Scenic Rim Eat Local Month 2025

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Sun 01 Jun 2025 - Mon 30 Jun 2025

Why Scenic Rim Eat Local Month 2025 Should Be Your June Jam




If you're the kind of person who reads food labels, grows herbs on your balcony, or gets excited about the word "fermentation", you’re going to love Scenic Rim Eat Local Month 2025. This isn’t just a food festival - it’s a flavour-packed, paddock-to-plate pilgrimage through one of Australia’s most delicious and picturesque regions. Whether you're a serious foodie or you just like a good day trip and a cheese toastie, Scenic Rim has something tasty waiting for you this June.

Forks up readers - let’s dig in!



What Is Scenic Rim Eat Local Month?

Eat Local Month is a four-week feast that celebrates the Scenic Rim’s award-winning growers, makers, bakers, brewers and food creatives. It’s where eating locally becomes a whole lifestyle—complete with farm tours, cooking workshops, long lunches, foodie festivals, farmers markets and expos, and even the chance to picnic with alpacas (yes, really).



What’s New in 2025?

Eat Local Month is serving up nearly 40 brand-new events in 2025, and from June 1 to 30, the region will burst into flavour with over 100 delicious experiences, including:
• Long lunches, dinners and degustations
• Hands-on workshops and experiences
• Family friendly farm-based adventures
• Festivals, farmers markets and expos
• Winter Harvest weekend



Where Is the Scenic Rim?

Just an hour’s drive from Brisbane or the Gold Coast, the Scenic Rim is a lush, green playground for food lovers, nature nuts, and anyone wanting to escape the city for a wholesome (and seriously tasty) getaway. Think rolling hills, misty mountains, and paddocks bursting with fresh produce. It’s a food bowl surrounded by rainforest. A wine country with real farmers behind the grapes. Basically, it's farm-fresh heaven.



Hungry for Adventure?

This year, Eat Local Month takes to the skies—literally! Hot air balloon breakfasts, rainforest feasts, and sunset dinners - the 2026 event is soaring to new heights. Three other exciting new events include:

Foraged, Fired & Farmed Lunch at Binna Burra Lodge
Dine under the rainforest canopy on flame-grilled corn, saltbush chips and smoked brisket. Bonus points for eating green ants (surprisingly citrusy).

High Tea in the Treetops
Sip cocktails and nibble on handmade sweets among the treetops with Pethers Rainforest Retreat and Tamborine Mountain Distillery.

Spirit of the Mountain at The Cauldron Distillery
Sip local spirits, hear fascinating First Nations stories and watch Ben Lee perform live. It’s a spiritual experience in every sense.



10 Must-Do Experiences for First-Timers

1. Kalfresh Carrot Day – Australia's carrot capital goes all out. Meet the farmers, play in the dirt, and try the once-a-year carrot ice cream. It sells out fast, so hop to it!
2. Hot Air Balloon & Producers Breakfast – Rise with the sun, float over farmland and land to a locally-sourced breakfast at O’Reilly’s.
3. Smoke and Mirrors at Tommerup’s Dairy Farm – Three farmers, three chefs, one legendary long lunch. Deeply delicious and heart-warming.
4. Make-Your-Own Rum or Citrus Liqueur – Craft your own spirit at Tamborine Mountain Distillery. Mixology meets DIY!
5. Winter Harvest Festival – Scenic Rim’s signature finale weekend in Kalbar. With tractor pulls, market stalls and the famous Harvest Dinner, this one’s a crowd favourite.
6. Cheese & Honey at Towri Sheep Cheeses – Sheep, sweet treats and scenic serenity. BYO crackers.
7. Vegetarian Fireside Feast at Wild Mountains – Slow food in its most soulful form. Think roasted veg, good wine and starry skies – perfect!
8. Edible Garden Trail – Visit home gardens on Tamborine Mountain growing food in creative, sustainable ways.
9. Picnic with Alpacas – Need I say more? Alpacas, nibbles and photo ops galore.
10. Heritage Poultry Farm Sunset Dinner – Learn where your eggs come from, then eat a farm-to-fork dinner at golden hour.



It’s Not Just for Food Snobs!

Everyone is welcome at Eat Local Month. This isn’t a snobby festival where you need to know your sommelier from your saucier. Whether you’re a five-star foodie or you just like a good BBQ, Eat Local Month is about getting back to the roots (literally) of what food is: connection, community, and plenty of chewing.

You can learn how to keep bees, make cheese, start a herb garden, or simply eat your way through stalls of homemade pickles, sourdough, and preserves. There’s even a “Lost Culinary Arts” day where you can learn how Nana used to do it—before Uber Eats was a thing.



Meet the Flavour Makers

Scenic Rim’s food scene has a secret weapon: its people. The festival’s Food Ambassador chefs are a who’s who of Queensland’s culinary stars—think Alison Alexander (Queensland Food Fellow), Brenda Fawdon (Picnic Real Food Bar), Cameron Matthews (Mapleton Public House), Caroline Jones (Three Girls Skipping), Daniel Groneberg (Kooroomba Vineyard and Restaurant), Elliot Platz (Monte Land Wine Bar), Glen Barratt (renowned Pastry Chef), Jack Stuart (Blume Restaurant), Javier Codina (Moda Steak. Tapas. Seasons), Josh Lopez (Lopez at Home), French-born Olivier Boudon from Roastbeef and The Frog at The Overflow Estate 1895 and Richard Ousby (Cru Bar & Sixes and Sevens). These chefs are here to connect with the community while cooking in novel places like vineyards, barns, paddocks and rainforest lodges.



Imagine yourself sipping wine while chatting with a winemaker, or rolling gnocchi while learning from a fourth-generation farmer. It’s sure to be intimate, inspiring, and very, very tasty.



Planning Tips: Your Scenic Rim Starter Pack

- Read the full program and add your favourite events to your calendar – It's like a choose-your-own-adventure with cheese.
- Map your route – Events are grouped into sub-regions so you can hit up several in one day trip!
- Book your favourites early – Events sell out fast. Don’t be a sad tomato.
- Bring a friend… or two – Plan a besties’ road trip, a romantic escape, or a wholesome family weekend.
- Stay the night – Camping, luxury retreats, budget farm stays… there’s a place for every type of visitor.
- Pack an esky – You’ll want to bring home cheese, jams, pickles, honey, freshly picked produce, bread... you get the idea!
- Bring your appetite (and wear the stretchy pants) – You’re going to need both.
- Say hi to the producers – They love sharing their stories—and often, a free sample!
- Hydrate and tread lightly – Respect the land, remember the only thing you should leave behind is footprints, and don’t forget your refillable water bottle!



A Little Scenic Rim Eat Local Month History

Back in 2011, Scenic Rim Eat Local Month started small—as a humble Eat Local Week with just 25 events and around 900 curious foodies. Fast forward to today, and it’s blossomed into a month-long feast of more than 120 events held every June. It’s your once-a-year chance to meet the farmers, makers, bakers, brewers, and butchers behind some of the freshest, most flavour-packed produce in the country.

The delicious crescendo of the month is the Winter Harvest Festival—Eat Local Month’s grand finale and signature event. It’s where the region’s food stars and Scenic Rim Food Ambassadors come together with local producers to serve up not only top-notch food but also the stories, skills and sustainability behind it. There’s live music, market stalls bursting with fresh local goodies, cooking demos, and plenty of good old-fashioned country hospitality.



Why Eat Local Month Matters

Eat Local Month isn’t just a feast—it’s a movement. It brings people closer to where their food comes from and encourages an appreciation for the people who grow it. It boosts the regional economy, creates jobs, and shines a light on sustainable farming practices. In 2024 alone, the event contributed nearly $2 million to the local economy and 95% of visitors said they came just for Eat Local Month events. Even better? 75% said they’re more likely to buy locally now. That’s what I call a delicious ripple effect!



Ready to Taste the Region?

Eat Local Month is more than a date on the calendar—it’s an invitation to eat with purpose, travel with curiosity, and make unforgettable memories in a beautiful part of the world. So this June, trade your supermarket trolley for a farm gate and get to know the faces behind the flavours.

Head to Eat Local Month to check out all the details and book your tastiest adventure yet. You’ll find information on all the events, where to stay, where to eat and buy local, transport information and more.



Scenic Rim Eat Local Month 2025

Tickets on sale now
Eat Local Month

What flavour will your adventure be?

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All images provided courtesy of Scenic Rim Eat Local Month