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Pre-Conference Farm Tours

Pre-Conference Farm Tours \ 10 -13 or 12 - 13 August 2026

Two tours were offered to provide the opportunity for the energetic and hardy few to visit a range of farms and allied operations on a journey finishing at the SurfAir Events Centre, Marcoola, QLD, in time for the Registration Reception. 

Tour options included:

❋ 4-Day Self-Drive Tour, 10-13 August.  Departed from Sydney, finished at Marcoola, visiting up to 10 locations. (Was originally 3 days but there was too much to see – expanded to 4 days!)

❋ 2-Day Tour, 12-13 August.  Departed from and returned to Marcoola on a minibus, visiting up to 6 properties in a loop towards Toowoomba.

What to Expect

Two-Day Pre-Conference Tour leaving and returning to Marcoola

This tour, led by Jeremy Smith, respected horticulture instructor, consultant and wildflower grower, was limited to only 21 people who had full Conference or partner registrations. Travelling by minibus, participants departed from the SurfAir Events Centre at Marcoola on the Sunshine Coast early on 12 August and journeyed inland for an overnight stay outside Brisbane before returning in time for the Registration Reception on 13 August.

The tour was designed to deliver a concise yet highly informative snapshot of a diverse range of operations from propagation media production all the way to flower wholesaling.

The tour visited:

  • Bugs for Bugs (Commercial predator production site)

  • Cedar Hill Group - Woombye (Premium Greens and Australian Plants Online)

  • Withcott Seedlings - Seedling Propagator

  • The Cotton Bunch – Hampton Wildflower Farm site

  • A major Brisbane flower wholesaler

  • Proptec (Wholesale nursery / horticultural products)

Four-day Pre-Conference Tour from Sydney to Marcoola

The Four-Day Pre-Conference Tour was a high-intensity, self-drive tour led by Jonathan Lidbetter of East Coast Wildflowers. Limited to 25 people who had full Conference or partner registrations, the tour started on Monday 10th August in Sydney, New South Wales, and travelled more than 1,400km to finish on the Sunshine Coast in time for the Registration Reception on Thursday 13th August.

The tour was designed to expand the knowledge of participants by visiting operations that span the industry, from propagation media through nursery production to farms and a flower wholesaler, with a look at associated activities including the incorporation of wedding venues and holiday accommodation. Wild harvest processing, online wholesale nursery operations and a visit to one of Australia’s leading producers of biological control agents and beneficial insects were also included.

Some of the locations visited included:

  • East Coast Wildflowers (Mangrove Mountain production farm)

  • Mountain Nursery

  • The Barn (Flower farm also offering a wedding venue and holiday accommodation)

  • Gondwana Wholesale Nursery

  • A major Brisbane wholesaler

  • Proptec (Wholesale nursery / horticultural products)

  • Bugs for Bugs (Predator production site)

  • Cedar Hill Group (Woombye site - Premium Greens and Australian Plants online)

  • Scotts Tubes

  • Mara Seeds (biochar production and composting facility)