Goodbye, Coolangatta: Why two women recreated iconic Muriel’s Wedding scene

In an iconic Australian 90s movie a young outcast girl couldn’t wait to escape the Tweed Coast — and today two women were itching to leave too.

IT might be the gem of the southern Gold Coast today but in an iconic Australian 1990s movie a young outcast girl could not wait to escape the Tweed Coast.

Except in this make-believe world where Tweed Heads is unbearable — it was known as Porpoise Spit and it set the scene for a young girl’s quest for the ultimate elopement in Muriel’s Wedding.

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Stefanie Jones, who plays Rhonda, and Natalie Abbott, who plays Muriel, in Muriel's Wedding were in town to create the iconic Goodbye, Porpoise Spit scene ahead of Muriel's Wedding The Musical opening at QPAC later this month. Photo: Lauren Panrucker

Ahead of Muriel’s Wedding The Musical opening at QPAC on Thursday, lead actors Natalie Abbott and Stefanie Jones, who play Muriel and Rhonda respectively, were in town to recreate the unforgettable Goodbye Porpoisescene in Coolangatta.

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Ms Jones said it was a remarkable way to pay homage to the provocative film known for its myriad of one-liners.

“I knew so many of the famous lines from the film before I’d seen it. I finally understood where they came from,” Ms Jones said.

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Ms Abbott and Ms Jones took a ride in a 1993 Falcon at Coolangatta on Tuesday, the same one that took Muriel and Rhonda out of Porpoise Spit and towards Sydney. Photo: Lauren Panrucker

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“I remember ‘You’re terrible Muriel’ and ‘Stick your drink up your arse, Tanya’, that was when I fell in love with Rhonda. She’s certainly way cooler than I am.

“There’s something for everyone to relate to this with story.”

Ms Jones said she was thrilled to be introducing the story to a new generation in an entertaining format.

“These are two strong iconic female characters, it’s so refreshing to see two wonderfully imperfect characters on stage,” she said.

“It’s transferred from screen to stage so well it makes you wonder why it wasn’t a musical 20 years ago.”

Muriel’s Wedding The Musical opens at QPAC on September 19. Tickets from $70, visit qpac.com.au

Originally published as Goodbye, Coolangatta: Why two women recreated iconic Muriel’s Wedding scene