Big Rosella Field Days are back at Woolooga
Pink, paint and plenty of plates - Big Rosella Field Days are back at Woolooga, with farmers markets, chef and mixologist demonstrations, farm tours, gardening talks, live music and more this weekend.
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Woolooga’s Big Rosella Field Days are back for 2024, bringing an explosion of colour, flavour and creativity to the region with a new program including chef demos, farm tours and a brand new creative experience on May 4-5.
The iconic event is a weekend-long celebration of the harvest of tangy, crimson-coloured rosellas, also known as wild hibiscus.
Now in its ninth year, the farm-to-fork festival has continued to expand, not only drawing in local foodies and green thumbs, but bringing a growing crowd of city and interstate visitors looking to soak up the fresh farm air and delicious food.
This year the program is adding an exciting new VIP experience - an open-air ‘paint and sip’ session in the vibrant rosella field - to its popular line-up of farmers markets, chef and mixologist demonstrations, farm tours, gardening talks, live music and more.
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The Big Rosella Field Days are hosted by the Petersen family of Petersen’s Farm, believed to be Australia’s biggest commercial grower of rosella, a bush food popular in many Queensland kitchens of old, but enjoying a gourmet resurgence.
Guests experience first-hand everything that goes into growing and enjoying the fruit, with tours of the family’s brightly coloured crop of more than 2000 plants, and fun rosella-peeling contests.
Chefs and mixologists including Neil Yates and Timo Van Hest (Bar Soma), Valerie Ferdinands (My Kitchen Rules & New Farm Bistro) will showcase ways to use the unique ingredients in cooking and cocktail demonstrations.
Food stalls will feature rosella-themed dishes on their menus, as well a fan-favourite Aussie and Filipino meals and snacks from farmer Cecilia ‘CC’ Diaz-Petersen’s family recipes.
The inaugural ‘Paint, Rosella and Nibbles’ session is an optional ticketed event taking place on the Sunday afternoon, where participants will be able to unleash their creativity as they’re guided through painting their own produce-inspired masterpiece by local artist, Jordi Kate.
The VIP experience will also see plates of treats brought to the table so they can relax in the fresh air, and has festival entry included in ticket price - limited spots available.
Little ones (whose tickets are free) will be kept entertained with activities including face painting, egg hunting, and the Little Miss Rosella and Junior Farmer competitions - a chance to become Rosella Royalty. Live music and dancing will also be featured throughout the event, giving a chance to relax and enjoy the festive atmosphere.
The growth of the Big Rosella Field Days in recent times is a testament to locals and tourists alike embracing simplified, wholesome community activities after a hectic few years.
It’s something CC has noticed, and loves being able to provide a haven for.
“Everyone’s busy and a little stressed these days, and there’s no shortage of fancy events or activities to take the kids to. But our visitors tell me what a breath of fresh air it is - literally - to come to the farm, connect with their food and enjoy the no-fuss atmosphere. Really give their minds a break and recharge the soul a bit,” she says.
“Even though we have a lot on the program, the Big Rosella Field Days are pretty simple at the heart of it - you’re on a working farm, learning about ways to grow and prepare food, maybe getting a little bit creative, with plenty of space to just sit with friends and family and enjoy the relaxing atmosphere. It feels a little bit like an old fashioned community gathering, but with some paddock-to-plate foodie flair.”
Community and collaboration is something the Petersens strongly embody, from opening up their farm through the year to school kids and group tours (wanting the community to view it as “their” farm to visit) and CC this year renaming her popular, 13-year-old preserves business from CCs Kitchen to Woolooga Farm Kitchen.
The new name reflects not only the expansion, but the place and other local farmers she collaborates with to make it happen (though loyalists can relax - the range is still very rosella-heavy).
Usually referred to (and enjoyed) as a fruit, rosella is a flower believed to have arrived in Australia thousands of years ago. It’s rich in Vitamin C and has a tart, rhubarb-like flavour, and has historically been popular with First Nations peoples and later European settlers for its nutrition and how well it thrives in Queensland’s climate.
Today, it’s growing a legion of fans using it in syrups, with champagne, in meat marinades and more.
“We actually grow about 20-30 types of exotic fruit and vegetables each year, from gooseberries to okra to winged beans and lots of chillies, but rosellas are what really draw people in.
“Older generations remember making rosella jam with their own grandparents because it was plentiful in their backyards, while younger people are interested in it as a gourmet superfood.”
The Big Rosella Field Days have been running since 2016.
The event has pushed on despite floods, fire and drought, and even went online in 2020, with the Petersens continually adding to the Field Days and their wider agritourism experience.
Recent years have seen the addition of a new commercial kitchen, with a new Big Rosella, plant nursery, and eventually cafe on the horizon.
2024 includes local farmers and businesses like Hum Honey, Mudgeeraba Spices & Cobra Chilli, Purity Essential Oils, Coffee Cart of Maryborough, Southern Cross Smallgoods, Noosa Black Coffee, Woolooga Crafters as well as fresh produce, preserves and seedlings from Petersen’s Farm and Woolooga Farm Kitchen.
Tickets are $10 per adult, with kids under 12 free. Visit petersensfarm.com.au to book.
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