RAIN? EVERYTHING’S COMING UP ROSE
ORGANISERS of a Gold Coast festival are choosing to see the drizzly Labour Day long weekend forecast through rosecoloured glasses.
Rose Coast co-producer and creative director Kristen Francis said the inaugural event would lure thousands of wine lovers to Kurrawa Beach from 11am on Saturday.
“Rose is one of those drinks that has been rising in popularity, especially on the Gold Coast,” she said.
“We also have wine, rum, cocktails, beer, masterclasses, silent discos, painting and sand sculpture workshops, so there’s something for everyone.”
Rose Coast wine buyer Adam Walls said local roses were “just as good’ as those in France.
“Australian winemakers have quickly used their skill to make styles that are equal to the rest of the world,” he said.
Major Events Gold Coast general manager Lisa Lees said they were expecting Brisbane and Northern NSW residents to flock to the festival too.
“People have been starved of the one-on-one interaction and the whole festival vibe has a different feel about it,” she said. The festival marks the start of a three-day bumper weekend.
Destination Gold Coast CEO Patricia O’Callaghan said the back-to-back long weekends and the federal government’s half-price flights contributed to an influx of southerners heading north.
But rain is going to put a dampener on some weekend plans, and will likely continue until Wednesday.
The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has forecast more than 70mm of rain across the Coast by Monday, possibly accompanied by storms. Forecasters believe the heaviest falls will be on Saturday, when up to 30mm could fall.
BOM meteorologist Rosa Hoff confirmed “we’re in for a bit of a wet long weekend” and said there could be an “increase in stream showers”.
“For southeastern Queensland, we’ll be experiencing between 20-40mm of rainfall in the peak of these showers, which is expected to be on Friday to Saturday at this stage,” she said.
Thunderstorms were expected “from pretty much the Whitsunday region down to the border”.