The Riviera 585 SUV will have her world premiere at the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show

One of Australia’s largest superyacht builders will premiere its latest top-end luxury vessel at Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show in May.

The team at Riviera are gearing up for Australia’s largest boating showcase and they expect their new super yacht to be the headline star.

The Riviera 585 SUV will have her world premiere at the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show on May 25-28 which attracts more than 50,000 patrons annually and hundreds of vessels.

Riviera owner Rodney Longhurst says it will be the first and only opportunity for the public to see up close the new 585 SUV which will set you back about $3.35m.

“It’s basically a private super yacht – you’ve got it all to yourself,” he says.

“You can relax on the foredeck lounge and savour sunset cocktails, enjoy fishing,

snorkelling, kayaking or a seafood feast with friends and family in the alfresco deck.

“At 19 and a half metres, it’s spacious, and very luxurious, yet is so easy for a couple to

handle on their own.”

The Riviera 585 SUV is expected to headline this year's Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show.

The motor yacht is the epitome of boating opulence with an all water sports cockpit,

covered alfresco deck, luxurious saloon and galley, full beam master suite and two

further guest staterooms and three bathrooms offering accommodation for up to six

people; plus an optional laundry, utility room or crew cabin.

Riviera has built almost 6000 yachts over the past 42 years and the unveiling of the 585 SUV comes with the company on track to build about 150 vessels this year – a 50 per cent increase on its pre-pandemic production.

“The decision to showcase exclusively at SCIBS wasn’t one we took lightly but we wanted

to unveil the 585 SUV to our home market,” Longhurst says.

“We’re proud to be partnering with the Show again in 2023.”

Riviera’s appearance at this year’s SCIBS comes as it inches toward a total workforce of

1000, making it one of the biggest employers in South East Queensland.

Tea-licious

The boys at Origin Tea have launched their new sparkling iced tea cans in Woolworths - the first of its kind in the supermarket.

The Brisbane-based co-founders Chris and Lawrence Seaton say their 250ml cans of Sneaky Peach or Tropical Kiss flavoured sparkling iced tea are available in 667 stores nationwide in a deal worth more than $1.5m.

And it is a big deal for the business, especially off the back of Covid, rising inflation and Sri Lanka’s financial crisis.

“It has been a tough time to be a small business. We’ve had a lot of extra hurdles to jump and learned a lot of lessons, including the need to adapt to changing situations,” Chis Seaton says.

“Cafes represented 80 per cent of our business pre-pandemic so when Covid hit, we had to make some big decisions about the business and pivoted from a wholesale business into retail.

“After launching our cult sticky chai into supermarkets last year, rolling out our sparkling iced tea cans in Woolworths marks an exciting phase in our retail strategy and one we hope will lead to more opportunities in the sector.”

Unlike the tea flavours and extracts used in many iced teas on the market, Origin Tea’s product includes real tea made from a specially brewed syrup containing at least 20 per cent hand-picked loose leaf single origin tea from Sri Lanka.

Origin Tea co-founders Lawrence and Chris Seaton.

Originally published as The Riviera 585 SUV will have her world premiere at the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show