Professionals Tamborine Mountain 
Gallery Walk is one of Mount Tamborine’s main attractions, with new stores and attractions opening all the time to amaze tourists and locals alike. The latest of these is Loddon Larder, a brand-new store of only two weeks offering holistic products for those seeking a more natural approach to their health and wellbeing. Owner Gaylia Bell and operator Tarlia Suitor were more than happy to give us the opening tour as Gaylia explains the story behind this fresh face for mountain shoppers.
by Kyle Hitchmough
What was your original inspiration to open Loddon Larder?
My three daughters live in this region, I’ve been coming up here for about 18 years now to visit my daughters, and every time I visit, I always come to Gallery Walk. I take the girls for a drive. I just love it up here. Two of my girls got married up on the mountain. Then an opportunity arose. Tarlia was looking for a new job, and we decided to open up the shop here after we found it for rent. I own another Loddon shop in Victoria and in Inglewood, and so I’ve just copied the format here. The eucalyptus oil, which is my main product in the shop, I’m bringing up here to educate people. It’s antiviral, antibacterial, antiseptic, and antibiotic. It’s very good for cleaning but also for diffusing, breathing it in, and it’s native Australian, found mainly in central Victoria where I’m from.
For those who might not be familiar, can you explain what it is you offer here?
I’m going down the more natural path. The teas that I carry are Roogenic, which again are a native Australian brand that is naturopathically endorsed and made from native plants and flowers which are sourced through Indigenous communities in rural Western Australia and northern Queensland. We’ve got bush foods and natural cleaning as well, trying to focus on Australian products.
Do you already have a most popular or bestselling product?
The Roogenic is taking off very well, the teas. I’ve just got to educate people because they’re very new up here.
What’s your opinion on the Tamborine Mountain area and community?
I’ve only been here two weeks, but all the locals have come in and introduced themselves and made me feel very welcome to the community. Many other store-holders have also come in and introduced themselves to me and welcomed me. That’s why I’ve loved coming up here for the last 18 years, it’s just got a good vibe about it.
Is there anything you personally like to do or would recommend in the area?
I mainly enjoy the Gallery Walk, but I’ve done a lot of looking around. I love the tall trees, I love the rainforest, Curtis Falls… The Eagle Heights Hotel has a beautiful view. I like to sit there and see all of that. I love the whole lot!
What do you think Loddon Larder really provides to the area?
I think it’s the natural alternatives to medicine, that kind of thing. This place is full of rainforests and trees, and everything we sell is made from holistic, native trees. The lemon myrtle, for example, can only be found up here in Queensland, and it’s quite a therapeutic oil. You can’t grow that down in Victoria because of the frost. It’s the wonder of Australian nature, and I’m bringing it into the store.
What do you enjoy most about doing this?
It’s definitely the people. The people are amazing. Our customers are so keen to learn, and they’re often walking out the door thanking us for educating them about how healthy and beneficial things like eucalyptus oil are, especially in times like these.
Is there anything else you’d like to go on the record?
We do have a bit of a giftware range, but it’s mainly to complement our main range of products. We sell teapots to complement our teas, things like that. But I think this street should be all about individualism, not copying each other. We all have individual stores with our own different products. We’re all different and unique, and I’m hoping people will come to each of us because we have different things.
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