September 2023

After driving through a storm out of the Baviaanskloof (read here), it was an absolute blessing to drive back to East London while the sky was blue and the sun was shining warm. It was the perfect day to explore a place we had heard a lot about.

Apparently, the Bathurst district is famous for its pineapple farms, as well as the biggest pineapple building in the world – definitely worth a visit.

The world’s biggest pineapple building

The Big Pineapple is 16.7m (55 ft) high and is the biggest pineapple building in the world. Construction began in 1990 and a year later the Big Pineapple opened to visitors. This building and its Summerhill pineapple farm at Bathurst are a symbol of the Eastern Cape Province’s pineapple industry.

Entrance to The Big Pineapple

The building has three levels. A shop with a variety of pineapple products is on the ground floor, the story of the Big Pineapple is exhibited on the first floor and then there is an observation deck with 360° views over the surrounding farmland.

Fresh pineapples on sale

Pineapple products

Shop inside The Big Pineapple

The Big Pineapple has a fibreglass outer skin covering a steel and concrete superstructure. Our Australian friends may recognise this structure as they have a similar one in Woombye (Queensland), which is only two feet shorter than the one here in Bathurst.

Crown of The Big Pineapple at the viewing platform

View from the top of The Big Pineapple

While Berto was still admiring the views from the top of the Big Pineapple, I took a stroll around the building. It was amazing to see how big this pineapple really is and how well the real pineapple was imitated.

The Big Pineapple

Berto on the top of The Big Pineapple

Familiar yellow photo frame in front of The Big Pineapple

We bought a few pineapple products at the store before it was time to hit the road again. Driving down the dirt road back to the main road, we saw pineapple fields on either side of the road and stopped to take a closer look.

Pineapple field

We read at The Big Pineapple that planting of pineapples can be done all year round, except for April and May. Spring is ideally suited to planting due to the perfect moisture and temperature conditions.

Small pineapples at the beginning of their growth process

“The pineapple fruit starts its life as a small bud within the heart (leaves of the plant). A couple of months later the bud emerges, becomes reddish in colour, then proceeds to develop its crown leaves, before maturing approximately 8 months after the switch to reproduction.” (Source: The Big Pineapple, Bathurst)

Bigger pineapples in another field

Dirt road to The Big Pineapple

The Big Pineapple is located on the outskirts of Bathurst just off the R67 and only 15km/9 miles from (*) Port Alfred. So, if you’re ever in the area, don’t miss a visit to this unique building.

(*) You can read about our visit to the beautiful seaside town of Port Alfred when you click here.

The world’s biggest pineapple building

While we drove back home, we enjoyed the pineapple juice and dried pineapples that we bought at the small shop. We also had a delicious fresh pineapple and a bottle of pickled curried pineapple in our shopping bag. When we eat these, we’ll remember our wonderful visit to The Big Pineapple in Bathurst.

Sweet pineapple and curried pineapple

If you want to read about our visit to Bathurst in January 2025, click here.