Big Banana

The Big Banana is an iconic roadside attraction and fun park located on the Pacific Highway at Coffs Harbour on the New South Wales Mid North Coast. Opened in 1964 to promote the region's banana industry, it features a 13-metre walk-through banana sculpture, amusement rides and plantation tours. It is one of Australia's original 'Big Things' and a long-standing family tourist destination combining novelty architecture, entertainment and regional heritage.

Visitors can expect a large-scale novelty banana sculpture that can be photographed and walked through, set within a family fun park on a hillside banana plantation overlooking the Pacific Highway. The site includes amusement attractions such as a toboggan ride, water park with slides, mini golf, ice skating rink, laser tag and theatre, plus plantation tours, a cafe, candy kitchen and extensive souvenir shop. The surroundings are landscaped parkland with views toward Coffs Harbour and the coast.

Built in 1964 by American entrepreneur John Landy as a promotional device for his banana plantation, the Big Banana was one of the earliest of Australia's 'Big Things' roadside sculptures. It was constructed to draw passing Pacific Highway traffic and promote the Coffs Coast banana industry, which was then a major regional economy. Expanded over decades into the Big Banana Fun Park, it has become a landmark of Australian roadside tourism history.

The Big Banana is an enduring icon of Australian novelty architecture and car-based holiday culture, representing the Mid North Coast's banana-growing heritage. As one of the most photographed Big Things in Australia, it holds nostalgic and cultural value for domestic tourists and is a symbol of Coffs Harbour's identity as the 'Banana Capital' of Australia.