The Bruce Highway runs north from Brisbane, an asphalt artery to centres like Bundaberg, Rockhampton, Cairns, and of course, the Sunshine Coast.
The highway actually runs slightly inland, and it’s here you’ll find non-coastal attractions that have been tempting motorists, in some cases for decades, to pull over and enjoy themselves.
So, ignoring the beaches for once, here are five attractions of the Sunshine Coast, courtesy of ‘the Bruce’.
1. The Big Pineapple – Nambour Connection Rd, Woombye
The 16m high Big Pineapple has been the emblem of Sunshine Plantation since it opened in 1971, serving up parfaits of fruit and nuts grown on site to promote local agriculture. Sadly, the plantation went through difficult times in the late noughties, but in the last few years it’s revitalised and is open Saturdays from 6.30am to 1.30pm for the markets in the Polynesian Room. (For lovers of tiki kitsch, this room is heaven.) Outside, there are rides in the original Sugar Cane Train around the vast property, then take one of the most recognisable selfies in Australia in front of that amazingly lifelike pineapple.
2. Aussie World – 73 Frizzo Rd, Palmview
The Ettamogah Pub was the watering hole from a cartoon strip in the Australasian Post, a hangout for Aussie larrikins and a chain-smoking mutt – ah, those were the days! It was so popular that in 1989 they built a $4.5 million replica of the pub out on the Bruce Highway, where it now marks the entrance to Aussie World. Once you’ve had a drink at the pub, get into the Log Flume Ride, slides, roller coasters, dodgems, ferris wheels – it’s good, old-fashioned family fun and ‘Aussie’ in the sense that there isn’t a Disney franchise character in sight.
3. The Ginger Factory – 50 Pioneer Rd, Yandina
Yandina’s Ginger Factory has to be one of the nicest-smelling places on earth, unless you hate ginger and chocolate. But if you DO, then you’ll get to see how ginger is processed in the factory tour, then turned into the chocolate coated varieties that I personally love. I was a bit disappointed that there were no ‘cellar door’ discounts, the prices are pretty much the same as you will pay at the supermarket. But there is more variety, and you can buy that most important item of any Aussie trip – the souvenir tea towel. There’s also a honey bee tour, and an old cane train ride through the gardens. A quick walk across the road and you’re at Nutworks, which produces not only nuts but chocolate.
4. Australia Zoo – Steve Irwin Way, Beerwah
Founded in the 1990s by the late naturalist and TV presenter Steve Irwin and his wife, Terri, Australia Zoo continues to have a high profile thanks to their children, Bindi and Robert. Tigers stalk around in a reproduction of Angkor Wat; Elephantasia is a 12 acre area far bigger than traditional zoo habitats. There’s no sense here, as in some zoos I’ve visited overseas, that the animals are leading miserable, confined existences. The highlight for me was the saltwater crocodile snapping at bits of chicken in the 5,000 seat Crocoseum.
5. Big Kart Track – 2310 Steve Irwin Way, Landsborough
A couple of clicks north of Australia Zoo is where those of you born to be wild can put your pedal to the metal around 1.2km of go kart track. Fifty vehicles can be careening around the Big Kart Track at any one time, making the Melbourne Grand Prix look… well, a lot bigger and more exciting really. But the point is, granny can transform into a speed demon while the kids work out sibling rivalries on the kids’ track and you try to figure out the meaning of “straights, bends, chicanes and hairpins”.
From go karts to tiger temples, chocolate ginger to strawberry parfaits, the Sunshine Coast has more than just beaches to offer, and the Bruce Highway can take you there.
(Feature image: Kim; Search flights to Cairns image by Skyseeker)
