Brisbane to Melbourne with no traffic lights, and no Big Banana - ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Once the Coffs Harbour bypass opens, highway traffic will no longer pass the Big Banana. (ABC Coffs Coast: Caitlan Charles)

A $2.2 billion Pacific Highway bypass around Coffs Harbour will ease one of the east coast's major traffic bottlenecks.

The bypass will mean drivers will avoid Coffs Harbour and its 12 sets of traffic lights.

The Big Banana is among the businesses preparing for the loss of highway traffic.

The convenience of driving from Melbourne to Brisbane without slowing down for a single traffic light will come at a cost in more ways than one.

When the $2.2 billion Coffs Harbour bypass opens before Christmas, motorists will be denied even a passing glance at one of Australia's most iconic "big" things.

The Big Banana, built beside the old Pacific Highway in 1964, is just one of the businesses bracing for life without a passing traffic flow estimated at 35,000 vehicles a day.

Anna Warren, from Byron Bay, organised a Big Banana pit stop for Seán Kearns and his Irish family. (ABC Coffs Coast: Caitlan Charles)

Big Banana CEO Michael Lockman estimates a million people stop at the landmark each year.

"We certainly don't get those sort of numbers into the fun park, but to the banana itself, it's a very highly visited landmark," he said.

Over the past decade, the business has invested up to $20 million to build rides and a water park and remain viable once bypassed.

"Our goal is not to just target people that are coming to Coffs Harbour, but our goal is to make people come to Coffs Harbour," Mr Lockman said.

"We want to grow the tourist economy here."

Michael Lockman believes the highway bypass will make the city a more attractive destination. (ABC Coffs Coast: Claire Simmonds)

Employing 170 staff in peak season, the Big Banana captures a significant percentage of tourists staying in the region.

"Bank data that we receive shows that out of all the people that come through Coffs Harbour, around 10 per cent of those people spend money at the Big Banana," Mr Lockman said.

Daniel Corke (right) promised to stop at the Big Banana on the family's return journey for a photo and banana milkshake. (ABC Coffs Coast: Claire Simmonds)

Among those visitors was the Corke family, who stopped to honour a promise to buy a banana milkshake and take a photo on the way back from Brisbane.

Daniel Corke said there was "zero" chance of them stopping unless the journey took them past the attraction.

"It's a bit of an Aussie tradition, if you're doing that east coast Sydney to Brisbane trip, everyone stops, get the photo, get back in the car, off you go," he said.

Miranda Seif, from Quakers Hill, said it would be "sad" to see the landmark bypassed.

"I think it will be horrible because you won't get to see it," she said.

"You have to see the Big Banana and can't come through and not see it.

Thanks to her childhood memories, Marina Seif looked forward to taking her own children to see the Big Banana. (ABC Coffs Coast: Claire Simmonds)

The federal and state government-funded project will ease one of the east coast's major traffic bottlenecks.

From December, there will be no traffic lights to stall motorists travelling between Melbourne and Brisbane on the Hume Highway and the Pacific Motorway.

But until then, drivers will still have to deal with Coffs Harbour's 12 sets of lights.

Now under construction, Transport for NSW expects the Coffs Harbour bypass to open in December. (Supplied: Transport for NSW)

Faster is not necessarily better for everyone.

Jay Bairstow, from Brisbane, brought his family to Coffs Harbour to share a holiday with Sydney relatives.

"I'm not that big a fan of the bypasses because I think they kill all the small towns," he said.

"I used to enjoy my drive from Brisbane to Sydney and slow down to the 40 zones and pull into the cafes."

Jay Bairstow spent the day at the Big Banana Fun Park. (ABC Coffs Coast: Claire Simmonds)

As the opening of the bypass draws closer, more than 50 local business owners have joined workshops on how to adapt to a greatly reduced flow of traffic past their doors.

They studied how bypasses have affected other cities such as Geelong, which was bypassed by a ring road 12 years ago.

A former executive director of Tourism Geelong, Roger Grant, said there were business concerns ahead of the ring road construction.

"The reality was the road through Geelong was so congested with trucks and caravans that it really was a lose-lose situation and cut the city in two," he said.

Roger Grant thinks the bypass will be a win-win for the region. (ABC Geelong: Harrison Tippet)

Thousands of trees were planted on the approaches to Geelong and shared government investment targeted the city's public infrastructure and waterfront.

"Some of the public art, the reinvention of the botanic gardens, major public buildings, the art galleries, libraries, it's really become a great attraction for people to stop in the city," Mr Grant said.

Investment in Geelong's waterfront, such as The Carousel, has created a tourism drawcard. (ABC Geelong: Harrison Tippet)

"Geelong is more than just a toilet stop on the way to the Great Ocean Road, it's become very much a vibrant destination.

"We often said, 'we'd rather half the visitors to spend twice the amount of the money' and that proved to be the case."

An average of 35,000 vehicles a day pass the Big Banana currently. (ABC Coffs Coast: Claire Simmonds)