Make a day of it: maroochydore with Chelsea Löwik

here’s a few extra things you can do when you visit Maroochydore for Horizon festival.

Maroochydore (well, Cotton Tree) is the home of our festival hub this year — the wonderful Wonderland Spiegeltent. (If you haven’t seen a spiegeltent before, it’s a large travelling tent, constructed from wood and canvas and decorated with mirrors and stained glass.)

There’s a lot to do in this town, so we asked Chelsea Löwik, from Your Local Film Lab, to give us a tour.

Here’s how Chelsea would spend the day in Maroochydore.

Morning coffee at urban garden

Urban Garden is a Tim Adam’s coffee account with consistently amazing service and great filter coffee. Plus, the café is built in the old Maroochydore Court House. Here’s the spot to start your day.

Alterior motif

If you’re looking for some retail therapy, Alterior Motif is a great locally owned boutique who stock local brands.

Spare time at the library

I’m a bookworm, so this is one of my favourite spaces. It’s a great place to check out if you’re looking for a little downtime.

lunch at Umami Ramen

They do the best ramen on the coast, maybe even Queensland. It’s just down the road from the film lab, so it’s super handy. Can’t go past the spicy tonkatsu.

maroochydore bowls club

If the weather is nice, the bowls club is a great place to pop into. Especially on Friday — they do barefoot bowls (I think). Plus, bowls clubs always have the cheapest drinks. Everyone knows that.

market bistro

It’s truffle season atm and I’ve been a regular at exec chef Daniel Dobra’s haunts since 2012 when he was at St Ali in Melbourne. Market bistro would be a great place to end up at.

Market wines

Market Wines is attached to Market Bistro. They have the largest selection of natural wines on the Sunshine coast. I will happily recommend a bottle, if need.

end the night at Spinners

Six pool tables, eight bowling lanes, Big Buck Hunter, serves Vodka Cruisers, and stays open until midnight. Need I say more?

Image: Chelsea Löwik

If you need some film developing on the coast, or when you’re in town for the festival, be sure to pop past Your Local Film Lab. If you play your cards right, they might just make you a coffee, too.

check out the full program here.

These photos were developed at Your Local Film Lab.