Sunshine Coast icon, the Big Pineapple, is set for a major rejuvenation as one of eight recipients of Round 1 of the $80 million Tourism Icons Investment Fund upgrades.
Planned to help attract more visitors and encourage longer stays, the upgrade is set to revitalise the Big Pineapple with new experiences including a family-friendly microbrewery, cafés, retail, restaurant and function spaces.
The biggest of Australia’s ‘Big Things’ – the Sunshine Coast’s Big Pineapple – was officially relaunched two years ago, in June 2024. Standing 16 metres high, the first stage of the Big Pineapple regeneration included a café, children’s playground, new viewing platform and fully restored train.
The $80m TIFF is program designed to help create world-class tourism experiences that inspire visitors and deliver lasting benefits to the community.
The fund is a key part of the Destination 2045 plan to create jobs, attract new investment, and position Queensland as a world-class tourism destination for decades to come.
From the Gold Coast to Outback Queensland, other iconic experiences receiving Round 1 TIIF funding include Australia’s largest zip line in the spectacular Numinbah Valley, a flood-resilient rafting centre at Lake Placid near the Barron River, and the expansion of the award-winning BIG4 Adventure Whitsunday Resort with a new café, cabins, and a new waterpark.
Other highlights include the revitalisation of the Great Keppel Island Hideaway Bistro, the creation of a transformative Lakes Precinct at Longreach’s Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame, a new wave pool and surf lagoon at Palm Valley on the Gold Coast and a new flying fox adventure experience for the Brisbane River.
For tourism operators, these standout experiences are key to attracting visitors to our regional areas and create flow-on opportunities for local businesses, from accommodation and tours to hospitality and retail, ensuring visitors explore further and stay a little longer.
Applications for Round 2 of the Tourism Icons Investment Fund open soon.
