DAY 1

Afternoon
Check in is any time from 2pm.

Should you choose to arrive earlier, there are many things to enjoy, such as the Rainforest Sky Walk or the spectacular views from almost anywhere on the mountain.

Evening
The evening is at your leisure. Your Hosts will have great dining suggestions. Dine in or visit one of the Mountain Restaurants offering a diverse range of cuisines.

DAY 2

Following breakfast at your accommodation, be ready for our guide to collect you from your accommodation at 10am. Today is a full day, with special farm tours within the Scenic Rim Region.

The first destination is Towri Sheep Cheeses. The purpose built dairy with specialist milking equipment sits on 300 acres of scenic rural land and is home to 350 sheep.

Our morning tour includes with access to the cheese room to learn about the basics of sheep cheese making from cheese maker Carolyn Davidson, including a discussion on the differences between sheep, cow and goat cheese.

Before embarking on our next destination, we take some time to sit down, relax and enjoy lunch at the estate.

Our second destination for the day is Tommerup's Dairy Farm, where we meet the farmers, Dave and his wife Kay. They will share in the story threads that make up the rich tapestry of this farming family’s history on Central Kerry and how this farming couple are embracing this history to create a sustainable future for their farm.

On arrival, we take a moment in the shade of the old Blue Gums to enjoy the views to the Lost World and wilderness end of Lamington National Park, before we wander through The Homestead, the first sawn timber home in the district.

Built in 1888, The Homestead tells the story of 5 generations of Dave’s family on their historic property. Make your way to the dairy where the walk-through bails, built in the early 1930s, are still in use twice a day all year round. Watch as some of the Jersey girls are milked and chat to the farmers about what happens from farm to fridge.

The new Creamery offers the chance to sample artisan dairy products created using traditional methods, respectfully produced just metres from where the cows are milked.

The menagerie of farm animals are eager to meet new visitors – there’s always the chance of an extra feed that way. Jump in boots and all to feed them or just enjoy the humorous jostling for position as they wait in anticipation of what’s to come.

Not just a dairy farm, Tommerup’s also home to chickens who provide farm fresh eggs for sale, and ethically raised Pork & Veal. We will then stop by the Farm Larder so you can buy some goodies, before we depart back to the Mountain.

Evening
The evening is at your leisure. Your Hosts will have great dining suggestions. Dine in or visit one of the Mountain Restaurants offering a diverse range of cuisines.

Destinations: Towri Sheep Cheeses, Tommerups Dairy Farm - Farmstay
Meal inclusions: breakfast, light lunch

DAY 3

Take time to enjoy your breakfast before your collect you from your accommodation at 10am.

Today we go behind the scenes of two local horticultural producers and learn more on the process between harvest and distribution or both coffee and avocados.

Australians consume an average of 16.3 million cups of coffee per day. Most people don’t understand the 20 steps involved in producing a cup of coffee, central to many people's daily lives.

We take a journey discovering exactly how coffee is produced; from planting the seed in the ground to taking that first sip of rich, creamy espresso with the family owned Green Lane Coffee Plantation. This is one of the few coffee plantations in Australia where consumers can come onto the plantation and see the entire process of coffee making, from 'seed to cup'.

The organically grown coffee trees thrive in the mountain climate, and the handpicked beans are roasted on site, and used in conjunction with ethically sourced green beans, which are selected from around the world.

Every single coffee bean of their 650 coffee trees each season is handpicked, which is a long process, with some of the trees having two kilogram of coffee beans, in terms of numbers that could be up to 1,000 beans.

At the completion of the tour, we enjoy a cup of local ‘joe’ over a light lunch at their in house café.

After lunch we venture to Merrinee Farm, home to a third generation avocado orchid. With the nation’s obsession with avocado, and consumption in Australia at an all-time high, it’s only fitting that we uncover the process behind growing the fruit and getting it to store.

The property not only produces hundreds of tonnes of fruit from some 1000 trees, it is has the main packing house for most of the mountain’s commercial producers. The state of the art equipment in the packing shed has the ability to grade, size and count the 1600 pieces of fruit per minute to an accuracy of one gram, giving the operation the capacity of thousands of tonnes per year.

Many of the orchid’s trees were spore from an original large Guatemalan seedling tree planted on the property in 1923. It has since become a great source of breeding material as the trees grown from the seed display a precocious growth and a resistance to root rot fungus. During the 1980s, Queensland’s Department of Primary Industries listed the tree on the national estate, which is a similar in nature to protection of a listed building. It is the only avocado tree within Australia to ever be listed.

Of course just like all our fabulous fresh produce, avocados are seasonal too! Sometimes it just doesn't work to take you to Merrinee Farm. Don’t fret, when that happens we will take you to one of our other green thumbed producers such as Di Brauer's home kitchen farm.

Di is the driving force behind the famous Green Shed, which is open every Sunday to supply both residents and visitors with their fresh fruit and vegie supplies. Or perhaps it will be Bernie’s Farm. Bernie is probably best known for his rhubarb and the fantastic selection from his roadside stall.

Whatever the day holds, you will discover the diversity of produce that our rich volcanic soil and mild temperatures make Tamborine Mountain a great source of fresh farm treats and you can check out our Harvest Trail Map Guide to discover just a few of our favourite roadside stalls!

Our final destination for the afternoon, before some leisure time prior to dinner, is Witches Falls Winery, where their passion is wine – they love growing it, making it, drinking it, and matching it with all kinds of foods but most of all, they like sharing it with friends.

They produce three distinctive ranges of wines: Granite Belt, Wild Ferment and Prophecy, each providing a unique look at different styles and practices in both viticulture and winemaking. We will have the opportunity to taste across their wine range while taking in all the winery action through the large glass windows behind the tasting counter.

Evening (7.00pm)
The day concludes with a dinner at local establishment, Three Little Pigs Bar & Bistro.

Make your way down to the Bistro for 7.00pm, where a two course meal will await. Unwind over a glass of wine, fresh local produce and a great atmosphere with fellow participants and share your memories from this journey.

Destinations: Merrinee Farm Packhouse, Green Lane Coffee Plantation, Witches Falls Winery, Three Little Pigs Bar & Bistro
Meal inclusions: breakfast, light lunch at Green Lane Coffee Plantation, wine tasting and Witches Falls Winery, 2 course dinner including a glass of wine at Three Little Pigs Bar & Bistro

DAY 4

Take time to enjoy your breakfast before you check out of your accommodation by 10am.

Meal inclusions: breakfast