour Motor Inn Cnr Coronation Ave & Rigby St Nambour QLD 4560 Telephone: (07) 5441 5500 Rating: ****
	Hotels
	Commercial Hotel 69 Drayton St Nambour QLD 4560 Telephone: (07) 5441 114
	Royal George Hotel Currie St Nambour QLD 4560 Telephone: (07) 5441 1140
	Caravan Parks
	Nambour Rainforest Holiday Village Bruce Hwy Nambour QLD 4560 Telephone: (07) 5442 1153 Rating: ***
	Camping & Other
	Dulong Inn 8 Talana Dve Nambour QLD 4560 Telephone: (07) 5476 0399
	Restaurants
	China King Licensed Restaurant 17 Matthew St Nambour QLD 4560 Telephone: (07) 5476 0392
	Hoy Yuen Chinese Restaurant 15 Currie St Nambour QLD 4560 Telephone: (07) 5441 2715
	Lock Wah Chinese Restaurant 121 Howard St Nambour QLD 4560 Telephone: (07) 5441 4225
	Midway Licensed Restaurant 89 Howard St Nambour QLD 4560 Telephone: (07) 5441 2322
	Scrums Restaurant Bli Bli Rd Nambour QLD 4560 Telephone: (07) 5441 2744
	Silver Phoenix Chinese Restaurant 89 Howard St Nambour QLD 4560 Telephone: (07) 5441 5177