History of The Big Banana

History of The Big Banana

How big is The Big Banana? Is it still the biggest Banana in the world?

The Big Banana structure is 13 metres long, 5 metres high and 2.4 metres wide. When it was first built, it was the biggest banana in the world and this phrase was displayed on the signage beneath it. Although this signage has long been removed, it is still believed to be the biggest.

When and how did it all begin? The Big Banana was the brainchild of Mr John Landi, who had come here from the United States of America with his wife Betty, to study the insects which attack commercial banana plantations.

experienced over 2,000 visitors each day for that holiday period… not bad considering the population at the time was only 6,000 people.

When it was first built The Big Banana stood in splendid isolation with only a banana plantation backdrop. There were no buildings or urban development near it and so it appeared to be huge. Many people now visiting The Big Banana ask if it is the original “Big Banana” because it no longer seems to be as large as they remember it. It is the original BIG BANANA, but because of the development around it and the realignment of the Pacific Highway it has been somewhat dwarfed by progress.

By the mid 1960’s John Landi had opened a milk bar and his banana milkshakes made Coffs Harbour famous. The Big Banana became a favorite rest stop for travellers on the Pacific Highway. He had partnered with a local banana grower, Mr John Enavoldsen, to help operate the busy attraction and plantation.

John Landi had a dream of turning The Big Banana into a Disney-style theme park but sadly this was not to be during his time. In 1968, he sold his half interest in The Big Banana to John Enavoldsen, who became the sole proprietor.

John Landi

John Landi had heard of a famous “Big Pineapple”, which overlooked the Dole Pineapple Cannery in Hawaii (“We eat what we can, we can what we can’t” was their equally famous company slogan). He decided to use a “big banana” to promote his roadside fruit sales.

The Banana Growers’ Federation welcomed his idea and the president at the time, Mr Ray Kratz, agreed to provide half the funds for the project, which totalled 1200 pounds. A local engineer, Alan Chapman, designed the giant sculpture by obtaining the best looking banana he could find and slicing it up into 40 sections, each approximately ¼ inch wide. He then laid the sections onto squared paper and enlarged them 6 times in order to develop plans from which the builders could work. The Big Banana was designed like an upside-down fishing boat, so people would be able to walk through it. The project was then put out to tender, and builder Alan Harvey took on the project with the challenging budget.

Advertorial | Heartland Magazine 56 John Landi had requested that the banana be made temporary, in case he wanted to develop the area into something else. He had little idea how massive the impact would be on the community and how iconic The Big Banana would become.

How did it help Put Coffs Harbour on the tourist map? The Big Banana was an instant success when it first opened, with over 2,000 people visiting each day for the Christmas School holiday period, so the news of this new landmark travelled very fast. Being the first “big thing” in the country gave it an instant iconic status, which has continued to develop over the years. In 2015, a survey was conducted for the game show “Family Feud” asking participants for an “Australian Landmark”. The Big Banana was the top answer, ahead of other iconic landmarks such as the Sydney Opera House and Ayres Rock/ Uluru. No trip to the Coffs Coast is complete without a selfie in front of the magnificent concrete structure.

The Big Banana is now over 50 years old, how has it changed with the times and outlasted other big things as a tourist attraction? In 1988 The Big Banana was sold to Horticultural World, partly owned by a local accountant and entrepreneur, Bob Johnson, who set about transforming The Big Banana into a fun-filled education showcase for horticulture.

Sadly, this coincided with the “recession we had to have” and 12 months later, The Big Banana went into provisional liquidation and although it remained open, The Big Banana actually stopped selling bananas for a while. In 1993 it was bought by a small Australian owned family Company controlled by Mr Kevin Rubie.

Since 1993 there have been gradual changes made at The Big Banana. First was the installation of the Wiegand Family Toboggan Ride in 1996, which has proved very popular with the locals as well as holidaymakers and those just passing through.

In 1997 a “Hang Glider” attraction was opened, where you were strapped into a harness that connected to a hang glider, which ran along a Zip Line. With such high safety risks and staffing requirements, it was a difficult ride to operate in a regional area at the time, so the attraction unfortunately closed 12 months later.

In 1999 The Big Banana Ice Rink opened and has been very well received. It is still great to see so many people enjoying themselves with an active activity and learning new skills at the same time. In 2002 The Big Banana Indoor Snow Slope was opened. Many people who had never seen snow enjoyed a snow experience on the Snow Tubes here. Sadly, the cost of electricity made the snow slope unviable, and it closed only a few years later in 2005.

In 2003 the Big Banana Souvenir & Gift Shop underwent extensive refurbishment and remodelling. It now has 50% more floor space than the original store and has an ever evolving range of souvenir and giftware.

n 2005 the Rubie family welcomed development company Village Building Co. as joint venture partners in the park and soon after, The World of Banana’s theatre and plantation tour was opened. This informative tour gives and in-depth and humorous background on bananas and the banana industry in Coffs Harbour.

In 2008 The Big Banana inflatable waterpark was installed, featuring the biggest inflatable water slide in the world! The inflatable waterpark continued with great success until 2015.

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