What's on in the
South Burnett
South Burnett
Experience some of the most unique events throughout the South Burnett
Whether you have a need for speed and competition or you consider yourself a bit of a foodie and enjoy some of the finer things in life, the South Burnett plays host to a wide range of events that will interest you and your clan.
From good-old fashioned country shows to rally car spectaculars, historical horse races and food fests fit for kings - here are all the events you’re going to want to mark in your calendars.
Events in May 2024
MonMonday | TueTuesday | WedWednesday | ThuThursday | FriFriday | SatSaturday | SunSunday |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
29 April 2024
|
30 April 2024
|
1 May 2024
|
2 May 2024
|
3 May 2024
|
4 May 2024(2 events) 4 May 2024 Dead Cow Gully - Marathon Race Dead Cow Gully 4 May 2024 – 5 May 2024 Kingaroy Showgrounds |
5 May 2024(4 events) 4 May 2024 – 5 May 2024 Kingaroy Showgrounds 5 May 2024 Murgon Show Grounds 5 May 2024 – Dusty Hill Vineyard Moffatdale, |
6 May 2024
|
7 May 2024
|
8 May 2024
|
9 May 2024
|
10 May 2024
|
11 May 2024(1 event) 11 May 2024 Burrandowan Picnic Race Club |
12 May 2024
|
13 May 2024
|
14 May 2024
|
15 May 2024
|
16 May 2024
|
17 May 2024
|
18 May 2024(1 event) – Gordonbrook Dam |
19 May 2024
|
20 May 2024
|
21 May 2024
|
22 May 2024
|
23 May 2024
|
24 May 2024(1 event) 24 May 2024 – 26 May 2024 Goomeri Goomeri, |
25 May 2024(1 event) 24 May 2024 – 26 May 2024 Goomeri Goomeri, |
26 May 2024(1 event) 24 May 2024 – 26 May 2024 Goomeri Goomeri, |
27 May 2024
|
28 May 2024
|
29 May 2024
|
30 May 2024
|
31 May 2024
|
1 June 2024(1 event) – Hillview Cottages |
2 June 2024(1 event) – Kingaroy Aerodrome |
The Queensland Heritage Rally - Calling all collectors, restorers and vintage machinery enthusiasts! The Kingaroy and District Vintage Machinery Club Inc. will be hosting the Queensland Heritage Rally in September 2022, running from the 16th to the 18th. www.qldheritagerally.com.au
Boondooma Spirit of the Bush Festival and Scots in the Bush - Twice a year the historic Boondooma Homestead comes alive for two very unique weekend-long events. Scots in the Bush is a celebration of the contribution of the Scottish people who contributed to Australia’s rich agricultural industry and is held on the third weekend in August each year while the Spirit of the Bush Festival is held each year over Anzac week in April. www.boondoomahomestead.org.au
Goomeri Pumpkin Festival - One of the region’s best family events, the Pumpkin Festival is certainly a food festival not to be missed. From the iconic Great Australian Pumpkin Roll at the top of Policeman’s Hill to the pumpkin street parade and giant pumpkin weigh-in, this great big gourd-geous event is the highlight of the South Burnett social calendar with the next Pumpkin Festival set to take place on the last weekend in May. goomeripumpkinfestival.com.au back to top
Blackbutt Avocado Festival – This annual avo celebration is Australia's best and only avocado festival on the east coast and with a great ‘spread’ of events lined up, the next festival in 2024 is going to be a ‘guac’ of fun. Formerly called the Bloomin’ Beautiful Blackbutt Festival, the event received a name change in 2016 to better highlight and celebrate the region’s famous avocados. With a street parade, an avo toss, avo parachute drop, avo cooking demonstrations, avo wood chop, avo-wear competition, avo artisan markets and even avo ale tasting this is a fresh food festival you won’t want to miss. www.avofest.com.au back to top
Wondai Garden Expos - The township of Wondai comes alive twice a year to celebrate all things gardening every Spring and Autumn in the South Burnett. Taking place on the fourth weekend in September and the third weekend in April, the garden expo is a green thumbs paradise not to be missed. wondaigardenexpo.com
BaconFest Kingaroy – This is one of the region’s newest and most sizzling events of the year. Taking place across an entire weekend in mid-August, BaconFest is all about celebrating Kingaroy’s connection to all things pork thanks to Swickers, the expanding local meatworks has become one of the South Burnett’s largest employers. The three-day food festival is bursting with flavour and fun for the whole family including a 1950s pin-up contest, a smoke-off, long table luncheon and cooking demonstrations with some of Australia’s leading celebrity chefs. The next BaconFest will take place on August 17th & 18th, 2024. www.kingaroybaconfest.com.au
Country Musters
The South Burnett is a proud supporter of country music with several Country Music Musters held throughout the region over the course of the year including the Back to Basics Music Muster near Proston in August, the Heritage Nanango Country Muster in September and the Murgon Country Music Muster during the first week of November. back to top
Fishing Competitions
The South Burnett is home to a few fishing competitions throughout the year including the Boondooma Dam Yellowbelly Family Fishing Competition every February and Bjelke Petersen Dam Inland Fishing Classic - Normally held in October both attracting fishing fanatics from all over the country. More than 1000 campers flock to the Lakes for a big weekend of fishing and family fun. back to top
Country Shows
South Burnett country shows feature the very best of the region’s agricultural achievements, hotly contested baking and craft competitions as well as impressive animal events with everything from dressage to working dogs on display. • The Proston, Murgon and Goomeri Shows are all held in March • Nanango Show second weekend in April • Kingaroy Show First weekend of May • Blackbutt -Mid-May • Wondai Show rounds off the season at the end of August. back to top
Park Runs
The South Burnett is fortunate to host four weekly official parkrun events each Saturday morning from 7am. A global initiative, parkrun is a free, community event where you can walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate. The four South Burnett parkruns are all 5km routes with stunning scenery, well-suited for all abilities.
Adrenaline Filled Events
Kingaroy Speedway - One of the most adrenaline-packed events the South Burnett has to offer, the Kingaroy Speedway hosts several action-packed events throughout the race season. The club has seven big weekends of racing lined up from October 2023 to April 2024 with the most highly anticipated, the Kings Royal, taking place on January 25-27. 2024’s event marks 12 years for the Kings Royal, putting it on the sport’s map as a national speedway event not to be missed. The weekend is one of Kingaroy’s biggest tourism events for the year with speedway enthusiasts from all over the country coming to town to see who will be dubbed the King and Queen of the Kingaroy Speedway track. With the modified Sedans Kings Royal, Queens Royal, Production Sedans, Street Stocks, Junior Sedans and Modlites races the Kings Royal three-day event is packed with plenty of fast-paced family fun for the whole clan - but book early. Accommodation across the region is sure to sell out almost as fast as some of our local speedway champions. back to top kingaroyspeedway.com.au
South Burnett Horse Racing - The region is home to a number of country horse racing days including quarterly events throughout the year in Nanango, an annual picnic race meet in May out at Burrandowan about an hour west of Kingaroy, a Melbourne Cup event held in Kumbia, also known as the Flemington of the bush, as well as two meets a year at the South Burnett Race Club in Wondai, with the next races taking place on October 16. The Burrandowan Picnic Races are getting ready to celebrate 101 years of country horse racing on 11th May 2024. Famous for its cook-your-own campfire steak dinners, the Burrandowan Races have been an iconic local event ever since 11 men from around the district started racing each other on their best stock horses back in 1922. Racing at Burrandowan steadily progressed through the sixties, seventies and eighties, with a clay pigeon shoot introduced to the program in 1956 still persisting to this day! After 101 years, the Burrandowan Picnics have always been a great social event with dances held after a full day of horse racing, first in the old hall, and more recently under the stars. back to top
Wondai Country Running Festival - The Wondai Country Running Festival combines two big events in Wondai to create a mega family-friendly weekend combining country hospitality and a healthy lifestyle. The annual event is held in June with the festival celebrating the town of Wondai with a day of country fun with markets, music, kids entertainment and more while the running festival allows runners of all abilities to test themselves on a range of different courses across two days. The 2021 event introduced the new 21.1 kilometres in the McEuen Forest Trail run, with participants able to choose to run either 11.1 or 21.1-kilometre courses on Saturday afternoon with three choices on Sunday morning including a gentle 10-kilometre option or the chance to run a half or full marathon. wondaicountryfestival.com.au
Dead Cow Gully - Another popular local running event is Dead Cow Gully, an ultra-marathon race held just outside of Nanango on a sixth-generation cattle property. Not for the faint of heart, the backyard marathon is a test of mental and physical strength and endurance, with runners completing a 6.7-kilometre loop every hour until the last runner is left standing. The second Dead Cow Gully event is taking place on April 16 with registrations now open. back to top www.deadcowgully.com.au
The South Burnett loves to showcase local produces and beautifully hand-crafted products and crafts. Why not stop in at one of the regions amazing local markets. With at least one market on every weekend!
Kingaroy Friendship Markets
Kingaroy Showgrounds, Kingaroy
3rd Saturday of the month
7.00 am to 12 noon
Proston Community Market
Railway Park Proston
3rd Saturday of the month
7.30 am to 1pm
Nanango Country Markets
Nanango Showgrounds, Nanango
1st Saturday of the month
Nanango markets offers a wide range of handmade arts and crafts, homemade preserves, plants, gardening accessories, fresh fruit and vegetables and so much more.
6.00 am to 12 noon
Wooroolin Community Markets
QCWA building at Wooroolin Wetlands
2nd Saturday of the month
Sausage Sizzle, morning tea, Cakes, Fruit & Veg, Crafts, Jewellery, Jumping Castle and much more.
6.00 am to 12 noon
Yarraman Markets
Corner Margaret & Toomey Street, Yarraman
Every Saturday of the Month
Plants, crafts, new and used goods, local farm fresh produce.
7am - 12pm
Murgon CBD Markets
Lamb Street, Murgon
2nd Sunday of the month
Wide range of locally made crafts, food and produce.
7am to 12pm
Blackbutt Country Markets
Les Muller Park, Coulson Street, Blackbutt
3rd Sunday of the month
Offer a large array of arts and craft fresh local produce.
6.00 am to 12 noon
Wondai Country Markets
Coronation Park in the Wondai CBD
4th Saturday of the Month
The markets include stallholders selling fresh fruit and vegetables, arts and crafts, useful knick-knacks, great gifts and goodies, clothing and more. There is live entertainment with locals firing up the BBQ from 6:45am to dish out hearty breakfasts to the early bargain hunters.
7am - 12pm
Bunya Mountains Markets
Bunya Mountains National Park
last Sunday of every month
Over 30 market stalls with locally grown produce, homemade products, arts and crafts.
9am to 2pm
Hivesville Markets
Memorial Park-Main Street, Hiveville
4th Sunday of each month.
Apart from Christmas.
Food, Fruit & Veg, Live music and lots more.
7am to 12pm
Nanango Church Yard OP Shop Markets
110 Burnett Street, Nanango
4th Sunday of each month.
Excluding Dec & Jan
Food, Fruit & Veg, Live music and lots more.
7am to 11.30am