…. that’s a hell of a big pineapple you’ve got there! After the prawn theme park in NZ, I now discover a pineapple one in Oz – this food theme theme park is becoming a habit! But one I couldn’t resist. After seeing the sign to the Big Pineapple, I needed to discover more. This is a small pineapple plantation that they have turned into an attraction – as well as the “nutmobile”, a little roadtrain with capsules shaped like nuts that takes you through the macadamia nut plantation, there is also a small train reminiscent of Thomas The Tank Engine that takes you around the plantation to learn all about growing pineapples. My education is now complete, but I just can’t get to grips with the economics – it takes 2 years for a pineapple to grow, and each plant only gives one pineapple in that time. After 2 pineapples have grown on it (4 years) it’s not much good and has to be replaced. So how come you can get ‘em in Tesco’s for 99p? But the train, even though it looks like a kiddie’s ride is actually a train that is used as transport on the plantations. And you get to go inside the big pineapple at the gate (all 18 metres of it) and learn even more – a strange experience! But I also saw joeys and koalas at close range which was a treat. I did resist buying the pineapple shaped ice bucket in the shop on the way out, however stylishly retro it seemed…. Before discovering this huge pineapple I had started the day in my trusty bluemobile driving north through a tropical rainstorm, up the Bruce Highway towards Noosa, and stopping at an old orignal country village, Eumundi, that has a famous twice weekly craft market. It was huge and full of stalls selling all kinds of weird and wonderful objects. I think a lot were manned by people who had in past lives travelled to India and Asia, and now flog their stuff to unsuspecting tourists like me (but I didn’t buy anything at least this time…). There were also local crafts, painted bottles, embroidered nighties are big, Indian caftans (I could sell them a few if I’d thought), 3 D pictures, caricaturists, palm readers and camel rides. But my favourite was meeting the Dyl’s Oz cousin – Scooby Doo (see pic). I can report that in Australia golden cocker spaniels are as into everything and find food wherever they can as they do at home in Clapham! And as it had been raining, he had of course been in every muddy puddle he could find and his coat was soaking and brown with the mud – now where have I met a dog like that? By lunchtime, I reach Noosa – a beautiful area of fabulous houses on the waterfronts of all the little inlets – all individual and different in design and seemingly with a boat moored at each one - like something from the Architectural Digest. The very small, perfectly formed and neat centre is full of trendy restaurants and bars and expensive clothes shops as well as the usual real estate agents with windows full of extremely expensive properties. But it’s a low key place – no big tower blocks, nothing seems higher than 2 storeys and when you hit the beach it is yet another sweep of golden sands and blues seas with white surf. I was thinking that if that puja to Laxmi does work and I win the lottery, perhaps this is the place for my Australian holiday home. But as I drove out, I saw clear evidence of recent bushfires with the barks of the gum trees scorched and black over quite a wide area, and suddenly changed my mind!
