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More than a million sunflowers will bloom at this Scenic Rim festival in May 

Credit: Getty/Gaitanides

Eleanor Edström Eleanor Edström
This feel-good festival offers dazzling golden fields, family-friendly fun and the chance to pick your own blooms – all for a charitable cause.

Fields of sunshine yellow will once again light up the Scenic Rim this autumn as the Kalbar Sunflower Festival returns from 1–3 May 2026. 

Held in the country town of Kalbar, around an hour and 15 minutes south-west of Brisbane, the much-loved event transforms eight hectares of farmland into a sea of more than one million sunflowers, all backdropped by the Scenic Rim’s gorgeous mountain scenery. Attracting more than 13,000 visitors each year, the festival makes for a vibrant and memorable day trip from Brisbane.  

This year’s program promises a giant sunflower maze and all-new Dinosaur Land activation, plus live music, food trucks, educational community workshops and a range of free children’s activities. 

A festival with heart

kalbar sunflower festival
Snap a pic among more than one million blooms. (Credit: Kalbar Sunflowers)

Beyond the beautiful blooms, the event has a deeper purpose: honouring community, generosity and togetherness in times of hardship. Since its beginnings, Kalbar Sunflower Festival has raised funds for cancer and palliative care across south-east Queensland. Visitors can pick their own sunflowers for $2 a stem (or purchase a pre-cut bunch), with all proceeds from sunflowers, raffles and certain activations donated to charity partners. This year, organisers are focusing on raising money to provide cuddle beds for hospitals across the region – special beds that allow families to lie together during palliative care, creating precious moments of closeness when they matter most. 

The festival’s story itself is rooted in resilience. In 2021, local farmers Jenny and Russell Jenner were facing one of Queensland’s longest droughts in living memory. With their usual crops struggling in the dry conditions, a simple idea sparked inspiration: sunflowers thrive with little water and their vibrant colour brings instant joy. From that moment, the seeds of the festival were planted. 

Later that year, Russell was diagnosed with Stage 4 Oesophageal Cancer. Rather than step back, he became even more driven to foster positivity, raising more than $115,000 for cancer care at the 2022 and 2023 festivals. While Russell sadly passed away in 2023, Jenny remains determined to continue farming, supporting the personal cause and bringing joy to visitors through the annual festival. Since 2022, Jenny and the team have raised more than $435,000. 

“This event showcases the unique connection between our state’s vibrant communities and the diverse regions they call home," says Andrew Powell MP, the Queensland Minister for the Environment and Tourism. “Events like the Kalbar Sunflower Festival bring people together, celebrate local culture and contribute significantly to the community’s pride and economy." 

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The 2026 festival program

kalbar sunflower festival installation
The festival brings together community engagement, creativity and nature. (Credit: Kalbar Sunflowers)

From murals to reflection gardens, petting farms to photo ops, the Kalbar Sunflower Festival offers buckets of entertainment for all ages.  

Kids will be heading straight for the Children’s Hub, where they can meet furry friends at the petting farm, enjoy a range of creative crafts and take snaps in the dedicated kids’ photo booths. There will also be face painting, Carissa the Bubble Princess and a station for making seed bombs under the guidance of the Urban Utilities team. Plus, an all-new Dinosaur Land area and a sensory and fairy garden will bring extra enchantment. 

But there’s plenty of fun for adults, too. Find your way through the sunflower maze, add your own flourish to the community mural painting and check out the variety of food and drink vendors, as well as the revamped market stalls. Also new this year is the paid Sunflower Stage area ($15 per person), where visitors can bring a picnic blanket or camp chair, enjoy a drink from Boonah Brewery Co and listen to a lineup of talented musos.  

Ticket information

Tickets go on sale in March 2026. With visitor numbers capped and previous years selling out quickly, organisers recommend booking early to secure your spot. 

Entry is $35 for adults (18+) and $15 for teens aged 15 to 17, while children aged 14 and under attend free (no ticket required). 

Tickets include entry to the farm, access to the sunflower fields, free children’s activities and a range of festival activations throughout the grounds. 

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Eleanor Edström
Eleanor Edström is Australian Traveller’s Associate Editor. Previously a staff writer at Signature Luxury Travel & Style and Vacations & Travel magazines, she's a curious wordsmith with a penchant for conservation, adventure, the arts and design. She discovered her knack for storytelling much earlier, however – penning mermaid sagas in glitter ink at age seven. Proof that her spelling has since improved, she holds an honours degree in English and philosophy, and a French diploma from the University of Sydney. Off duty, you’ll find her pirouetting between Pilates and ballet classes, or testing her friends’ patience with increasingly obscure vocabulary.
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How to spend three romantic days on Hamilton Island

(Image: Sharyn Cairns)

    Eleanor Edström Eleanor Edström
    Continue
    From barefoot beach walks to moonlit dinners, this three-day Hamilton Island itinerary will have lovebirds swooning.

    Few Aussie destinations do romance quite like Hamilton Island. Set in the dreamy Whitsunday Islands, this popular honeymoon destination combines luxury retreats, palm-fringed reefs and spectacular dining with the easy rhythm of tropical living. Whether you’re planning a honeymoon, anniversary or spontaneous couples’ weekend, here’s how to spend a loved-up three days on Hamilton Island.

    Day 1

    Morning

    A serene ocean-view room overlooking endless blue horizons.
    Let picturesque ocean views welcome you the moment you check in. (Image: Kara Rosenlund)

    Nothing kills the holiday buzz faster than waiting at the baggage carousel. Luckily, our arrival couldn’t have been smoother. Staying at the boutique, adults-only Beach Club Hotel means VIP transfers are included, so the moment we land, a staff member greets us and whisks our bags straight from the baggage claim to our room. We don’t have to lift a finger.

    Occupying a prime piece of real estate on Catseye Beach, Beach Club is a peaceful retreat just steps from sugar-white sand and a turquoise lagoon. Within 10 minutes of stepping off the plane, we’ve arrived and are switched into holiday mode.

    We check into our room, immediately delighted by the sight of several wallabies grazing in the garden just in front of our private terrace. Beyond, picturesque ocean vistas stretch across the horizon. The room’s mini bar is stocked with bespoke sweet treats; the bathroom with premium Aesop amenities that add to the luxury.

    After we’ve checked out the resort’s beachside infinity pool – plotting the lounge chairs we’ll no doubt return to later – we head out to explore the island. Families glide by on hire bikes and chirping rainbow lorikeets dot the foliage. We decide to hike up to Passage Peak – one of the most scenic walks on Hamilton Island – which takes about 40 minutes one way and boasts panoramic Whitsundays views that will stick with you for long after you leave.

    Afternoon

    A romantic beachside lunch as champagne is served.
    Recharge with a laid-back lunch at Beach Club Restaurant. (Image: Nikki To)

    After working up an appetite, Beach Club Restaurant is the perfect place to snap up a light lunch. Think barramundi, nourish bowls, Wagyu beef burgers, brown butter toasties and Queensland chilli prawns. For those who don’t want to move from their prime perch on the beach or by the pool, there’s also the option to order bites via QR code from the resort’s lounge chairs.

    After our fill, we plunge into the hotel’s incredible infinity pool, its surface blending near seamlessly into the blues of Catseye Beach. Quiet and tucked away from the island’s hum, it feels illegal to do anything but relax here.

    Evening

    A curated flatlay of dishes from Catseye Pool Club.
    Celebrate your first evening over beautifully plated coral trout. (Image: Nikki To)

    There’s truly nothing more satisfying than a little R&R (rest & robe) time in your hotel room after spending the day in the sun. Fresh from a shower, we watch the ripe tangerine sun slowly dip below the palm-framed horizon from our plush terrace daybed. Two wallabies are still grazing on the grass. It’s a magical setting; I find it hard to believe I am only a few hours away from home.

    Come dinnertime, we zip over to nearby Catseye Pool Club, which is a short buggy ride from the hotel or a five-minute walk. A chic new haunt from Sydney-based pair Josh and Julie Niland, the restaurant is all about reconnecting over flavour-rich share plates using high-quality Aussie ingredients.

    We sit in a corner overlooking Catseye Beach – arguably the best seat in the house – with mini table lamps casting a soft glow about the contemporary indoor-outdoor setting. What comes next is pure delight; grilled prawns served with tumeric and lemongrass marinade, macadamia satay sauce and a Thai-leaning sour green mango salad. Then, elegantly plated coral trout served with kasundi and zucchini. We savour it all slowly, the conversation flowing easily between bites and sips while the moonlight transforms the ocean into molten silver.

    Day 2

    Morning

    An 18-hole golf course set against sweeping ocean views.
    Tee off side by side against a backdrop of sweeping ocean views. (Image: Andrea Francolini)

    A la carte breakfast is complimentary for guests of Beach Club, and we take full advantage of the fact. Barista-quality coffee and pressed juice – today it’s carrot, melon, orange and pineapple – arrive alongside pastries baked fresh this morning. For the larger meal, I treat myself to the buttermilk pancakes with praline butter.

    If you prefer an active start to the morning rather than lying in, you’ll find plenty of options. Perhaps tee off at the 18-hole golf course, where the views are as much of a drawcard as the sport itself. Designed by five-time British Open winner Peter Thomson, the course is integrated into the ridged landscape of Dent Island.

    Afternoon

    Artfully paired wines and bites from the Talk & Taste experience.
    Uncover new favourite wines together. (Image: Sharyn Cairns)

    For wine-curious couples, Beach Club’s new Talk & Taste experience is a must. Held several times a week for up to eight guests, it’s an intimate tasting of Aussie drops paired with curated bites – all guided by Bommie Assistant Manager and wine enthusiast Courtenay Morgan-Fletcher.

    We opt for the white wine and seafood option, enjoying pours from Eden Valley to Launceston while Courtenay shares her knowledge and passion for the intricacies of wine making.

    Later, we drive our golf buggy up to One Tree Hill. This is one of the most popular spots on the island for sunset, but we chose to come a little earlier so we have more space to ourselves. We enjoy afternoon wine and cheese, admiring the 360-degree views of the island and its impossibly blue waters.

    Evening

    The moody, atmospheric interiors of Bommie Deck.
    Dress up for a romantic evening at Bommie Restaurant. (Image: Kara Rosenlund)

    Since we are, after all, on holiday, we continue the tipples at Bommie Deck. Suspended above Hamilton Island’s marina, this architectural monument is a fabulous place for a sunset spritz.

    Just a few steps inside is Bommie Restaurant, the contemporary Australian fine dining establishment headed by chef Ryan Locke. Of anywhere on the island, this is the place to frock up and celebrate a special occasion – especially if theatrical culinary experiences take your fancy. The tasting set menu is a whirlwind of native Australian flavours and creative plating – with highlights including the cured venison wrapped in wattle seed seasoning. For dessert, a clever take on white chocolate and lemonade ends the night on a high.

    Day 3

    Morning

    A couple gliding across calm waters on SUP boards together.
    Ease into the morning with a paddleboarding adventure. (Image: Kara Rosenlund)

    Another low-key morning means another blissful breakfast at Beach Club. This time, it’s smashed avo toast topped with Persian fetta, dukkah and poached eggs – a deliciously fueling start to the day.

    The weather today is perfect for a paddle, so we walk straight from our room onto the sand of Catseye Beach to pick up some SUP boards. Guests of Beach Club receive complimentary non-motorised water sports equipment, spanning everything from mini catamarans to snorkel gear and kayaks. Finding our balance on the boards is a fun challenge at first, but before long, we’re gliding across the glassy water like naturals.

    Afternoon

    A helicopter soaring above the iconic Heart Reef.
    Add the ultimate highlight with a Heart Reef flight together. (Image: Hamilton Island)

    No couples’ retreat is complete without a touch of pampering. Located in the resort area, Spa Wumurdaylin offers everything from body wraps and facials to de-stress massages using natural Australian products. The Soul Temple treatment begins with a heavenly feeling sugar scrub, followed by a Vichy vertical shower and underwater massage. I leave in a daze.

    If you prefer adventure to relaxation, there is an abundance of day trips from Hamilton Island, from snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef to Whitsundays helicopter tours – all of which make for unforgettable experiences that will bring you and your partner closer.

    Evening

    A couple standing at qualia, gazing out over the endless ocean horizon.
    Close your journey over a beautiful dinner by the sea. (Image: Sharyn Cains)

    Enjoy an elevated evening at qualia’s tranquil Pebble Beach restaurant, where a private beach setting complements the thoughtful, seasonal menu. Or perhaps continue relaxing at Beach Club, feasting on roast lamb and seafood at the poolside restaurant or soaking in ocean views from your room with in-house room delivery. And don’t forget the champagne – a weekend of love, fun and restoration is worth toasting.

    Getting there

    Hamilton Island has its own airport called the Great Barrier Reef Airport, which makes it fuss-free to get to. Qantas, Virgin and Jetstar offer short, direct flights from most major Australian cities, including Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Cairns. This means you’ll spend less time travelling and more time enjoying each other’s company.

    Visit hamitlonisland.com.au for more couples’ retreat ideas.