Only three weeks after travelling from Perth to Brisbane for the AFTA trade show, I was back on a plane heading east. This time, the destination was the launch of Anaconda Adventure HQ - and the opportunity to see Mazorca products hit the floor inside one of Australia's most ambitious outdoor retail stores.
The trip was about much more than placing products on shelves. It was a chance to help build our first major Anaconda display, meet the wider store team, hear customers' first reactions and see how an experience-led retailer can bring outdoor adventure products to life.
Mazorca arrives at Anaconda Adventure HQ in Brisbane.
Back in Brisbane three weeks after AFTA
The visit followed our first trip to Brisbane for AFTA, where we introduced the Beyond Backpack range and our growing line of purpose-built water and outdoor equipment to the Australian fishing and marine industry. Returning only a few weeks later made the momentum feel very real: we had gone from exhibiting at the trade show to setting up Mazorca inside Anaconda's new flagship adventure retail concept.
My relationship with the Anaconda team began after meeting General Manager Damien Kennedy in December 2025. Since then, Damien has become a great friend and a strong supporter of what we are building at Mazorca. On arrival, he gave me a private tour of the new store before we got to work on the display.
A private tour of Adventure HQ with Anaconda General Manager Damien Kennedy.
More theme park than retail store
Adventure HQ does not feel like a conventional retail store. It feels closer to an outdoor theme park - designed to entertain, educate and let customers experience products in an environment that reflects how they will actually be used.
The scale and detail are hard to appreciate until you walk through it. There is a snow machine, a 40-foot barramundi tank, a fishing simulator and an interactive tree where birds emerge and call when they detect movement. Around every corner, another feature pulls you into a different part of the outdoor world.
The store has the immersive energy of a Bass Pro-style destination, but with an Australian identity and a strong focus on local outdoor lifestyles. The finer details were evident throughout the entire space. It was clear that the team had thought deeply about how to make shopping for fishing, camping, snow, water sports and adventure gear genuinely memorable.
Adventure HQ combines outdoor retail with immersive, experience-driven features.
Setting up the Mazorca range
After the tour, it was time to meet the teams across the different departments and begin setting up our end fixture. I finalised the product tags, worked through the presentation and made sure customers could quickly understand what each product was designed to do.
The Beyond Backpack range was positioned across both water sports and fishing, which reflects exactly why we created it. These are not single-purpose bags. They are adventure backpacks built for people moving between the ocean, boat, beach, campsite, airport and everyday life.
The Beyond Backpack LITE gives customers a versatile water-resistant adventure backpack with separate storage zones for wet gear, dry essentials, food, drinks and technology. The Beyond Backpack PRO takes protection further with a waterproof, submersible construction designed for demanding water-based environments. Both models feature the ColdCore insulated lower compartment, DryDock separated storage, SideStore expandable side compartments and a TechScan laptop sleeve.
We also displayed the FusionX Hooded Rashguard and CoreGuard padded waist belt. FusionX is built for long sessions in harsh sun and exposed conditions, while CoreGuard provides low-profile padding and support around the waist, ribs and stomach for high-impact water use. Together, the range shows the direction Mazorca is heading: purpose-built equipment developed by water users, for water users.
The Mazorca range on display across water sports and fishing at Anaconda Adventure HQ.
Opening morning mayhem
After finishing the setup, I headed back to the hotel ahead of an early start. At breakfast the next morning, I bumped into Anaconda Executive Deputy Chairman Zac Fried and his crew in the lobby. We had a quick meet and greet before everyone headed toward the store for opening.
I arrived about an hour early, but the line was already stretching well around the corner. The car park was full, media crews were in position and some customers had been camping out since 5 pm the previous day. With a boat being given away to each of the first ten customers through the doors, the energy outside was unreal.
When the doors finally opened, the calm disappeared instantly. Customers ran into the store, explored the different zones and started testing everything Adventure HQ had to offer. The launch had the atmosphere of a major event rather than a standard store opening.
Customers lined up around the corner before the Adventure HQ doors opened.
Real reactions to the Beyond Backpack
For me, the most valuable part of the day was standing beside the products and seeing people encounter them for the first time. We sold backpacks and packing cubes, but the conversations mattered just as much. Customers asked about the different compartments, insulation, waterproof protection and how each bag could work across fishing, boating, surfing, travel and family adventures.
Those conversations reinforced something we have believed from the beginning: the Beyond Backpack makes the most sense when people can see it opened, touch the materials and understand how the storage system works. Its value is in the complete design - not just a list of features on a tag.
We are now working with the Anaconda Adventure HQ team on a stronger point-of-sale plan that will help demonstrate the range in store. The goal is to give customers a clearer view of the premium construction, separated wet and dry storage, insulated compartment and crossover use cases that set the Beyond Backpack apart from a conventional waterproof backpack, fishing bag or travel pack.
Introducing Adventure HQ customers to the Beyond Backpack storage system.
A major step for Mazorca
All in all, it was an epic event and an important milestone for Mazorca. To see our products inside a store of this scale - only weeks after AFTA and less than a year after first meeting Damien - made the trip incredibly rewarding.
A huge thank you to Damien, the entire Adventure HQ team and Anaconda for inviting us to be part of the launch. We are excited to keep building the in-store experience and helping more Australian water users, fishers and outdoor adventurers discover equipment designed to go beyond the elements.
After the launch, I drove down to Brunswick Heads to catch up with a mate, squeezed in a round of golf the following day and then flew home - a fitting end to a fast, memorable second Brisbane trip in three weeks.
Explore the Mazorca range
Discover the Beyond Backpack LITE and Beyond Backpack PRO, along with the FusionX Hooded Rashguard, CoreGuard padded waist belt and Mazorca Packing Cubes online or at Anaconda Adventure HQ Brisbane.
