Where "Banana Bender" Comes From
The term plays on Queensland's huge banana-growing industry — the joke, as seen from the southern states, is that Queenslanders spend their days putting the bend into otherwise straight bananas.
It's first recorded in 1940, and similar banana-themed nicknames for the state followed, including "Bananaland" for Queensland itself and the "Banana Curtain" for its border with New South Wales.
"My uncle's a proud banana bender, born and bred in Brisbane."
How Aussies Actually Use It
It's used across Australia, mostly by people from other states, as a light, teasing way to refer to Queenslanders — and plenty of Queenslanders happily use it about themselves too.
It's considered good-natured rather than genuinely insulting, very much in the same spirit as calling Victorians "Mexicans" (for being "south of the border") or Tasmanians "Apple Islanders."
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