Six Out-of-Town Happenings That Are Worthy of a Road Trip This Spring

By this stage, you’re probably looking for some post-winter fun to set your sights on. Well, the New South Wales town of Berry is dishing up just the thing, all thanks to the inaugural South Coast Food and Wine Festival this September.

The culinary fiesta runs from Friday, September 13 till Sunday, September 15, showcasing some of the best eats, drinks and produce the region has to offer — all across a jam-packed program of masterclasses, tastings, feasts and parties. Meet the producers and sample their wares at a special edition of the Berry Markets, or embark on one of the guided food and wine tours. There’ll be cooking demonstrations running throughout both Saturday and Sunday, as well as live tunes and DJ sets to enjoy as you graze your way through the Festival Village, with its array of food pop-ups and tasting stalls.

There’s still time to nab tickets to this year’s Broken Heel Festival, which takes over the historic mining town of Broken Hill for a weekend of drag, divas and disco from September 13–15. Visitors are encouraged to immerse themselves in this annual tribute to the iconic Australian film Priscilla Queen of the Desert by celebrating the movie’s anniversary with a blowout party — that rocks for three days straight.

Drag queens and kings from around the country will come together for a lineup of cabaret performances, comedy, opera and live music. Highlights include an opening night party featuring a Michael Griffiths’ Kylie tribute band, plus a Priscilla-inspired party on Saturday. You can also join the locals along the main strip for the annual Drag Street Parade. An openair, interactive screening of the film will take place on the Sunday night, too.

The event that floods Instagram feeds with thousands of vibrant flowers has returned to the Southern Highlands. Now in its 59th year, the annual Tulip Time festival features over 75,000 tulips planted throughout Bowral’s Corbett Gardens and the surrounding Shire.

If the stunning sight of a tens of thousands of the bulbous flowers isn’t quite enough for you, you’ll be happy to know there’s heaps of stuff happening at the garden throughout the two weeks, which is located a 90-minute drive southwest of Sydney. Expect live music, as well as a food-filled festival marketplace, with this year’s event taking place between Tuesday, September 24 and Monday, October 7.

After popping up in September last year, Glamping in the Garden will return this spring, from September 27 through November 30, to one of the world’s largest privately owned cool climate gardens for its next luxurious eco-friendly camping retreat.

Located three hours’ west of Sydney’s CBD, the Oberon’s Mayfield Gardens are seriously impressive and include an 80-metre waterfall, a walled kitchen garden and a six-acre water garden — plus a bluestone chapel, aviary and rose garden. Bookings include passes to explore the sprawling 160-acre gardens, with exclusive nighttime access for glamping guests. There’s plenty to do apart from moseying around, including romantic boat rides, interactive garden mazes, tours and workshops, with Spring Festival also on October 5–27.

The oldest floral festival in Australia, the Grafton Jacaranda Festival focuses on the hundreds of lilac-blossomed trees that line the town’s streets. First held in 1935, the festival brings together art exhibitions, live music, markets and parades for a week-long celebration from October 25 through November 3.

While the jacaranda blooms are of course the main attraction, it’s by no means the only event you’ll have to look forward to during the festival — think hot air ballooning, and a carnival sideshow, along with buskers, fireworks and stallholders aplenty.

Hear it on the grapevine in the Hunter Valley this November. For one day only, Pokolbin’s Roche Estate is pairing its very best drops with a music lineup that’ll make your head spin.

Irish indie rock band Two Door Cinema Club and Aussie electro duo Flight Facilities are two of the big acts tapped for Grapevine Gathering 2019, the latest shindig from the team behind Hot Dub Wine Machine. They’ll be joined on the winery stage by Crooked Colours, Mallrat, Jack River, Touch Sensitive, Late Night Tuff Guy, Kira Puru, Lovebirds and Big Words. It’s going to be a big day of tunes, folks.