SCARECROWS, giant hay bales, carrot throwing and country Christmas celebrations featured as spring and early summer in the Scenic Rim come with a wonderfully quirky twist.
Spring has arrived in one of South East Queensland’s favourite country escapes, bringing with it green paddocks, colourful landscapes and a calendar packed with festivals, markets and some traditions you are unlikely to find anywhere else.
At the centre of the spring festivities is Kalbar’s famous Hay Bale Trail, where locals transform humble bales into increasingly elaborate creations.
The trail culminates in Kalbar Country Day on October 17, when George St becomes the centre of the action from 7am to 2pm.
More than 140 market stalls are expected alongside live music, bush poets, food and drinks, vintage tractors and cars, face painting and balloon twisting.
A People Mover Train will connect the showgrounds and main street, while early risers can grab a gold coin breakfast, available to the first 350 people.
The country creativity continues from October 30 to November 1, when Tamborine Mountain hosts its annual Scarecrow Trail and Festival.
On November 7, Summer Land Camels at Harrisville will put a distinctly Scenic Rim spin on Christmas shopping with its popular Christmas Markets at the camel farm.
Then on December 5, award-winning country artist and horseman Tom Curtain brings the Katherine Outback Experience to Boonah.
The family-friendly show offers audiences a taste of life on the land through real horse training and working dogs.
Boonah gets its turn on December 17, with the Boonah Christmas Street Festival and Parade transforming the town centre into a family-friendly celebration and providing a suitably festive finale to the year.
Stretching across more than 4200 square kilometres, the Scenic Rim encompasses ancient mountains, World Heritage-listed rainforest, national parks, productive farmland and historic towns and villages.
Farmstays, luxury retreats, boutique accommodation and glamping provide plenty of excuses to stay overnight, while wineries, breweries, distilleries and paddock-to-plate dining showcase the produce grown and made across the region.
There are plenty of places where visitors can find markets, good food and beautiful scenery.
There are considerably fewer where they can spend the morning admiring a giant hay-bale sculpture, throw a carrot for glory and then go searching for hundreds of scarecrows on a mountain.
And that might be exactly the point.
