Banana Packing Shed in Numinbah Valley

Banana Packing Shed is located in Numinbah Valley

Address: 365 Chesters Road, Numinbah Valley

Position on map:

The banana packing shed, erected around 1962, is historically significant as an example of the type of expedient, timber structure built on banana plantations to provide packing facilities for growers. Banana growing was a major industry in the Numinbah Valley from the 1920s until the 1980s and important in the economic development of the area. The packing shed is a rare example of a fruit packing shed remaining in situ on the land where the banana plantation once grew. The decline of banana growing in the valley saw the land use change resulting in few surviving examples of such packing sheds. The shed is a tangible reminder of a land use that was once common in the Numinbah Valley but is now rare. The banana packing shed has the potential to yield information pertaining to the banana growing industry in the Numinbah Valley. The design, form, materials and associated artefacts may, with further examination, reveal information that will contribute to our understanding of banana packing practices in the 1960s. The shed is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of banana packing shed construction techniques of the era. The structure was purpose built and expediently constructed using readily available local timber and recycled materials. The banana packing shed has aesthetic significance as a reminder of the human endeavour that once took place on the surrounding land. The structure is now isolated within a nature reserve and the visual impact of the shed in the otherwise regenerating natural environment has evocative qualities.

Queensland Heritage Register: NO
Heritage protection boundary: Structure plus 150m radius