The Oxley 1823 is nothing short of impressive. At 4,000-sqm, the sprawling space is divided into separate areas, anchored by a central communal seating space in the middle. One of the key tenants of the first stage is the Oxley Village Grocer, which stocks everything from budget-friendly Black & Gold lines through to premium farm-to-plate beef sourced from Signature OnFarm’s $30-million facility at Moranbah.

Chilling on ice you’ll also find Mooloolaba king prawns, which are delivered daily, alongside deli meats that are sliced to order, mountains of cheese, fresh produce, flowers and even some heat-and-eat meals that are prepared by the venue’s own onsite chef. At the entrance of the grocer is where you’ll find Oxley Village Butcher, which has brought long-time local Steve of Gourmet Meats back home to the beachside suburb, and judging from the smile on his face, he’s happy to be back.

Bordering the sun-dappled seating area is Oxley 1823 Sub Station, slinging juices, gelato and ready-made sandwiches, a carvery and Buoy, the latest from Brodie Green, who also owns Burleigh’s famed coffee spots Seadog and Seadog in the Park. Buoy, pronounced boo-ee, is inspired by the dreamy Nobby Beach lifestyle and centres around all-day breakfast favourites and coffee.

“My dream was always to have Seadog and sites that bring people together,” Brodie says looking around the new digs. In terms of the menu, Brodie has taken things ‘back to basics’ with no frills, but a spotlight on hyper-local produce – he sources the meat from the butcher next door and the produce from the grocer. The succinct selection of fare caters to both sweet and savoury cravings with eggs, fetta and rocket on sourdough, a delightfully decadent croque madame and the stand-out ricotta pancake stack made with mascarpone, Vermont maple, berry compote and coconut sorbet.

Lunchtime bites include the drool-inducing Cheesebuoy burger (Oxley wagyu patty, Swiss cheese, pickles, tomato, lettuce and a slather of dijon mustard) and the LULU Salad (cold poached coconut chicken, cucumber, tomato, onion, chilli, mixed Asian herbs and glass noodles).

The coffee may taste familiar, as it’s the same Mexican single-origin bean with notes of Milo and jam from Seadog, only this time Brodie’s invested in a reverse osmosis system to ensure the water that flows through the machines is as good as it can be. Still to come will be a takeaway window, an ode to Seadog, which will eventually pump out brews and acai bowls to go.

The Oxley has been envisioned by long-time Nobby Beach resident Daniel Veitch of Dankav Developments and designed by Mermaid’s BDA Architecture to feature soaring ceilings, light-filled dining spaces framed by palm trees and lush greenery. While details on future stages are being kept under wraps for the moment, we can reveal that the next cab off the rank will be a show-stopping Latin-American concept from the group behind Burleigh’s Rick Shores and Brisbane’s Southside.

The venue will spread across two levels and feature a restaurant, an open-air rooftop ceviche bar and private dining rooms. Executive chef James Brady has spent the year skipping around some of the world’s top Mexican and Latin American restaurants, so suffice to say we’re excited to see what they have planned. The venue is targeting a mid-2024 opening.

The Oxley 1823 is now open!