Spring Picnics on the Sunshine Coast: Pack a Picnic at Fairhill

Spring is picnic season on the Sunshine Coast. The mornings are mild, the afternoons are not yet sticky, and the gardens are at their most colourful. If you are looking for a picnic spot on the Sunshine Coast, Fairhill makes it easy: the Gardens Café packs picnics and boxes to enjoy anywhere in the gardens, so all you need to bring is a rug and some good company.

Here is how a spring picnic at Fairhill works, and how to plan one.

What is on the picnic menu

The Gardens Café has a dedicated Picnics & Boxes menu, packed to enjoy anywhere in the gardens. There are three picnics:

• Little Explorer Picnic Box: a small ham and cheese sandwich, sultanas, fresh fruit, a sweet treat, apple juice and a little toy, packed with a napkin in a reusable cardboard picnic box.
• Marion’s Picnic: the perfect picnic for one. Cheese, crackers, olives, crisps, seasonal fruit and a little something sweet, inspired by Marion’s brilliant picnics, with a refreshing drink.
• The Garden Picnic: made to share. Cheese, crackers, olives, crisps, seasonal fruit and sweet treats, thoughtfully packed for two, with a refreshing drink.

If dessert is the main event, there are also cake boxes: a Cake Selection Box (gluten free, vegetarian) in your choice of The Chocolate Box, The Nutty Cake Box or The Fruity Cake Box, and a Vegan Cake Box (gluten free), both curated to indulge or to share. Prices are on the menu page, so you can see everything in one place.

Who each picnic suits

The Little Explorer Picnic Box is built for small people. It comes in its own box with a toy tucked in, which tends to make lunch feel like part of the adventure. Marion’s Picnic is a good choice for a solo lunch on a bench between the garden beds, or for anyone who likes to choose their own pace. The Garden Picnic is the one to order when there are two of you, whether that is a catch-up with a friend, a date in the gardens or a grandparent and grandchild afternoon.

A cake box in the middle of the rug is a fine way to finish any of them.

Plan your picnic

• Choose your picnic. Have a look at the picnics menu and decide who is eating what. The Gardens Café also has an ordering site at food.fairhill.com.au, linked from the Fairhill website footer.
• Mind the café hours. The Gardens Café is open daily from 8am, with last orders at 2pm. Order before then and you can eat whenever suits you.
• Bring a rug. Your picnic is packed to enjoy anywhere in the gardens. A rug, a hat and sunscreen are worth packing yourself.
• Bring the dog. Dogs on a lead are welcome in the gardens, and the Gardens Café serves Puppaccinos for your four-legged visitor. See visiting with your dog.
• Arrive easily. Fairhill is at 114 Fairhill Road, Ninderry, five minutes from the M1 exit 215, with free on-site parking for more than 200 vehicles.

Make a day of it

The gardens and nursery are open daily from 8am to 4pm, so a picnic fits neatly into a longer visit. Spend the morning with the plants, or join the farmyard with Ranger-led Animal Farm Adventures every half past the hour all morning, then settle on the grass for lunch before heading home. Tickets for Fairhill Adventures are on the Fairhill booking page.

A spring picnic does not need much planning: good food, a patch of garden and an unhurried afternoon. We would love to see you on the grass.