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THE Ginger Flower Festival is set to burst into colour at The Ginger Factory on the Sunshine Coast from Thursday the 19th of January through to Sunday the 22nd January, 2006. During this time thousands of locals and tourists will visit Queensland’s largest celebration of all things tropical and exotic. The star of the show will be the spectacular ginger flower that blooms in hundreds of colours, shapes and sizes. With ideal growing conditions in the weeks leading up to the annual festival, the quality and variety of flowering species is set to be the best ever. The Ginger Factory’s Tourism Manager, Ms Nichole Seymore, said south-east Queensland has the perfect climatic conditions to grow unique plant species such as the beautiful ginger flower and the heliconia. “The Ginger Flower Festival will offer unbeatable opportunities for garden lovers to stock up on beautiful plants that will add a tropical touch to their gardens,” Ms Seymore said. With free entry to the four-day festival, visitors will have the opportunity to receive advice from some of Australia’s leading garden gurus, including those with hands-on, specialist knowledge of gingers and heliconias. The line up of speakers includes Mr Colin Campbell, Gardening Australia’s popular green thumb, Brisbane Botanic Gardens curator, Mr Ross McKinnon, organic gardening expert, Ms Annette McFarlane and tropical wizard, Mr Dennis Hundscheidt. “We have recruited some of Australia’s best green thumbs and each will speak about their knowledge of subtropical gardening.” “As an added bonus, each of our speakers will also be available for one-on-one discussions with our visitors to offer them free gardening advice,” Ms Seymore said. “This year’s festival will bring together locals, visitors from all over south-east Queensland and tourists from further afield who recognise that the Ginger Flower Festival is one of Australia’s leading events for subtropical gardening." The festival will also have a fantastic array of culinary delights on show with a number of highly acclaimed local connoisseurs sharing their kitchen knowledge. Mr Andrew Strange from Ellmo’s of Ocean Street will cook up some ‘strange’ and refreshing recipes for the summer months; while Ms Annette McFarlane will demonstrate which plants you can enjoy in more ways than one, with her top ten edible ornamentals. Let your taste buds be swept away with the Sunshine Coast’s own African Queen, Ms Matilda Scarfe, who will introduce visitors to the world of traditional African cooking and also demonstrate how Queensland’s favorite tropical fruit can create the perfect flavour for the summer season. Best of all, Ginger Flower Festival activities are free and include a full program of guest speakers, entertainment, gardening and cooking advice. Visitors to the festival can also enjoy all of The Ginger Factory’s attractions including the world-famous Ginger Shop, Gingertown village, gardens and rainforest areas. Tickets will also be available for the ‘Taste of Ginger Tour’ which offers visitors the opportunity to see the world's largest ginger factory, “Overboard! – Adventures of a Stowaway” – the Sunshine Coast’s newest attraction, and the ‘Ginger Train Tour’. While at the festival, visitors can also cool off with the Sunshine Coast’s newest ice-cream. ‘Buderim Bliss’ is made fresh at the Ginger Factory’s brand new ice-creamery and offers visitors up to 40 flavours to chose from. The Ginger Factory is located at 50 Pioneer Rd, Yandina, Queensland. Ph 07 5446 7100. Ginger Flower Festival 2006 – Speaker Program Thursday 19th January Marquee 10am Piles and Piles Ross McKinnon AM, King of the Compost, talks about the most valuable pile of rubbish in the garden. 11am Too hot for tulips? Colin Campbell talks about choosing plants to suit the climate. 12noon Rain Hail or Shine, Queensland’s got it all. Let Ross McKinnon AM, curator of Brisbane’s Botanic Gardens, help your garden through the best and worst of our climate. 1:30pm Too Easy Tropical Gardening with Dennis Hundscheidt. What to plant, when to plant, what to do once it’s in the ground: great advice from one of the best. 2:30pm Dry up! Colin Campbell tells how to keep your garden lush with less water. Yandina Room 10am Cooking up some Strange things Refreshing recipes for the summer months with Andrew Strange from Ellmo’s of Ocean Street. 11am Bark, Berries & Exotic Beauties Shauna Larsen and Bart Hassam, award winning floral artists. Watch as the wizards of floral art weave their magic and show you how. 12noon Tropical Techniques Jan Hintze makes heliconias her business, exporting around the world. See Jan’s favourite selection and learn how it’s done from an expert with hands-on experience. 1:30pm Bend and Stretch Fascinating floral art with Shauna Larsen and Bart Hassam, award winning floral artists 2:30pm Big and Beautiful, but not so easy to display. Jan Hintze with some easy peasy, practical tips to taming tropical beauties. Ginger Flower Festival 2006 – Speaker Program Friday 20th January Marquee 10am Bark, Berries and Exotic Beauties Shauna Larsen and Bart Hassam, award winning floral artists. Watch as the wizards of floral art weave their magic and show you how. 11am Rain Hail or Shine with Ross McKinnon (see above for description) 12noon Bend and Stretch Fascinating floral art with Shauna Larsen and Bart Hassam, award winning floral artists. 1:30pm Tropical Techniques with Jan Hintze (see above for description) 2:30pm No more Plain Jane - Recommendations from your garden’s personal colour consultant, Dennis Hundscheidt. Yandina Room 10am Tropical Techniques with Jan Hintze (see above for description) 11am Cooking up some Strange things with Andrew Strange (see above for description) 12noon “But can I eat it?”Annette McFarlane tells which plants you can enjoy in more ways than 1 with her top 10 edible ornamentals. 1:30pm Piles and Piles with Ross McKinnon AM (see above for description) 2:30pm Shoo Fly Don’t Bother Me – Controlling Pests and Diseases with Annette McFarlane Ginger Flower Festival 2006 – Speaker Program Saturday 21st January Marquee 10am “But can I eat it?” with Annette McFarlane (see above for details) 11am Too Easy Tropical Gardening with Dennis Hundscheidt (see above for description) 12noon Shoo fly don’t bother me – with Annette McFarlane (see above for details) 1:30pm Piles and Piles with Ross McKinnon AM (see above for description) 2:30pm Tropical Techniques with Jan Hintze (see above for description) Yandina Room 10am Out of Africa – Let your tastebuds be swept away by the Sunshine Coast’s own African Queen, Matilda Scarfe. 11am Rain Hail or Shine with Ross McKinnon (see above for description) 12noon Tropical Techniques with Jan Hintze (see above for description) 1:30pm Mango Magic with Matilda Scarfe. Cooking up the perfect flavour for the summer months with Queensland’s favourite tropical fruit. 2:30pm Cooking up some Strange things with Andrew Strange (see above for description) Ginger Flower Festival 2006 – Speaker Program Sunday 22nd January Marquee 10am Bend and Stretch Fascinating floral art with Shauna Larsen and Bart Hassam, award winning floral artists. 11am Piles and Piles with Ross McKinnon AM (see above for description) 12noon Bark, Berries and Exotic Beauties Shauna Larsen and Bart Hassam, award winning floral artists. (see above for description) 1:30pm Too Easy Tropical Gardening with Dennis Hundscheidt (see above for description) 2:30pm Rain Hail or Shine with Ross McKinnon (see above for details) Yandina Room 10am Tropical Techniques with Jan Hintze (see above for description) 11am Spice it up - Matilda Scarfe lets you in on some spicy secrets with marinades and curries. 12 noon Cooking up some Strange things with Andrew Strange (see above for description) 1:30pm Dry up! Colin Campbell tells how to keep your garden lush with less water. 2:30pm Out of Africa – with Matilda Scarfe (see above for details) |
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