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It’s always summer at Hey Day, the Sunny Coast’s sensational new cafe

While it’s easy to get distracted by all of the killer cafe openings close to home, real caffeine heads know that the Sunshine Coast’s coffee scene is absolutely popping off right now. The proof is in the pudding. Just have a look at Hey Day in Buddina – this looker of a locale is serving an all-star selection of Australian coffee over its brew bar alongside some seriously tempting deli-style sandwiches. If you’re planning a trip north (or are looking for an excuse to hit the beach), make sure you pencil in a pit stop here.

Sitting just south of Mooloolaba and Alexandra Headland, the slender suburb of Buddina is often overlooked by road-trippers burning up and down the Bruce Highway. Quiet and unassuming, this tiny beachfront pocket might be overshadowed by some of the glitzier strips dotted along the Sunshine Coast, but for James and Ashleigh Harcourt – owners of Buddina cafe Hey Day – it’s paradise.

The Queensland-born duo, who returned to the Sunshine State in 2020 after some time living in Melbourne, opened the 40-seater cafe across the road from Kawana Shopping World in early March this year. It instantly charmed caffeine-deprived locals with its mid-century-inspired interior aesthetic and a tack-sharp take on contemporary coffee service. “One day we were visiting my sister who lives really near Buddina and we were like, ‘Where do you get good coffee here?’” reflects James. “We couldn’t answer that question, hence Hey Day.” If you ask James and Ashleigh – who boast backgrounds in hospitality and retail buying, respectively – Hey Day’s genesis stretches back nearly a decade, with traces of the idea visible in business plans scrawled in notepads and saved on miscellaneous computer files.

Now they’re finally making good on long-held plans. “It’s one of those things that’s been on the back of our minds, always in planning,” adds Ashleigh. “So we just went, yep, with our powers combined, we can do this.”

James and Ashleigh have fashioned a cafe that fuses their tastes, interests and expertise, creating a space that is tasteful in its look, discerning in its offering and relaxed in its atmosphere. “My brief [was to make Hey Day] feel like a mid-century beach shack, because our furniture at home is all vintage mid-century,” says Ashleigh. “We wanted that to extend to the cafe.” A DIY fit-out – accomplished with the help of good friend, carpenter Lincoln Walker – resulted in a spot boasting warm wood tones across the walls, coffee counter, and bench and table seating.

This timber-heavy palette is accented by mustard cushions, clay-coloured hourglass stools, a sizeable pendant light from Hay Design and hanging artwork from Melbourne artist Hannah Nowlan, while artful flower arrangements from Yukari Botanicals resting in Asobimasu ceramic vessels add a softening touch. “We’ve had a couple of people say to us, ‘Oh, this cafe really feels like Melbourne.’ And we’re like, ‘Yeah, it’s probably not accidental,’” says Ashleigh, laughing. “We definitely didn’t wanna go for the stark coastal white – we wanted it to be much warmer and more welcoming than that.”

The coffee counter is James’ domain, where he is applying his extensive hospitality know-how (accumulated working at vaunted cafe institutions like ST. ALiTop Paddock and Wide Open Road) to Hey Day’s curated caffeine selection. Leading the brew bar offering is a selection of filter coffees that rotates almost daily. “My main focus when I drink coffee is filter, and I wanted to have a selection for everyone,” says James. “We’ve got local roasters predominantly taking up real estate on our shelves, but we always showcase an interstate variety so that we can give a contrast to what’s going on here on the coast.”

Coffee fanatics and those looking to broaden their palate can enjoy a tasting flight, which can feature four small six-ounce cups or a piccolo, an espresso and two short batch brews, or order a refreshing coffee spritz made with iced batch brew and grapefruit soda. For fans of flat whites and lattes, Hey Day’s green Dip It Kustoms-painted La Marzocco machine dispenses the Moon Dog Blend from Eumundi Coffee Roasters, available alongside Mayde TeaHrvst St juices, Good Happy kombucha and small-batch sodas from Mischief Brew.

On the food front, Hey Day serves a tight roster of deli-style sandwiches, with four core selections (plus a rotating special) including roast beef with truffle creme fraiche, ham, cheese and mild Italian chilli, and a classic Reuben. Also available are granola bowls, cookies, brownies and banana bread from Sunshine Coast Sourdough Co, smashed avocado on Tanglewood Bakery sourdough, and crumpets from Jeremiah’s Crust.

Hey Day is now open seven days a week from 6:00 am to 2:00 pm Monday through Friday, and from 7:00 am to 2:00 pm on weekends.

This article was written by James Frostick at The Weekend Edition

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