A long-running club in the heart of the Sunshine Coast is set for a two-stage refurbishment as it rebounds from some difficult years.
Club Mooloolaba, which is the trading name for the Mooloolaba Bowls Club, is poised for a makeover, inside and out, amid a push for the Brisbane Road venue to be included in the 2032 Olympic Games.
The revamp is among a spate of initiatives planned for the club, which was mired in financial woes.
Club president Mary Tanis said the first stage of the overhaul was set to include the replacement of two undercover greens, installation of a mini golf course and refreshed barefoot bowls facility at the front of the building, with an estimated cost of $1 million. Work is set to get underway in earnest within months.
The second stage is expected to feature a renewal of the main building, including a dedicated kids play area, sports bar, bistro and indoor/outdoor function area, with an estimated cost of $3 million. Work is expected to start in mid-2026.
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The club is also focusing on community engagement, with a modified bowls program to support children and young adults with autism and sensory challenges next year. It will also host events of the Deaf Games in 2026, is bidding to host a major blind bowls event in 2027, and will reinstate the Top Draw 4s event next year.
The club is supporting a push for lawn bowls to be included at the 2032 Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games and has signalled an interest in playing a role.
“As one of the few clubs with undercover greens in South-East Queensland, we will be pushing hard to be included as a venue,” Ms Tanis said.
The club, which formed in 1949 and is owned by the members, is in a prominent location beside a main road in tourist hub Mooloolaba but it has fallen on some hard times in recent years, prompting renewed efforts to revitalise it.
“The club had several years of sustained losses through a combination of operational challenges and a lack of direction,” Ms Tanis said.
“The club sought external advice that it was borderline solvent, with the board taking active steps to ensure that the club was put on a solid footing.”
That included a change in management, with Helliwell Hospitality in the process of taking over. The group operates the Duporth Tavern, Commercial Hotel Nambour, 4 Pines Mooloolaba and Pier 33.
“The club undertook an expressions of interest process, with 14 applications, reduced down to three to take to members,” she said.
“Helliwell was the preferred expression and is currently under an approval process with Office of Liquor and Gaming.
“Operationally, the club continues to operate through the current board with the support of Helliwell, its team and external advisers until the agreement has been ratified.
“The club had financial support to continue operations until it returned to profitability.
“We can say that (in) August the club had a highly profitable month and has been amortising its debts.”
Ms Tanis said some new initiatives were already making a difference.
“Critically, there has been a focus on opening hours, improving the utilisation of the facilities and community engagement,” she said.
“In the early stages it has been (about) reminding people the club is here, open and has some of the best facilities on the Sunshine Coast.”
Club Mooloolaba has 1200 social members and 280 bowls members.
“We have seen an increase of patrons walking through the door of 75 per cent in eight weeks and the club has had an increased turnover of more than 100 per cent in that time,” Ms Tanis said.
