The Sunshine Coast's Big Pineapple and its 170-hectare surrounds in Queensland, Australia, are to be transformed through an AU$150m (US$108.3m, €94.6m, £83m) redevelopment.
Built in 1971, the 52ft-high (16m) heritage-listed tourist attraction – shaped like a giant pineapple – was designed by Peddle Thorp and Harvey, Paul Luff, and Gary Smallcombe and Associates.
As part of the new development, features will include a water park, an adventure precinct and a major concert event space, as well as the Tree Tops Challenge – a high ropes and zip line course that is nearly complete.
The Tree Tops Challenge will include around 120 activities for visitors, including a 120m zip line, and will take around a half a day to complete.
"Work on the project is tipped to pump nearly AU$90m (US$65m,€56.8m, £49.8m) into the Sunshine Coast’s economy and 800 construction jobs will be on offer," said Queensland tourism industry development minister Kate Jones.
"More tourists mean more jobs for locals. Once it’s fully operational, the revamped Big Pineapple site will support more than 630 local jobs.
"More tourists than ever before are flocking to the Sunshine Coast every year. Projects like this will ensure visitor numbers only continue to grow in the future.
"Tourism is worth an estimated AU$2.6bn (US$1.9bn, €1.6bn, £1.4bn) a year and supports 23,200 jobs on the Sunshine Coast. We’re committed to working with locals to create more tourism jobs on the Sunshine Coast in the years to come."
Other features at the attraction will include a food and tourism hub, which will aim to showcase the region’s produce, as well as a craft brewery and a distillery. The Big Pineapple project will also incorporate educational elements, including a school camp.
"Our renewal master plan is set to position the Big Pineapple for sustained success, with an emphasis on showcasing the region’s famous, world-class produce and other attractions, including major music events and adventure tourism," said Big Pineapple Renewal project director Jim Costello.
"Our plans set our vision for the future, but the Big Pineapple renewal is also about the 'here and now' too with an active events program and the TreeTop Challenge about to commence operations."
