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This long weekend is your last chance to catch Bowral’s tulip festival

Carla Grossetti Carla Grossetti
Discover the vibrant beauty of Bowral during its annual Tulip Time Festival, a seasonal celebration of colour, blooms and community.

Each spring, the vibrant village of Bowral becomes quilted in colour as thousands of flowers bloom for the annual Tulip Time Festival in the Southern Highlands. Here’s how to get amongst it over the long weekend.

What is Bowral’s Tulip Time Flower Festival?

bowral tulip festival
See more than 80,000 mass planted tulips and annuals. (Image: Destination NSW)

 Bowral’s Tulip Time Flower Festival this year extends from September 21 to October 6. Running for more than six decades, the annual festival has transformed Corbett Gardens in Wingecarribee Street into a floral wonderland, with more than 80,000 mass planted tulips and annuals. 

Although the festival purports to be about one thing – tulips – it also honours the arrival of spring, offering a vibrant experience for visitors. A quick rewind tells us the Tulip Time Flower Festival began in Bowral when the local Rotary Club donated 500 tulip bulbs after a previous floral festival had failed due to a lack of funding. These days, the Southern Highlands festival draws visitors from across Australia to watch the seasons change. 

And while it’s still very much a community event, it has grown into quite the spectacle. Visitors are invited to wander through fields that pop with red, pink and yellow blooms and provide the perfect backdrop for happy snaps. 

What to see at Bowral’s Tulip Time Flower Festival?

A pond with colourful butterfly sculptures in it surrounded by tulips
Wander through fields that pop with red, pink and yellow blooms. (Image: Destination NSW)

The annual Tulip Time Flower Festival is more than just flowers. Blooming Weekends add an extra foodie focus to the affair with indulgences like The Beekeepers Long Lunch Experience and Sunset Evenings at Retford Park every Friday and Saturday.  For something a bit playful, channel your inner Bridgerton babe for the annual Tulip Time Garden Party, which includes a Bloom Bar, food, markets, live bands and a DJ. You can also board the Moss Vale Picnic Train at Central and arrive in Moss Vale or Bowral in style. 

Be sure to hit the Tulip Trail and alight at Bowral for a bespoke experience at Millsheds Distillery.  The distillery will transform into an enchanted wonderland during the festival for Tulips After Dark: The Secret Garden. Tumble down the rabbit hole to enjoy the Alice in Wonderland theme featuring everything from twinkling lights to live music and artisan markets. 

Tulips blooming in front of a sculpture
The festival honours the arrival of spring. (Image: Destination NSW)

Wondering what else to do with the kids on the long weekend? Fans of the movie Babe can catch the fun family-friendly flick on the big screen at Robertson School of Performing Arts on October 5 between 9.30am and 3.30pm. Robertson’s infamous Big Potato – affectionately known as the ‘big turd’ – has had a whimsical makeover by artist Samuel Hall who has transformed this landmark ‘big thing’ into the ‘Pig Potato’ for the film’s 30th anniversary event. 

The country fair will be a celebration that is equal parts quirky, nostalgic and heartwarming, much like the film itself. This year’s inaugural Horizontal Festival also coincides with the annual Tulip Time Flower Festival over the first weekend in October. 

Renowned Australian chef Mark Best will headline at the festival, hosted at Centennial Vineyards, where he will be joined by top local chefs such as Simon Evans, of Bangalay Dining and ex-MasterChef contestant Mindy Woods (Karkalla on Country). The event will also bring together artisan producers and acclaimed winemakers – such as Millsheds Distillery and Cupitt’s Estate – for the spring celebration. Check the program for guided garden tours, local market stalls, flower-arranging workshops at the Southern Highlands Flower Farm and more. And don’t miss the Bradman Dash, when everyone from seasoned sprinters to weekend warriors takes part in a series of short-distance heats on 4 October.

Need tips, more detail or itinerary ideas tailored to you? Ask AT.

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Where to stay

Berida Hotel
Enjoy a luxe stay at Berida Hotel (Image: Destination NSW)

The beautiful thing about Bowral is that it’s just a few hours’ drive from Sydney. If you do want to bunker down in the village, Berida Hotel is one of the most beautiful places to stay. The ivy-clad boutique hotel was recently renovated and feels worlds away from the hamster wheel of your life in Sydney. The luxe hotel was built in 1925 and you can see the leaves of the trees dancing from the comfort of your room. 

The best Bowral accommodation for the annual Tulip Time Flower Festival also includes those in proximity to the petals from the Black Barn Bowral to Peppers Manor House, Park Proxi Gibraltar Bowral and Peppers Craigieburn Bowral. You can also gather your entourage and stay in The Pill Factory in nearby Bundanoon. 

Ticket Prices

Online tickets (not including booking fee)

Adults: $18.50 per person
Concession: $12.50 per person
Youth: $12.50* per person (13-17yrs)
Child: Free under 12 years

At the gate (no cash)

Adults: $20 per person
Concession: $13.50pp
Youth: $13.50 per person (13-17yrs)
Child: Free under 12 years

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Carla Grossetti
Carla Grossetti has written across print and digital for Australian Traveller and International Traveller for more than a decade and has spent more than two decades finding excuses to eat well and travel far. A prestigious News Corp cadetship launched her career at The Cairns Post, before a stint at The Canberra Times and The Sydney Morning Herald gave way to extended wanders through Canada, the US, Mexico, Central America, Asia and Europe. Carla was chief sub editor at delicious and has contributed to Good Food, Travel & Luxury, Explore Travel, Escape. While living in London, Carla was on staff at Condé Nast Traveller and The Sunday Times Travel desk and was part of the pioneering digital team at The Guardian UK.
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3 vintage train journeys to step back in time and explore NSW

(Credit: Krista Eppelstun)

    Elizabeth Whitehead Elizabeth Whitehead
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    From country landscapes to the coast, Vintage Rail Journeys blends the grandeur of the golden age of rail travel with immersive local experiences.

    Travelling aboard the historic Southern Aurora train is the ultimate scenic journey through regional NSW. Operated by Vintage Rail Journeys, the former Southern Aurora is a step back in time, from the lovingly restored carriages to the Off Train Experiences that spotlight local history, artisanal crafts and regional producers.

    Once the overnight express that ferried passengers between Sydney and Melbourne throughout the 1960s, this train has been revived to its former mid-century glory, from the cabin layouts to the original lettering. Today, the train takes passengers on scenic and historic five-day journeys – starting and ending in Sydney – through three distinct regions of NSW: The Riverina, Golden West and North Coast.

    Vintage Rail Journeys Southern Aurora train carriage
    Be transported into the golden age of travel. (Credit: Krista Eppelstun)

    One of the most magical parts of travelling with Vintage Rail Journeys is waking up on the train. Each night, the train stables at a station so guests can enjoy a restful night’s sleep in stillness, before departing again at dawn. Passengers awake to the gentle motion of the carriage, flicking open the blinds to watch the landscape unfold at sunrise. There is no better way to start the day.

    The onboard experience come evening time is just as picturesque. Guests enjoy the all-inclusive food and beverages, nursing cocktails in the Art Deco-inspired lounge carriage or lingering over a three-course dinner in the dining carriage. Outside the window, Eastern grey kangaroos bound across open plains and flocks of cockatoos scatter from the gumtrees. It’s an old-world way of travelling, a slower pace that’s increasingly rare amid the frenzy of modern life. From coastal sojourns to adventures through agrarian landscapes, these are the multi-day Vintage Rail Journeys itineraries transporting guests back in time.

    The Riverina

    Vintage Rail Journeys Southern Aurora train travelling through nsw
    Travel through the agricultural heartland of NSW. (Credit: Krista Eppelstun)

    The Riverina is the agricultural heartland of NSW. Over five days, Vintage Rail Journeys takes passengers through the region to experience its celebrated produce, wines and local history. Travelling in a loop through the Central West, guests can sample sweets at the Junee Liquorice & Chocolate Factory, housed inside a former flour mill, tour an olive grove alongside a second-generation olive farmer, and enjoy tastings at family-owned wineries where the grapes are harvested mere metres away.

    The Riverina is also a region shaped by passionate local historians. The Fairground Follies museum in Bowral houses one of the world’s largest collections of mechanical music and carnival memorabilia – a riot of colour and nostalgia tucked away where you’d least expect it. Meanwhile, Temora Rural Museum offers a glimpse into the history of everyday life in rural NSW. It’s home to the NSW & ACT Ambulance Museum (yes, a museum within a museum), packed with ambulances that span the past 120 years (including horse-drawn!). And seeing it all aboard a vintage train makes it feel not just like you’re visiting history, but living inside of it.

    North Coast

    Forest Sky Pier
    Take in the views from Forest Sky Pier. (Credit: Destination NSW)

    This five-day journey is all about ocean views and slowing down in tune with the rhythm of coastal life. As you make your way north from Sydney, the water is never too far from sight, whether Vintage Rail Journeys is tracing the Gloucester River or travelling alongside sweeping stretches of coastline. You’ll want to sit by a window as the train passes through the Coffs Harbour region – it’s one of the most scenic stretches of the whole journey.

    Guests can also disembark at Coffs Harbour to take in the beauty of the Great Dividing Range at the Forest Sky Pier – a surreal lookout point that looks like a runway disappearing into the sky. The train continues onward to Byron Bay, where guests can disembark to explore the iconic beach town at their own pace. And on the return journey to Sydney, keep your eyes peeled for dolphins – they’re known to frequent the Kooragang Wetlands near Newcastle, which guests visit on a lunch cruise on the final day.

    Golden West

    winery experience in new south wales
    Jump off the train for a winery experience. (Credit: Krista Eppelstun)

    Travelling through the Golden West by rail is like stepping into a Frederick McCubbin painting – a nod to the golden era of rail travel. This five-day journey evokes the era of Australian Impressionism, passing through some of the country’s most painterly landscapes while tracing a path through history.

    Starting in Sydney, the train makes its way to the Hawkesbury River, where the train crosses a historic rail bridge over the bronze, glassy waters below. Guests disembark here to cruise the brackish inlet aboard a historic postal boat before returning to the train to continue into Gold Rush country. Ahead lie grand heritage towns and historic estates, including the 1870s Abercrombie House in Bathurst.

    Special event journeys

    meal onboard Vintage Rail Journeys Southern Aurora train
    Enjoy all-inclusive dining and beverages on the way to special events. (Credit: Krista Eppelstun)

    Regional NSW is home to some truly one-of-a-kind events, and Vintage Rail Journeys offers a memorable way to get there. Planning a trip to the Bathurst Repco 1000? Vintage Rail Journeys’ special itinerary combines accommodation, dining and transport into one seamless experience. Guests take the scenic route to Bathurst, where the train becomes a unique home base for the event, complete with transfers, all-inclusive dining and beverages, and three days of reserved grandstand seating before returning to Sydney Central Station.

    For something a little more playful, guests can also join fellow Elvis enthusiasts on a special overnight journey to Parkes for the town’s iconic annual Elvis Festival. It’s a vintage rail journey – with a little added rock ‘n’ roll.

    Step back into the golden age of rail travel at vintagerailjourneys.com.au.