Wallea Eaglehawk
May 2023
There’s something very special about Nambour that draws tens of thousands of visitors a year. Dotted through the main street, down alleyways and tucked in the most unlikely of places are Nambour’s not-so-hidden gems.
It may come as a surprise to you that Nambour is home to a retail mecca consisting of vintage stores, op-shops, Queensland’s largest second hand book exchange, and not one but two record stores. The town has so many second-hand and peculiar delights that there’s even a map to help you find them all.
As a teen, I would come to Nambour to volunteer at Helping Children Smile and Lifeline just so I could get my hands on the best incoming clothes and bric-a-brac. They were integral to me as I forged my identity.
A few years later, after moving into town, I opened my own second hand store. Over time, I knew every store owner by name. I met other people who came to Nambour to shop. And, perhaps most interestingly of all, I met countless dealers who would pass through Nambour selling their vintage wares, always ready to tell a story of where their items came from and, more often than not, their specific relevance to the town.
To say that Nambour has a love affair with vintage and second-hand would be an understatement. This love culminates in a variety of events that happen throughout the year, the largest of which is Collectorama.
Laurie Wall, co-convenor of Collectorama, started the fair in 1991 with her husband, Tom.
Their vision was to create an event not dissimilar to the fairs and markets shown on Antiques Roadshow. The first fair was held at Yandina Bowls Club but soon was relocated to the Nambour Showgrounds to accommodate the growing crowds.
Collectorama today, in the words of Laurie, is “a monster”, boasting 150 stallholders and over 2000 visitors. People travel from as far as Canberra to share their vintage wares at the fair. And four times a year, without fail, people make the journey from Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Toowoomba, and all around Queensland to shop.
Collectorama for the past 32 years has put Nambour on the map, and in recent years the op-shop and vintage scene has multiplied in size.
If, as I wrote in my previous blog, street art is indeed the cultural pulse of the town, then these strange, eclectic, and delightful stores and events are the heart. There’s something undeniably Nambour about thrifting.
Where other areas of the coast are often regarded as a destination for high-end shopping, Nambour leans the other way. It’s the place the locals go to find something that no one else has. To buy a piece of Nambour history, or to find a completely new wardrobe for under $100.
The heart of Nambour is in its uniqueness and the desire of those who visit to reinvent themselves, stand out from the crowd, or simply just experience something different to the norm. This is why I believe that the clothing, collectible, book and record stores are such a cultural standout.
It’s where old trends and new trends and pieces that will never be on trend (in the trendiest way, of course) can be found. It’s the visual identity of the people of the town as they recycle beloved pieces to make way for new ones.
For the finest vintage around, head to Mr Beesley’s Vintage Clothing on Howard Street. Talk to owner and long-time Nambourian, Vicki, who will always greet you with a smile.
Right next door is BackBeat Records with the ever-knowledgeable Lee standing behind the counter.
Across the road from BackBeat is Vinnies and to the right, around the corner is Nambour Book Exchange, Helping Children Smile, and ADRA Op Shop.
Around the corner once more is Lifeline, and that’s roughly one block of Nambour and just seven out of 19 places to go.
These stores are a celebration of the things people no longer want, the hidden treasures, the wacky and weird … and also, the mundane. For this is also what is to be celebrated about Nambour.
When you travel to Nambour and dive into these stores, you’re meeting its people and you’re taking a little piece of them with you. It’s as if these wares are a shared language between locals and visitors. An ever-evolving visual identity that goes deeper than just finding affordable or unique clothing. It speaks to the very fabric–pun intended–of what it means to be Nambourian and to experience Nambour.
No matter what store you go to, no matter what you buy or see or experience, you will find a piece of yourself there. Perhaps, it’s a piece you’ve been searching for. Perhaps, it’s one you never knew existed. That’s the beauty of the heart of Nambour. No matter what, it will always give you what you need. But most importantly, it’s up to you to go and find it.