Coffs Harbour
Built on timber, grew bananas, now tourism ($755M/year). Big Banana (1964) one of first 'Big Things.' Blueberries replaced bananas. Alpine coaster opened Dec 2025. Population ~80,000.
Coffs Harbour was built on timber, fed by bananas, and now sells experiences. The city began as a port for the cedar-getters; by the early 1900s, timber tramways connected sawmills to jetties extending into the ocean. When the trees ran out, banana plantations covered the hillsides.
The Big Banana, built in 1964, became one of Australia's first 'Big Things'—a 13-metre concrete monument to the regional crop that celebrated its 50th birthday in 2015. The icon outlasted the industry it commemorated. Queensland's banana plantations and long-haul refrigerated transport reduced Coffs Harbour's importance; blueberries now dominate where bananas once grew, the hills clothed in protective netting rather than broad leaves.
Tourism replaced agriculture as the primary economic driver. Total tourism sales reached $755.7 million in 2022/23, with $394 million in value added. The Big Banana park alone contributes over $50 million annually and employs around 100 people. A new $5.5 million alpine coaster opened in December 2025.
The city serves as the largest urban centre on the NSW North Coast, with a population approaching 80,000 in the broader area. The Coffs Coast Tourism Strategy 2023 aims to foster sustainable tourism, recognizing that the economy now depends on visitors rather than exports.
By 2026, Coffs Harbour tests whether a town that once shipped timber and bananas can sustain itself selling coastal experiences.