Over the last couple of years, the Gold Coast has become known as a (very pretty) city to watch in terms of our arts, culture and dining scenes. Which makes sense because as we all know, there are a lot of good things happening.

One of the most impressive (and exciting), are the local breweries that have opened and are now sending their goods across the country to be sipped and adored, as they deserve.

Black Hops Brewing is one of those local breweries and theirs is a success story that is not only extremely interesting but also makes you feel as though you too can do something absolutely epic with your life and make lots of people happy in the process.

Black Hops came about in 2014 when three Gold Coast mates decided they wanted to start brewing craft beer and so they set about to do exactly that.

Fast forward six years, Dan Norris, Eddie Oldfield and Michael ‘Govs’ McGovern are now the proud owners of a brewery and bar in Burleigh Heads and another much larger version in Biggera Waters that opened in 2019.

Which brings us to the point of this quite long tale.

You may now treat yourself to a tour of Black Hops second brewery, learning all about how the business came about while also drinking a very generous amount of the boys’ tasty brews.

The tour begins with a sample of Black Hops very first brew, Eggnog Stout, while hearing about how the lads created it and the process of upscaling to be where they are today.

The rest of the tour is made up of following the route the beer itself takes and learning about everything from the recipe (not the technical term) to the very end, at the packaging machine (again not the technical term).

Along the way, you get to sample many a Black Hops brew and once you’ve learned all the things, you can head to the bar to taste any sips you didn’t get to try along the way.

Our favourite is the Pink Mist which is a Raspberry Saison and the epitome of a girl beer if ever there was one, but it’s very delicious and refreshing and we love it a lot.

So if you enjoy learning about how local businesses became a big deal, while sampling the goodness that made them become a big deal, a Black Hops Brewery tour is the answer.

It’s only $50 per person (BARGAIN) and the perfect way to spend a few hours on a Saturday.

So gather the crew and get involved, it’s a very good time.

LOCATION: 14 / 665 Pine Ridge Road, Biggera Waters

Words and photos by Kirra Smith

Homewares are equally the love of our lives and an unhealthy obsession we should probably nip in the bud. Won’t though, because pretty cushions are life and we’re home ALOT these days.

Not to mention the fact that the Gold Coast is home to an unfair amount of homewares stores filled with absolutely beautiful things we definitely need and will make us happy. You too? Thought so.

Here’s a list of ten local homewares stores to get in your life, next time a shopping spree is in order.

St Barts
From Mongolia to Morocco, Denmark to India and Asia to Africa, St Barts have travelled across the world collecting beautiful pieces designed to invoke a sense of wanderlust and adventure within the home. St Barts opened their Ferry Rd Markets store in May 2010 and expanded their empire to Burleigh in September 2019 (with the neat addition of Next Door Espresso attached) and since then, have delighted the good folks of the Gold Coast with their inspiring and perfectly on trend range. It’s a store you could spend the rest of your days gushing over (and spending up a storm in).
Where: The Brickworks, 107 Ferry Road, Southport and 24 Junction Road, West Burleigh

The Beach Furniture
Unique, handmade pieces in raw, natural colours, perfect for anyone who’s keen on the beautiful, laidback things in life is how we feel about The Beach Furniture’s collection of goodies. Unpolished wooden tables, whitewashed cabinets and consoles and an array of homewares in the prettiest of pastel shades are the perfect match for any home, particularly on the Gold Coast (lucky). No matter what you may need for your abode, you’ll find it at The Beach Furniture and it will be oh so beautiful.
Where: 48 Bundall Road, Bundall and 74 Kortum Drive, Burleigh 

Village Stores
One of the original and the best, Village Stores have been around for quite some time and it’s not hard to see why. Their collection of perfectly Pinterest-worthy pieces will make your space absolutely pop (and be the envy of all your friends). From furniture to photographs and everything in between, Village Stores offer an eclectic range of homewares including tribal-inspired pieces and stunning rattan pendant lights. Oh, and their rugs are some of the most beautiful around too.
Where: Shop 1/54 Bundall Road, Bundall

Three Balls Red
The ladies at Three Balls Red know what’s up when it comes to absolutely stunning homewares, you won’t find anywhere else. What began as a beautiful lighting and tile store in Bundall, not long ago became a homewares store stocking primarily local brands and we are absolutely obsessed. From linen bedding to award-winning leather chairs, art, rugs, cushion, everything, you will no doubt find at least 35 things you want for your home. If you’re not sure what you need, the gals are very knowledgeable so they can point you in the right direction. Don’t miss grabbing a coffee from next door coffee shop Roller Door Espresso!
Where: 2/85 Ashmore Rd, Bundall

Kira & Kira
A game changer to the Gold Coast homewares store game is Kira & Kira (so nice they named it twice) in Miami. The absolutely stunning store is a workshop and retail space dedicated to the design and development of furniture and interior pieces. Each piece is made with the highest quality materials and inspired by a mid-century modern aesthetic, celebrating functionality, clean lines and beautiful finishes. We absolutely love every single thing in there and would very much appreciate being stylish enough to include them all in our home. Please.
Where: Cnr Gold Coast Highway and Kratzman Avenue, Miami 

Trader Trove
Oh Moroccan-inspired homewares, how you have our hearts (and a lot of our money) with thanks, in no small part, to the impeccably styled space that is Trader Trove. With new and vintage wares, sourced both locally and from around the globe, it is the homewares store of our dreams and there is not a thing in there we would not love to own. Brightly coloured Turkish cushions are artfully placed next to Moroccan grass baskets and beside intricately woven rugs and it’s all absolute perfection.
Where: 22 Christine Avenue, Miami

Maison & Maison
A bohemian-inspired beauty you’ve no doubt wandered past in your travels around Burleigh, Maison & Maison is filled with an eclectic range of tapestry cushions, leather pouffes, carved buffalo skulls and throw rugs. The pieces here are also inspired by the beauty of the world and sure to ignite some wanderlust within your holiday-hungry soul. They want you to imagine meandering through the streets of Istanbul, with a cocktail in hand and tropical living on your mind. But in Burleigh. Don’t mind if we do.
Where: 53 James Street, Burleigh Heads

Emporium on James
Expect to find all the delightful things at Emporium on James. There’s beautiful wicker furniture, Mongolian sheepskin throws, hanging chairs, Maison Blanche candles and the loveliest gifts. All of which will definitely tickle your fancy. There’s also a pretzel shaped bottle opener that we simply must have. If quirky, unique pieces in natural colours and textures are your thing, Emporium on James is the one for you.
Where: 1/50 James Street, Burleigh Heads 

Gather Store
Gather is a beautiful little home goods and gallery store filled with thoughtfully curated goodies with a strong emphasis on raw, crafted and botanical. The gals are passionate about supporting local artisans and brands AND they even have a micro nursery with a hand-picked selection of indoor and patio plants. We absolutely LOVE the range of handmade ceramics on offer and may have quite the collection in our house already. It’s the perfect place to find an incredible gift for a loved one or, of course, to treat yo’self. Located next to Dust Temple, pop in for your art gallery fix too!
Where: Shop 1, 56 Currumbin Creek Road, Currumbin

Salt Living
Perfectly representative of the coastal life we know and love, Salt Living has been filling the homes of Gold Coasters since 2014. With a love of relaxed, beachside vibes and high quality, handmade and ethically produced pieces from around the world, the space itself is all white, shades of blue and golden accents and it’s as pretty as you could ever hope your house to be. The store also stocks some incredible artworks, slides from everyone’s (our) fave brand St. Agni and swimwear by local brand peony. So all the best things. Love this place.
Where: The Strand, 72 Marine Parade, Coolangatta

Words by Kirra Smith

So we can’t go to the pub, probably not for awhile. We miss cold beers and shooting the breeze with our friends, we miss parmis and people watching and the general feeling of being somewhere fun. There’s another thing we miss that’s generally related to the pub too, and that thing is trivia.

A bit of friendly competition, hilarious trivia team names, the aforementioned cold beers and parmis. Trivia is a very good time. Luckily the very clever people at the Gold Coasts’ Time Out Entertainment, who are responsible for in-person trivia at several venues across the Coast, have come up with a solution.

And that solution is, online trivia. Which is amazing and something we are absolutely going to do to fill in some time from now on.

As it has everyone, the current state affairs affected Time Out Entertainment in that they are obviously no longer able to go to the pub and offer trivia to the people. Also like many people, they were able to come up with an alternative to that problem and here we are.

Entertainment for everyone.

Combining some fancy tech equipment we will never understand and A LOT of time spent working out the details, Time Out Entertainment were able to come up with a way for people to get involved free of charge.

The first round saw 500 teams playing and that has built to now over 700 teams.

It’s run three nights a week, Wednesday and Thursday at 7pm AEST and Friday at 9pm AEST and there has even been a Kids Trivia event which had over 500 kids playing.

It’s pretty much the perfect way to stay connected to friends and family, for adults and children alike, keep that Aussie competitive spirit alive and garner some bragging rights for when we’re allowed to spend time together again.

At the moment, there’s chats in the works about online music bingo which is also super fun.

Not only that, soon there’ll be prizes to win so you can not only play for free, you can win stuff too! It just gets better and better.

If you’re keen to join in, jump over here and get started. You’re guaranteed to have a very good time.

Words by Kirra Smith