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Connie and Bob Holding Up Giant Avocado

Tropical Fruit World is a unique attraction which should be of interest to anyone who likes fruit. It’s essentially a large plantation that grows every kind of tropical fruit imaginable, and almost certainly many you’ve never heard of (about 500 varieties). Narrated tours of the property are given, using tractor-drawn trams.

Bob and Tram

Road into Plantation

Some of the fruits you might see growing on the tour include obvious ones, such as bananas, pineapples, avocados (many varieties), mangos and guavas, and some less well-known fruits, including dragon fruit, star fruit, yellow and black sapote, custard apple fruit, jackfruit and ice cream bean.

Papaya Trees	Banana Tree – Fruit Wrapped for Protection
Dragonfruit Field	Jaboticaba Tree

Most of these fruits are seasonal, and you’re pretty much guaranteed not to see ripe versions of all of them at any one time, but some (like bananas and macadamia nuts) grow year-round, and there’s always something ripe at any given time of year (even in the middle of winter, as in our case). And yes, you’re allowed to taste some of the fruit as part of the tour. The tram may stop at certain points and invite its passengers to get out and taste a fruit or crack themselves some macadamia nuts.

Guide Demonstrating Nut Cracker (WMV Video, 7.0 MB)	Bob Using Nut Cracker
Connie and Nella Cracking Nuts (WMV Video, 18.8 MB)	Guide and Chocolate Pudding Fruit (WMV Video, 6.6 MB)

There is also a more structured fruit-tasting show, where a presenter chops up various types of currently-ripe fruit, discusses each one, and invites the visitors to taste any or all of them.

Chopped Fruits and Presenter	Arrayed Fruit and Presenter (WMV Video, 6.5 MB)
Presenter with Papaya	Jack Fruit Presentation (WMV Video, 17.0 MB)

There’s a café at which you can buy creations from fruit grown on the site, and a produce area, where you can buy fresh fruit to take back to your hotel or other accommodation to enjoy later (don’t try flying home with it – agricultural rules are strict). And there’s a gift shop where you can purchase things like jams and syrups and avocado-based beauty aids, which you should be able to take home without opposition.

Fresh Fruit Ice Cream Menu	Fresh Fruit Ice Cream Machine
Fresh Fruit Ice Cream Creation (WMV Video, 9.4 MB)	Fresh Fruit for Sale

There are also some attractions which aren’t fruit-based. There’s an island encircled by a canal which has a miniature train ride and playground facilities and equipment where kids can burn off extra energy.

Miniature Train	Train Voyage (WMV Video, 7.3 MB)
Bob and Cricket Bat	Connie Shooting Basket

There’s a boat ride which travels the canal.

Canal Boat	The Canal
Waterfowl from Canal Boat (WMV Video, 8.0 MB)	Canal Boat Ride (WMV Video, 9.0 MB)

And there’s a fauna park with some native Australian animals and farm animals which you can feed.

Connie Feeding Young Cow	Feeding Young Cows (WMV Video, 7.5 MB)
Guinea Pig Enclosure (WMV Video, 3.2 MB)	Connie and Bob with Sherman the Clydesdale

Tropical Fruit World might not technically be part of the Gold Coast, as it’s just over the border into New South Wales, but it’s certainly part of the Gold Coast region, and is easily accessible from anyplace in the Gold Coast proper. We enjoyed our day there and recommend it unreservedly to Everyone. Except maybe to people who don't like fruit.

More Photos:

Dragonfruit Field (WMV Video, 24.2 MB)	Dragonfruit Plants
Tree with Guayabano (Soursop) Fruits	Guide Showing Chocolate Pudding Fruit (Sapote)
Nella and Connie Boarding Miniature Train (WMV Video, 7.2 MB)	Ducks Chasing Bread Tossed from Boat
A Moorhen	Connie Feeding Kangaroo
Connie Feeding Kangaroo (WMV Video, 8.7 MB)	An Ibis
Connie Feeding Sheep	Cactus Garden Near Exit

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