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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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A gourmand’s guide to eating your way around Hamilton Island

(Credit: Nikki To)

    Eleanor Edström Eleanor Edström
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    From poolside bites and tasting flights to seafood plates and dry-aged steaks, a foodie adventure on Hamilton Island is worth every bite.

    Hamilton Island’s sun-lacquered shores have long magnetised travellers craving an escape from reality. But what’s less expected – and more interesting – is just how assuredly this Whitsundays idyll delivers on the culinary front. Dialling up the flavour as much as the barefoot allure, the Hamilton Island food scene offers world-class dining and drinking options, spanning slick fine-dining moments to just-caught seafood served within sight of the sea. Let’s dig in.

    Catseye Pool Club

    Catseye Pool Club
    Catseye Pool Club offers stunning beach views. (Image: Kara Rosenlund)

    Framing the electric blues of Catseye Beach from The Sundays hotel, Catseye Pool Club is Hamilton Island’s latest culinary prodigy. Shown to our table, we thread through rattan chairs, Zellige tiles and tumbling greenery that opens up to Coral Sea shimmer.

    The poolside restaurant is the brainchild of Sydney-based chef duo Josh and Julie Niland, who have brought their relaxed yet elevated dining ethos north. The menu – designed to bring people together – is made for sharing, each hero ingredient orbited by a palette of sides to mix, match and layer as you please.

    My thyme cocktail – woody with scotch, lifted by lime leaf – pairs perfectly with the charcoal grilled prawns entree, which is served with tumeric and lemongrass marinade, macadamia satay sauce and a thai-leaning sour green mango salad. Each forkful lands differently, but all are a delight. Then comes the coral trout. True to Josh Niland’s ‘scale-to-tail’ philosophy, the fish is presented whole in a theatrical crescent, a tiny fork stuck into its cheek in a nod to Niland’s declared prize cut. Ribbons of zucchini resembling gauzy curtains bring brightness and snap, while kasundi lends depth and warmth. It’s tongue-tantalising, special occasion dining with humanity.

    Sails Restaurant

    Sails Restaurant hamilton island
    Settle into casual poolside dining. (Credit: Nikki To)

    A more casual poolside dining scene awaits at nearby Sails Restaurant, where Eastern Mediterranean flavours are dished up with an island twist. Chermoula chicken skewers and barramundi souvlaki lie on the more filling side of the menu, while the sumac squid and stone-bread flatbread with za’atar – arriving alongside pomegranate molasses, beetroot hummus and crushed macadamias – are perfect light bites after a dip in the pool. And don’t miss the garlic lemon scallops.

    The setting is equally part of the draw. Sunlight floods the high-ceilinged dining room, while outdoor tables look out across the glittering expanse of Catseye Beach. Holidaymakers in oversized sunglasses sip spritzes beneath umbrellas, the gentle clink of plates mixing with splashes from the adjacent pool. It’s the kind of place you’ll want to linger long after lunch.

    Bommie

    cuttlefish dish at Bommie restaurant Hamilton Island Yacht Club
    Head to the Hamilton Island Yacht Club for a taste of Bommie. (Credit: Nikki To)

    Tucked into a sleek curved wing of the Hamilton Island Yacht Club, Bommie delivers experiential fine dining with a sense of occasion. Led by award-winning Executive Chef Ryan Locke, the seasonal menu champions local and native Australian ingredients whipped up into a modern display of creative precision.

    Inside the dim-lit dining room, guests can choose between the Tasting Menu or Chef’s Signature Degustation. Sourdough with pine oil sets the tone for the six-course tasting menu, beautifully presented in a bed of pine needles alongside smoked paperbark butter. I love how the squid ink choux pastry is served with flavour-popping native finger lime, which our waiter encourages us to eat caviar-style. Standout moments continue with the wattle-seed-crusted venison elevated by red fruit and pickled beetroot swirls; the meat is perfectly pink in the middle and an homage to the island’s history as a deer farm.

    Pebble Beach

    qualia Resort Pebble Beach
    qualia Resort guests can dine at Pebble Beach. (Credit: Lean Timms)

    Exclusive to qualia Resort guests for lunch and dinner, Pebble Beach is Hamilton Island’s most serene expression of seasonal island dining. Ocean-facing chairs dot a timber deck that spills straight onto the resort’s private beach, while crystalline turquoise waters stretch to meet distant islands – a scene far prettier than any postcard could capture.

    The recently refreshed menu doubles down on seasonality and bright, layered flavours. While the more substantial T-bone steak with hazelnut honey carrots tempts, we go lighter: Coffin Bay oysters with Champagne foam and keffir lime dust kick us off splendidly, followed by Byron Bay burrata served with balsamic and caramelised figs. The fennel and orange salad topped with succulent grilled chicken is utterly delectable, but it’s the zingy, oh-so-fresh soft shell fish tacos that I can’t stop thinking about. It all goes down a treat with a glass of delicate Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve Champagne.

    Beach Club Restaurant

    Beach Club Restaurant hamilton island
    Book in advance for Beach Club Restaurant. (Credit: Nikki To)

    A lunch or dinner table at Beach Club Restaurant is best booked in advance – and it’s easy to see why. Looking out over the hotel’s palm-fringed infinity pool, the restaurant spotlights elegant contemporary Australian cuisine with a stellar (also Aussie-leaning) wine list to match.

    I am completely enamoured by the grilled Queensland prawns, which are brought to life with a smoked compound, local fried curry leaves and lime. Digging into the butter-soft lamb rump served atop pea ragout and parsley Paris mash feels like a warm, nostalgic hug. And dessert – vanilla bean ice cream drizzled with hot salted honey and apple gel – ends the night on a high note.

    Expect warm and discreet service; our waiter Marco tells us that the tiny decorative starfish on our table are there to help the staff remember whether we prefer sparkling or still water, so they don’t need to bother us by asking multiple times.

    Talk & Taste with Courtenay Morgan-Fletcher

    hamilton island Talk & Taste with Courtenay Morgan-Fletcher
    Join this immersive wine experience. (Credit Eleanor Edström)

    There’s more to Hamilton Island’s foodie scene than restaurant reservations alone. For wine-curious travellers seeking something a little more immersive, Beach Club has recently introduced Talk & Taste – a tutored tasting hosted by Bommie Assistant Manager and wine enthusiast Courtenay Morgan-Fletcher. Held twice weekly for a maximum of eight guests, the experience explores Australian wine culture through four thoughtfully selected drops paired with native-inspired bites.

    We opt for the white wine and seafood option. Alongside pours from Eden Valley and Launceston, a nibbling platter arrives featuring sashimi, salmon roe, Mooloolaba prawn ceviche and palate-cleansing ginger. The seafood is pristine and pared back, allowing the wines to take centre stage.

    The real highlight, however, is discovering just how nuanced winemaking can be. Courtenay speaks of viticulture as both art and science: harvest grapes a week too late and ripeness tips into ruin; plant the same varietal on different elevations and the sun, slope and water flow will shape entirely different expressions. Pinot noir, she explains, with its delicate skin and high water content, yields lighter fruit-forward wines, while thicker-skinned shiraz delivers depth and structure. I leave feeling fascinated and inspired by Courtenay’s evident passion.

    coca chu

    table spread at CocaChu
    Get a taste of Southeast Asian flavours. (Credit: Nikki To)

    Sweet and hot. Sour and salty. Dining at ever-popular coca chu is a sensation-swirling experience that’s not to be missed if you’re a sucker for punchy Southeast Asian flavours. Located at the Main Pool end of Catseye Beach, this lively hangout is all swaying lanterns, driftwood, high beamed ceilings and giant open windows that let in the balmy ocean breeze.

    Drawing from hawker traditions, the grilled betel leaf is a neat, vibrant mouthful of chilli fried cashews and spiced beef. The tofu surprises – soft beneath a tumble of dill, mint and coriander, and glossed in moreish peanut sauce. The massaman curry is pure comfort: creamy, fragrant, fall-apart meat. It’s generous and expressive cooking that I, for one, cannot get enough of.

    Marina Cafe

    hamilton island MArina Cafe
    Take in harbour views and comfort food.

    Sometimes, all you crave on holidays is a bacon and egg roll done properly and a creamy fruit smoothie. Boasting harbour views, an easygoing atmosphere and clean modern interiors, Marina Cafe is a popular local haunt for a reason. The casual menu lures families and couples alike with its all-day brekky, seasonal salads and sandwiches – from a roasted pumpkin bowl to prosciutto and rocket on herby focaccia.

    The acai bowl, topped with toasted nuts and berries, is a refreshing start to my day. Whether you sit in or takeaway, it’s a good-vibes-guaranteed place to refuel before or after your Whitsundays adventures.

    Discover your foodie getaway now at hamiltonisland.com.au.