The
Sunshine Coast Wildflower Festival is an annual event, celebrating the spectacular display of spring wildflowers on the Sunshine Coast.
Initiated by
Kathleen McArthur, an artist, author and environmentalist, the annual Sunshine Coast Wildflower Festival has been going since 1967. The Wildflower Festival has become increasingly popular with keen walkers and nature lovers, and it's with thanks to the support and passion of local community groups, hosting the outdoor guided walks and activities, that the Wildflower Festival has continued and grown.
From Bribie Island to Noosa, enthusiastic nature lovers can immerse themselves in Mother Natures' splendid patchwork of wildflowers on the FREE guided walks and activities, approved by the Sunshine Coast Wildflower Festival. Please note that the walks and activities are extremely popular and bookings are absolutely essential. Please see each listing for booking details.
🌻 WILDFLOWERS IN AUGMENTED REALITY | Self-guided Walk
Saturday 21 August to Sunday 5 September, 7am to 6pm daily
Where? Walk is located opposite the entrance to the Arts & Ecology Centre, Maroochy Regional Bushland Botanic Garden, 151 Palm Creek Road, Tanawha
Bookings? Visit www.eventbrite.com.au and select your day/date choice
Every day throughout the Sunshine Coast Wildflower Festival, nature lovers can take a wildflower walk, using augmented reality, in the
Maroochy Regional Bushland Botanic Garden.
Wildflowers in Augmented Reality is on every day during the Wildflower Festival! Image: www.eventbrite.com.au
Information Technology students from
Caloundra State High School have been researching and discovering the wonderful wildflowers of the Sunshine Coast. These students have modelled some of our most classic Sunshine Coast wildflowers in 3D, using both traditional and virtual reality (VR) modelling software.
Immerse yourself in nature, while learning about these beautiful flowers through the magic of technology. The works created by the Caloundra State High School students will be available to audiences through smart devices, using the
EyeJack App, available as a free download for Apple and Android devices. FREE wifi is available on site.
Not quite what we're looking for, but pretty anyway! Image; author
Saturday 21 August, 9am to 11am
Where? Meet at: Ben Bennett Bushland Park, Queen Street, Caloundra (UBD Map 100/E12)
Bookings? email: sunshine@wildlife.org.au
Maximum 20 participants
Friends of
Ben Bennett Bushland Park and Wildlife Preservation Society will be taking you on a short journey of discovery walk, as an introduction to the Sunshine Coast's wildflowers, at one of Caloundra's best-kept secrets, the
Ben Bennett Bushland Park. Please BYO water, insect repellant and binoculars for bird watching - this Bushland Park is a Glossy Black Cockatoo habitat. There are picnic tables and toilets on site.
Remember your cameras and binoculars, there's plenty of birdlife! Image: author
Saturday 21 August, 9am to 11am
Where? Meet at: Obi Obi Boardwalk, 13 Coral Street, Maleny
Bookings? email: spencer.shaw@brushturkey.com.au
Maximum 20 participants
Join Spencer Shaw,
Brush Turkey Enterprises rainforest restoration practitioner, to check out the incredible results of thirty years of revegetation and regeneration along the Obi Obi Creek in Maleny. This boardwalk is a very pleasant nine hundred metre walk, one way, and is an assortment of timber boardwalk, concrete and gravel paths, making it suitable for wheelchairs and strollers. There is plenty of birdlife in this area, including willie wagtails and spangled drongos, azure kingfishers and fidgety flycatchers, so bring your cameras and binoculars.
🌻 COOLOOLA COAST EXPLORER WILDFLOWER WALKS
Sunday 22 August, 9.30am to 5pm
Where? Meet at: Rainbow Beach Community Centre, 32 Rainbow Beach Road, Rainbow Beach
Bookings? Visit humanitix.com and search Cooloola Coast Explorer Wildflower Walks
Maximum 14 participants
The Cooloola Coast Explorer activity will introduce walkers to the northern part of the mainland section of the Great Sandy National Park: Cooloola Recreation Area.
9.30am: Meet out the front of the Rainbow Beach
Community Centre
9.45am: Depart Rainbow Beach Community Centre for walks with local guides
Small and dainty ... Image: author
Bymien Picnic Area to Lake Poona, 4.2km return walk - Rainforest and Wet Eucalypt Forest
12.30pm: Lunch (BYO for a picnic at Bymien or return to Rainbow Beach, where participants can buy lunch)
1.30pm: Meet out the front of Rainbow Beach Community Centre for afternoon walks
Walk 2: Rainbow Beach Firebreak circuit walk, 3km return - Heath and Wallum Woodland
Walk 3: QPWS ranger station car park to Carlo Sandblow, approximately 3km return - Eucalypt Woodland
Fluffy and pretty! Image: author
All three of these walks are easy and on defined tracks, mainly sandy surface, and in some instances possibly deep sand. Participants are welcome to attend for the whole day or to join the program at 1.30pm, at the Rainbow Beach Community Centre.
Wear comfy walking clothes and shoes, suitable for the forecast weather. BYO water bottle, sunscreen and insect repellant. BYO snacks and lunch (if you're having a picnic). For those who are keen on purchasing lunch, Rainbow Beach has many good food outlets.
Please Note: There is a very challenging 4WD drive access from the Sunshine Coast to Cooloola along the Cooloola Way, through the national park. Participants are advised to drive around, rather than through the park, to attend the event.
Even the butterflies love the flowers! Image: B.I.E.P.A. Facebook
Wednesday 25 August, 8.30am to 10.30am
Where? Meet at: Hornsby Road (behind Woolworths Shopping Mall), Bellara (UBD Map 53, B11)
Bookings? email biepa.mail@gmail.com or call 0438 111 163
Maximum 20 participants
The
Bribie Island Environmental Association (BIEPA) is looking forward to welcoming visitors to join the annual
Wonders of the Wallum Spring Wildflower Walk as part of the Sunshine Coast Wildflower Festival. This is a self-guided walk through Wallum Heathland, with plaques along the route, identifying wildflowers. Please dress appropriately with long sleeves, bring a hat, sunscreen, walking shoes, refreshments, cameras and binoculars for bird watching.
Image: author
Wednesday 25 August, 9am to 11am
Where? Meet at: Mooloolah River National Park, Claymore Road carpark (UBD Map 89/G4)
Bookings? email events.sunshinecoast.qld.go.au
Maximum 15 participants
Enjoy walking through the wildflowers with Queensland Parks & Wildlife Service & Partnerships Rangers and learn more about this hidden wonderland and all it has to offer. The colour and the close-ups will knock your socks off! Bring your camera to take some great photos of Mother Nature at her explosive best or … just enjoy a fabulous scenic walk. Bookings are essential. Please BYO hat, drinking water and enclosed shoes.
A jewel in the wild! Image: author
Bookings are absolutely essential for these free guided walks and activities, particularly as each walk has limited space available. Choose a walk or two, then either follow the booking/registration link or email your request to the relevant supplied email address. It's as easy as one, two, three to get out and about, to enjoy Mother Nature's stunning explosion of Spring colour at the 2021 Sunshine Coast Wildflower Festival. Alternatively, choose a walk from
Ten Self-Guided Sunshine Coast Wildflower Walks, where wildflower exploring is at your own pace.
Images as indicated
