What’s hip this December

Where to go

THE fully restored MV Lucinda has begun plying the waters as the first regular passenger ferry service between Mooloolaba and Kawana Waters, with stops at key waterfront destinations. With space for 52 passengers, the ferry is designed to accommodate people, pushbikes and pets. The ferry service will initially operate Thursday to Sunday, offering six to seven trips per day. Each 45-minute journey will connect to some of the Coast’s most popular locations: The Kawana Waters Hotel at Buddina (with easy access to Kawana Shoppingworld); Pier 33 waterfront venue on The Spit, Mooloolaba (close to the seafood markets and restaurants); La Balsa Park near Point Cartwright; and The Wharf Mooloolaba dining and tourism hub (near the beach). Visit mooloolabaferry.com.au

Where to visit

THE Enchanted Garden at Roma Street Parkland will bring extra sparkle to
your festive season from now until December 21. Twinkling LED lights, glittering lasers and sparkling night-time projections cast across more than 22,000sqm of inner-city parks and gardens will put wide-eyed wonderment on the faces of visitors of all ages from 6.30-9.15pm. This year, a luminous new interactive tale beams visitors into a magical wonderland constructed by two otherworldly beings, Willow and Marigold, for An Enchanted Eve: A Garden of Mystical Marvels. The festive narrative guides ticketholders through multiple zones, with interactive elements and imaginative storytelling. The self-guided and wheelchair-accessible trail is almost a kilometre long. Visit enchantedgarden.com.au

IMAGE: Jason Hay

What’s for free

IF YOU’RE sadly lacking in Christmas spirit, the Mooloolaba Christmas Boat Parade never fails to put smiles on faces. Organised by Mooloolaba Yacht Club, the 2024 event on Saturday, December 14, from 7pm will go anti-clockwise from Penny Lane in Mooloolaba to the end of Mooloolah Island, then down the main Kawana canal to Lawrie’s Marina, back to the river, past La Balsa Park and returning to Penny Lane via the coast guard for judging. Join in the fun by entering your boat, house or building in the parade, or by grabbing a spot along the canals to watch. Best vantage points are: Charles Clarke Reserve, River Esplanade in Mooloolaba, Penny Lane and La Balsa Park, Buddina. See christmasboatparade.net

Back in the day…

There were Christmas Bells (Blandfordia grandiflora) – for sale beside the roadways between Landsborough and Caloundra, most notably in the 1940s and 1950s. Your Time Sunshine Coast history columnist Audienne Blyth was going through her files and found a magazine snippet, fondly recalling these wildflowers that flowered spectacularly at Christmas time in the wallum, the swamplands of poor sandy soil from Fraser Island to central New South Wales. Sadly, they have been lost locally to changes in their natural habitat, subdivisions and housing and infrastructure construction.

What to do

Museum of Brisbane is taking its expertise to the streets. Free walking tours of The Star Brisbane and Queen’s Wharf Brisbane precinct have begun on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays and will continue until at least the end of January, exploring the art, history and architecture. The bespoke 45-minute walking tours showcase Brisbane’s newest multi-million-dollar public outdoor art gallery, as well as visits to key heritage sites in the precinct. Discover large-scale artworks by First Nations, Queensland and international artists, al fresco murals, digital light projections, sculpture and floating botanical gardens, as well as the historic surrounds of the riverfront site. For more information or to book, visit museumofbrisbane.com.au/whats-on/queens-wharf-precinct-public-art-tour/.