The Big Pineapple

We've been pushing pretty hard to get North of Brisbane so we have more time along the Great Barrier Reef and in some of the inland national parks.  As a result, about the most touristy thing we've done since leaving Sydney is sit on the beach in the afternoon.  Yesterday that all changed with The Big Pineapple.  Once you get past the giant fiberglass pineapple in front, it is actually quite a neat place to visit.  They have working pineapple and macadamia nut plantations which you can tour on the small gauge railway and Nutmobile respectively.  The same guy leads both tours and keeps the cheese factor low and pack in the facts.  There is also a small wild animal farm on the grounds where you can feed all manner of animals from sheep and goats to alpaca and one lonely donkey.  At the koala talk, I even got to pet the koala -- but don't try it in the wild, they bite and scratch and can become very mean.  The original plan was to head to the Australia Zoo, but at $54 each, the admission was a bit steep for a couple of travelers on a budget.  The Big Pineapple turned out to be a much better alternative. 

On to the Coral
Coast where we plan on sampling the local Bundaberg run and getting surf lessons at Agnes Waters.