June 21, 2024 • 8 mins
"In the pantheon of Australia’s famous ‘big things’, the biggest thing of all is the Sunshine Coast’s Big Pineapple. This iconic king of Queensland kitsch has been resplendently restored and I happened to be in town for the reopening of this 16-metre-tall fibreglass landmark a few weeks ago. She’s as old as me, first thrust into the world in 1971, principally as an agritourism attraction, swathed in pineapple plantations. Even Charles and Diana paid the icon a visit in 1983. Over the decades, capturing some family snaps at the Big Pineapple has been a cherished, cheesy visitor pastime, in addition to riding the plantation train and indulging in a pineapple parfait. And all these nostalgic novelties are being freshly reinstated for a new generation of travellers. It’s all very grammable!"
"But the gleaming rebirth of the Big Pineapple also underscores the Sunshine Coast’s striking stature as Queensland's Sunshine Pantry, brimming with over 900 food and drink producers. Heartily dabbling from this powerhouse of premium local produce, noshing and sipping your way across the Sunshine Coast, is a sure-fire recipe for blissed-out holiday indulgence."
Read Mike's full article here.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack team podcast
from News Talks.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
At be Mike Hardley is our travel correspondent. He is
a king can Tab so I wonder if, like me,
he's going to be cheering for the Chiefs come to
the Super Rugby final at seven o'clock this evening more
than a Mike, more.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
Than a Jack. Yes, well, I didn't have much favorite
thief swimming last weekend, but I'm with them tonight. O
the cheeks.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
No, I agree, it's funny because I I'll enjoy watching
the game this evening, but don't you know, I don't
have a dog in the fight, as it were. And
I reckon if you were to rank the five Super
Rugby teams in New Zealand, yeah, I think the Chiefs
and the Blues are probably the ones I'm less likely
to It's basically the further you get from Canterbury, the
less likely I am to support the team. Yeah, but no,
(00:53):
I thought the Chiefs were great last weekend. Really, I
thought they were great. And you know we've been talking
about how they're kind of flying under the radar. I
just thought they were. I thought they were fantastic, especially
that first fifteen minutes or so. Last weekend was Stonking
so you cannot wait for the Super Rugby Final this evening.
We'll be catching up with Jason Pine on that very shortly,
but for now we are focusing on things across the ditch,
the great eats and drinks on the Sunshine Coast and
(01:16):
Australia's biggest thing, the Biggest Pineapple, has just been freshly restored.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
Well it's not every day I'm invited to the ribbon
cutting ceremony for a fiberglass fruit jack, but there. I
was in town last week for the grand reopening of
the sixteen meter tall Pineapple. So this is considered the
iconic Queen of Queensland Kitch and she looks so resplendent.
I could do with a similar face lift with a
(01:44):
couple of coats of marine paint. Jack. She's as old
as me. She was birthed in nineteen seventy one as
an agritourism attraction. Even Charles and Diana paid her a
visit forty years ago. And I don't know how many
Kiwis have stopped by the Big Pineapple over the decades,
but I reckon it would be hundreds of thousands. And
(02:06):
on the nostalgic front, all of the old features are
going to be back, the Pineapple Express train, even the
Pineapple pafas, which millions of visitors have devowed over the decades.
Thing about the Big Pineapple Jack is that the reopening
of her also just reinforces that the Sunshine Coast has
(02:28):
so much stature as a powerhouse for premium local produce.
I reckon one of the most satisfying holidays on the
Sunshine Coast would be purely noching and sipping your way
around the region. There is so much to check out.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
So where do you find pineapple parfa gin?
Speaker 3 (02:48):
It's next door. There is this great distillery called Sunshine
and Suns And as a tribute to the famous neighbor,
the craft distiller produces various spirits, including pineapple parfe gin.
This ginjack tastes like a holiday and the cellar door
actually whipped me up a Coast Sunset cocktail. So what
they do is they top the gin with ice, pineapple
(03:12):
juice and a dash of grenadine. Hello holiday Heaven. You
can try that one at home. But it's amazing what
else this distillery does. They pump out the most superb
spicy RUMs and their vodka was most intriguing. Their vodka
is distilled from surplus grapes and grape waste from the Barossa.
(03:34):
So if you like your vodka produced sustainably, these guys
knock it out of the park.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
Are very nice and there's an indigenous distillery that's scooping
plenty of awards as well.
Speaker 3 (03:43):
Oh, this was such a stunning place to visit. Jack. Yes,
in Caloundra, I popped into beech Tree Distillery, another shining
star in the Aussie craft scene and actually they are
the nation's most awarded organic distillery. They have won gold
at both the World Gin and World Vodka Awards right
in the last few months. Yeah, they really are a
(04:04):
rock star. The thing about at beech Tree it is
the application of native botanicals, which is their point of
different So think lemon, myrtle, pepperberries, strawberry, garm, cuckadoo, plalm.
And they also are sticklers for organic Queensland sugar cane,
which they reckon and I would agree it seems to
(04:26):
create a cleaner, crisper, smoother spirit if you have that
wildly grown sugar cane from across Queensland. So definitely check
out beech Tree.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
What about craft breweries.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
Well, interestingly they are the king. They have more craft
breweries per capita than any other region in Australia. One
sometime Coast. Yeah, so the cold one is never far away.
There's two venues to put on your bingo card. Coulan
Beach Coat. They are a cracker. Check out their raspberry
says on It's like this semi tart fruit beer, very zesty,
(05:05):
very freshing on a hot day. And Moffatt Beach Brewer
and Barren Caloundra. If you like IPA's the trilogy, Best
Coast has scooped so many gongs. It is a resinous,
full flavored boozy Ipa best enjoyed with a dirty bird
Louisiana style fried chicken burger.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
I have to say, yeah, we'll take your word from that.
If there was like one restaurant not to miss out
on on the Sunshine Ghost, what would you say it is?
Speaker 3 (05:34):
Well, I took on board local knowledge and just south
of Noosa, I scooted to Sunshine Beach, which is this
snoozy under the radar beachside bolthole for the seriously rich
and famous. The real estate bear Jack unbelievable anyway. It's
also home to a pine sized restaurant called humble On.
Duke Jade and Stacy are your delightful hosts. Stacy's actually
(05:57):
from in the Cargol and it's easy to see why
the locals rave about this place. It's the sort of
place you just roll up to and say, feed me,
and the Eastern influences sing out loud with lots of
small plates offerings. Think Turkish sausage with whipped feta, crispy
(06:18):
zucchini flowers with Parmisan honey and sumac. Everything feels exotic
and escapist. I do love how a really good restaurant
transports you. This place nails it. And by the way,
if you're drinking all day like me, whistle up the
Turkish Delight soda. This is another Try this at home one, folks.
(06:38):
It is a zero alcohol cocktail. It is simplistic. Brilliance
is soda, rose water, lime and mint.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
So it's quite simple in a way. I mean, yeah,
the rose water is a little bit complicated, but otherwise yeah,
latively simple.
Speaker 3 (06:54):
You can buy the rose water I think Barkers for example.
Rose water. Yeah, yeah, so just look for it on
the supermarket. But it is such an easy drink, and
it really was the drink of the drip.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
Yeah, well, yeah you can. You could get the Barker's version,
or you could just do what I did and get
Persian in laws, because well.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
There you go.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Thes is never far from the cooking and the inlaws.
What about dinner with a view? Where's good?
Speaker 3 (07:21):
Well, I would say Tides restaurants and clowns, for it
is hard to beat on that front, jack, because if
you go there just before sunrise from its purchase Tides,
not only do you get that sweeping view of the
esplanade and the waterfront, but gazed out west and you
see the glasshouse mountains and as the sun slums on
the horizon, those glasshouse mountains take on a treacle coat.
(07:44):
Absolutely amazing that the coastal elements that Tides are also
underpins by all of that amazing seafood. You tuck into
your Coral Coast barra Monday and your Malula bar prawns,
and you think life is stupend.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
Yes, man, that sounds pretty good to me. I reckon, Hey,
thank you so much. Enjoy the game this evening, and
we will be into again very soon that's our travel
correspondent Mike Yardley for all of his tips on nothing
and sipping your way around the Sunshine Coast. You can
go to Newstalk SHDB dot co dot nz
Speaker 1 (08:18):
For more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame, Listen live
to news Talks dB from nine am Saturday, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack team podcast
from News Talks.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
At be Mike Hardley is our travel correspondent. He is
a king can Tab so I wonder if, like me,
he's going to be cheering for the Chiefs come to
the Super Rugby final at seven o'clock this evening more
than a Mike, more.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
Than a Jack. Yes, well, I didn't have much favorite
thief swimming last weekend, but I'm with them tonight. O
the cheeks.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
No, I agree, it's funny because I I'll enjoy watching
the game this evening, but don't you know, I don't
have a dog in the fight, as it were. And
I reckon if you were to rank the five Super
Rugby teams in New Zealand, yeah, I think the Chiefs
and the Blues are probably the ones I'm less likely
to It's basically the further you get from Canterbury, the
less likely I am to support the team. Yeah, but no,
(00:53):
I thought the Chiefs were great last weekend. Really, I
thought they were great. And you know we've been talking
about how they're kind of flying under the radar. I
just thought they were. I thought they were fantastic, especially
that first fifteen minutes or so. Last weekend was Stonking
so you cannot wait for the Super Rugby Final this evening.
We'll be catching up with Jason Pine on that very shortly,
but for now we are focusing on things across the ditch,
the great eats and drinks on the Sunshine Coast and
(01:16):
Australia's biggest thing, the Biggest Pineapple, has just been freshly restored.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
Well it's not every day I'm invited to the ribbon
cutting ceremony for a fiberglass fruit jack, but there. I
was in town last week for the grand reopening of
the sixteen meter tall Pineapple. So this is considered the
iconic Queen of Queensland Kitch and she looks so resplendent.
I could do with a similar face lift with a
(01:44):
couple of coats of marine paint. Jack. She's as old
as me. She was birthed in nineteen seventy one as
an agritourism attraction. Even Charles and Diana paid her a
visit forty years ago. And I don't know how many
Kiwis have stopped by the Big Pineapple over the decades,
but I reckon it would be hundreds of thousands. And
(02:06):
on the nostalgic front, all of the old features are
going to be back, the Pineapple Express train, even the
Pineapple pafas, which millions of visitors have devowed over the decades.
Thing about the Big Pineapple Jack is that the reopening
of her also just reinforces that the Sunshine Coast has
(02:28):
so much stature as a powerhouse for premium local produce.
I reckon one of the most satisfying holidays on the
Sunshine Coast would be purely noching and sipping your way
around the region. There is so much to check out.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
So where do you find pineapple parfa gin?
Speaker 3 (02:48):
It's next door. There is this great distillery called Sunshine
and Suns And as a tribute to the famous neighbor,
the craft distiller produces various spirits, including pineapple parfe gin.
This ginjack tastes like a holiday and the cellar door
actually whipped me up a Coast Sunset cocktail. So what
they do is they top the gin with ice, pineapple
(03:12):
juice and a dash of grenadine. Hello holiday Heaven. You
can try that one at home. But it's amazing what
else this distillery does. They pump out the most superb
spicy RUMs and their vodka was most intriguing. Their vodka
is distilled from surplus grapes and grape waste from the Barossa.
(03:34):
So if you like your vodka produced sustainably, these guys
knock it out of the park.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
Are very nice and there's an indigenous distillery that's scooping
plenty of awards as well.
Speaker 3 (03:43):
Oh, this was such a stunning place to visit. Jack. Yes,
in Caloundra, I popped into beech Tree Distillery, another shining
star in the Aussie craft scene and actually they are
the nation's most awarded organic distillery. They have won gold
at both the World Gin and World Vodka Awards right
in the last few months. Yeah, they really are a
(04:04):
rock star. The thing about at beech Tree it is
the application of native botanicals, which is their point of
different So think lemon, myrtle, pepperberries, strawberry, garm, cuckadoo, plalm.
And they also are sticklers for organic Queensland sugar cane,
which they reckon and I would agree it seems to
(04:26):
create a cleaner, crisper, smoother spirit if you have that
wildly grown sugar cane from across Queensland. So definitely check
out beech Tree.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
What about craft breweries.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
Well, interestingly they are the king. They have more craft
breweries per capita than any other region in Australia. One
sometime Coast. Yeah, so the cold one is never far away.
There's two venues to put on your bingo card. Coulan
Beach Coat. They are a cracker. Check out their raspberry
says on It's like this semi tart fruit beer, very zesty,
(05:05):
very freshing on a hot day. And Moffatt Beach Brewer
and Barren Caloundra. If you like IPA's the trilogy, Best
Coast has scooped so many gongs. It is a resinous,
full flavored boozy Ipa best enjoyed with a dirty bird
Louisiana style fried chicken burger.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
I have to say, yeah, we'll take your word from that.
If there was like one restaurant not to miss out
on on the Sunshine Ghost, what would you say it is?
Speaker 3 (05:34):
Well, I took on board local knowledge and just south
of Noosa, I scooted to Sunshine Beach, which is this
snoozy under the radar beachside bolthole for the seriously rich
and famous. The real estate bear Jack unbelievable anyway. It's
also home to a pine sized restaurant called humble On.
Duke Jade and Stacy are your delightful hosts. Stacy's actually
(05:57):
from in the Cargol and it's easy to see why
the locals rave about this place. It's the sort of
place you just roll up to and say, feed me,
and the Eastern influences sing out loud with lots of
small plates offerings. Think Turkish sausage with whipped feta, crispy
(06:18):
zucchini flowers with Parmisan honey and sumac. Everything feels exotic
and escapist. I do love how a really good restaurant
transports you. This place nails it. And by the way,
if you're drinking all day like me, whistle up the
Turkish Delight soda. This is another Try this at home one, folks.
(06:38):
It is a zero alcohol cocktail. It is simplistic. Brilliance
is soda, rose water, lime and mint.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
So it's quite simple in a way. I mean, yeah,
the rose water is a little bit complicated, but otherwise yeah,
latively simple.
Speaker 3 (06:54):
You can buy the rose water I think Barkers for example.
Rose water. Yeah, yeah, so just look for it on
the supermarket. But it is such an easy drink, and
it really was the drink of the drip.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
Yeah, well, yeah you can. You could get the Barker's version,
or you could just do what I did and get
Persian in laws, because well.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
There you go.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Thes is never far from the cooking and the inlaws.
What about dinner with a view? Where's good?
Speaker 3 (07:21):
Well, I would say Tides restaurants and clowns, for it
is hard to beat on that front, jack, because if
you go there just before sunrise from its purchase Tides,
not only do you get that sweeping view of the
esplanade and the waterfront, but gazed out west and you
see the glasshouse mountains and as the sun slums on
the horizon, those glasshouse mountains take on a treacle coat.
(07:44):
Absolutely amazing that the coastal elements that Tides are also
underpins by all of that amazing seafood. You tuck into
your Coral Coast barra Monday and your Malula bar prawns,
and you think life is stupend.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
Yes, man, that sounds pretty good to me. I reckon, Hey,
thank you so much. Enjoy the game this evening, and
we will be into again very soon that's our travel
correspondent Mike Yardley for all of his tips on nothing
and sipping your way around the Sunshine Coast. You can
go to Newstalk SHDB dot co dot nz
Speaker 1 (08:18):
For more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame, Listen live
to news Talks dB from nine am Saturday, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio
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