Image from the Queensland State Archives. [Digital Image ID 7998. Item ID 1460350.] HRH Prince Charles, The Prince of Wales, and HRH Princess Diana, The Princess of Wales, during their visit to Sunshine Plantation in 1983.

The article is largely about the early history of Sunshine Plantation, which was founded by Bill and Lyn Taylor in the 1970s. The article draws on a range of sources, including archives in the fabulous Heritage Library at Nambour (part of the Sunshine Coast Library), and the Nambour & District Historical Museum. I was also lucky enough to discover Kerry Brown’s comprehensive history of the plantation, its owners and employees, Our Sweetest Icon: Sunshine Plantation’s Big Pineapple 1971-2011.

The Big Pineapple is also the focus of a new arts project, headed by Carol Low and funded by the Sunshine Coast Regional Council through the RADF (Regional Arts Development Fund).

You can read the article online at SALT magazine, here …