Banana, Qld: Tourist finds mysterious shaped object in tiny town
An eagle-eyed tourist has found a hidden but appropriately-shaped object in the tiny town of Banana in Queensland that even its inhabitants knew nothing about, though they passed it every day.
Hamish Thompson was conducting a short road trip around central Queensland when he happened upon Banana in Banana Shire, near the town of Biloela.
The little-known Banana, which has a population of under 400 people, is better known as a truck stop 150km west of Gladstone.
After arriving in town and having done no research on it, Mr Thompson expected to see a banana statue similar to the Big Banana in Coffs Harbour.
But he soon learnt that the town was not named after the fruit and had nothing to do with the banana growing industry.
The town had been named after the sheep station established on the spot in the mid-1800s, which itself derived its name from a massive yellowish-coloured working bullock called Banana.
Stockmen in the 19th century used Banana the bullock to help them herd some of the wilder cattle into the yards.
When Banana died, the gully in which the property was located was given the animal’s name in honour of its feats.
“I expected that there would be a civic celebration of the fruit, and I was ready to load the car up with souvenirs,” Mr Thompson told news.com.au.
“Having visited the shop and the restaurant I discovered a town that is completely banana-free, or so I thought.
“I stayed at the excellent Banana Motel and woke in the middle of the night after a vivid dream.”
Mr Thompson had dreamt about the film scene in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade when the Harrison Ford character finds an “X” on the floor of a Venice library.
The “X” marks the spot that will eventually take him through a sewer tunnel to find the Holy Grail.
In Hamish Thompson’s case the “X” meant something else and when he awoke he opened Google Earth and searched for his location.
There on the satellite map of Banana, Queensland “right in the heart of the town, was a giant traffic island shaped like a banana”.
The traffic island lies at the junction of the Dawson and Leichhardt highways near the statue of the bullock.
Although to some eyes, the curved concrete island might resemble the shape of a slice of melon, Mr Thompson said “it was the slightly squared off end that did it for me. It looks like a stalk”.
He emailed Banana’s mayor, Cr Neville Ferrier, to point this out and suggest the traffic island bore tourism opportunities.
“I completely respect the town’s origin story, but I asked whether the banana-shaped traffic island could be painted road safety yellow as a homage to the fruit,” Mr Thompson said.
“I can’t be alone in thinking that a dual homage might be a nice thing to have at the heart of the town, especially if it was visible on Google Earth.”
Mr Thompson said Cr Ferrier “was supportive” of the idea, but stressed that road safety was the most important issue.
He agreed to speak to the relevant state government traffic authority for central Queensland.
“It’s fortuitous that road safety yellow is a similar shade to a fully ripe fruit, so I’m hopeful,” Mr Thompson said.
“It would help to put the charming town of Banana even more firmly on Queensland’s cultural map.
“We have a great tradition of cultural monoliths, the Big Prawn, the Big Pineapple and the Big Merino, to name three.
“Given the town’s name, I think that the giant concrete banana at the heart of the town, directly opposite the statue of the bullock, would be an appealing idea.
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“(It would be) a great addition to the list of important national monuments, and would probably bring more tourists to the town.
“The mayor is doing his best to make the painting of the island yellow happen.”
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