Nambour

About 106 km north of Brisbane, Nambour on the Sunshine Coast is a model of contrast. Gorgeous scenery, lush tropical vegetation, and examples of classic rural Queensland architecture vie for attention with blatantly commercial, and very popular, attractions such as The Big Pineapple and the Macadamia Nut Factory, 6 km south of the town, and The Big Cow, 6 km north.

Deriving its name from the Aboriginal word for the flowering tea-tree, Nambour's prosperity since the 1890s has been linked to sugar cane, pineapples and assorted other semi-tropical fruits. Sugar trains tour the local sugar mill which is open between July and November. The spectacular Glass House Mountains and the equally scenic Blackall Range and its chain of forest shrouded villages are a short, comfortable drive from Nambour. Towns such as Maleny, Montville, Flaxton and Mapleton are favourite getaways for craft admirers and the rainforest and water-fall studded parks and picnic areas, while Mapleton also offers glimpses of barometers and thermometers on display at Australia's only plant for manufacturing these arcane instruments.

Find out more about the Sunshine Coast.