April 10, 2017
The Wondai Autumn Garden Expo will be celebrating its 24th birthday this Easter weekend … and organisers are hoping for their best turnout yet.
The Garden Expo is traditionally held on the third weekend of April, and this year it happens to run into Easter.
So the theme of this year’s Garden Expo is “Easter In The Country”, and organisers are hoping extra holiday traffic on the roads will translate into even bigger numbers through the gate than usual.
Expo president Helen Young said nurseries will be coming from all over south-east Queensland and northern NSW, and there’ll be quite a lot to interest local gardeners.
“Although we have many different products on offer at the Garden Expo, horticulture is our core business and we’re very pleased with the number of specialist plant growers who are regular stall holders,” Helen said.
“Because the South Burnett is in a warm temperate zone, the diversity of plants on offer which are suitable for our region is one of our biggest attractions.”
Stalls that are certain to draw a lot of interest this year are Vireyas (tropical Rhododendrons), ferns and foliage, herbs, succulents, orchids and natural beauty preparations.
“Traders with allied gardening products, garden ornaments and household decorator items also feature prominently, and the ingenuity and creativity displayed at some of these stalls is wonderful to see,” Helen said.
There will also be produce stalls at the Expo selling fresh fruit and vegetables, along with art, photography and an “Easter Bonnet” display prepared by the Wondai and District Garden Club.
The Expo will be open from 8:00am to 4:30pm on Saturday, and 8:00am to 1:00pm on Sunday.
Trained horticulturalist, gardening blogger and radio announcer Claire Bickel will be this year’s special guest speaker, and she will be delivering talks at 11:00am and 1:30pm on Saturday, and 10:00am on Sunday.
The Stolzenberg Brothers will be providing entertainment at other times, while the Lions canteen and a variety of food stalls will ensure patrons need not go hungry as they browse through stalls that usually stretch two-thirds the way around the Wondai sportsgrounds.
On Saturday, Expo-goers can also visit the nearby Wondai RSL in Mackenzie Street between 9:30am and 3:00pm to see the South Burnett Orchid Society’s annual show.
Apart from wonderful orchid displays, there will be sales of orchids and growing equipment as well.
And at the Wondai Regional Art Gallery on the roundabout, guests can get to see the annual Garden Expo Art Competition entries between 10:00am and 4:00pm on both days.
Works with a floral theme dominate this exhibition, which is sponsored by the Wondai Garden Expo committee.
This year’s Autumn Garden Expo will be officially opened by representatives from the South Burnett Regional Council at 1:00pm on Saturday.
Entry to this year’s Autumn Garden Expo is $5 per day or $8 for a two-day pass, but young people under 15 can get in for free.
The Expo also offers disabled parking facilities, plant transport and a cloakroom, and a multi-draw raffle which will be drawn at noon on Sunday always offers a great range of worthwhile prizes.
More details can be obtained by phoning Helen on (07) 4168-9297, or on the Garden Expo’s website.
