Sunshine Coast's NEW G.O.A.T. Playbarn Headlines the Revival of Fairhill's Famous Spring Festival

SUNSHINE COAST, QUEENSLAND: The Sunshine Coast’s newest family attraction is ready to raise the barn roof as Fairhill Adventure Gardens unveils its new G.O.A.T. Playbarn—a playful new country experience inspired by the little goats that have captured hearts across Australia.

Spring into school holiday Adventures at Fairhill Adventure Gardens!

You can cuddle and brush baby miniature goats - possibly the most famous in Australia

Escape to the Forest Fairy Trail and Turtle Lake, follow the clues and test your farmyard knowledge to win prizes.

Then crawl, climb and slide your way through the new Little Sprouts imaginative indoor play.

With three magical Realms, a wildlife estate full of Adventures, baby animals to cuddle, farm-to-table dining, local makers’ marketplace, Australia’s iconic native nursery, and so much more, Fairhill is the natural choice this school holidays. Because childhood is meant to be an adventure.

The G.O.A.T. Playbarn will open as part of Fairhill’s biggest spring celebration yet, including the revival of the Famous Fairhill Spring Festival on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 September and a changing program of Spring Adventures throughout the Queensland school holidays, from Saturday 19 September to Monday 5 October 2026.

It marks a joyful new chapter for the historic 21-acre Sunshine Coast estate, home to Queensland’s original native botanic gardens.

The new G.O.A.T. Playbarn brings together two meanings of “Greatest Of All Time”: Fairhill’s increasingly famous miniature baby goats and the kind of free, active and imaginative country play of which childhood memories are made.

Fairhill CEO and family custodian Angela Wright said the Playbarn was created in response to the extraordinary affection visitors have shown for Fairhill’s baby goats.

“Our little goats have become genuine Sunshine Coast personalities,” Mrs Wright said.

“Guests travel for up to three hours to meet these very special baby goats after watching their adventures online, and what touches us most is the happiness they create when grown-ups and children encounter them in real life.

“The G.O.A.T. Playbarn takes that joy and turns it into a new place for children to discover, imagine, laugh and become part of the Fairhill farmyard story.

“Childhood is meant to be an adventure—and this spring, there will be a whole new adventure waiting.”

The Famous Fairhill Spring Festival Returns

The G.O.A.T. Playbarn debut opens the Famous Fairhill Spring Festival, a much-loved celebration from Fairhill’s history.

Held across the first weekend of the school holidays, Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 September, the revived Festival celebrates the arrival of spring through flowers, animals, gardens, creativity, costumes and magical moments for all ages.

Children, grown-ups and even well-behaved dogs are invited to dress as fairies, sprites, elves, good witches and other friendly woodland beings, with prizes helping every participant become part of the spectacle.

The new Spring Festival will unfold throughout Fairhill’s living landscape: among the flowering gardens, native wildlife, farmyard animals, forest trails, nursery and country buildings.

“The famous Fairhill Spring Festival once brought generations of Sunshine Coast families together,” Mrs Wright said.

“We are reviving its spirit—not as something artificial or staged, but as a celebration woven through nature.

“Fairhill never feels manufactured. Ducks free-range, water dragons bask, turtles swim, goats go walking and children discover what is waiting around the next corner.

“Spring is when the whole estate seems to wake up at once, so it is the perfect time to bring this much-loved Fairhill tradition back to life.”

Seventeen Days of Spring Adventures

The Festival opens a full program of Spring Adventures, running every day of the Queensland school holidays from 19 September until the King’s Birthday public holiday on Monday 5 October.

Families can expect a changing mix of Ranger-led Fairhill Adventures throughout the farmyard, including miniature goat encounters, newly hatched chicks to hold, baby goat cuddles and brushing, guinea pig teatime, nature discoveries, imaginative play and outdoor exploration—with a whole lot of learning woven throughout.

New hobby horse gymkhanas will bring even more country fun, inviting young riders to saddle up, gallop, jump and take part in playful equestrian adventures—without the need for a real horse.

Fairhill Spring Adventures on the Sunshine Coast include:

• Dress up and be part of the magic, with prizes for every fairy, sprite, elf, good witch and fae (prizes for children, grown-ups & pups).
• The new G.O.A.T. Playbarn
• Daily Ranger-led Farmyard Adventures
• Miniature goat encounters and the Goats’ Promenade
• Baby goat cuddles and brushing
• Guinea pig teatime
• Hobby horse gymkhana
• Little Sprouts imaginative indoor play
• Little Engineers’ Dig Zone
• The Forest Fairy Trail
• Nature trails and treasure hunts
• Iconic Natives-first Nursery with thousands of plants
• Local Makers’ Marketplace featuring Sunshine Coast-made arts, crafts, gifts
• Queensland’s original Native Botanic Gardens
• Sunday Fairy Tales under the Tree of Forgetfulness to round off the Weekend Festival
• The Spring Equinox on Wednesday 23 September with a bonfire celebration
• World Rivers Day at Turtle Lake on Sunday 27 September with Turtle Treasures
• World Animal Day on Sunday 4 October with King’s Birthday adventures on Monday 5 October

“Parents are looking for places where children can get away from screens, move their bodies, use their imaginations, meet animals and experience something real,” Mrs Wright said.

“At Fairhill, you can cuddle a goat, follow a forest trail, dig, build, climb, investigate, play indoors and outdoors, discover wildlife and enjoy the freedom to roam.

“It is a whole day of adventure without parents having to plan every hour: adventures for the children and a genuinely enjoyable day for the grown-ups too.”

A Living Country Estate—not a Manufactured Attraction

Fairhill Adventure Gardens is a real, working country estate rather than a conventional theme park or wildlife park.

Its layered experience brings together Queensland’s first native botanic gardens, Queensland’s specialist natives-first nursery, friendly farmyard animals, wild nature areas, children’s play, local makers and a farm-and-garden-to-table café.

Visitors may encounter songbirds, bush turkeys building their nests, turtles, water dragons, frogs, butterflies and many species of native birds living naturally throughout the property. The shy kangaroos, wallabies and platypus that call Fairhill home remain out of sight during the day but are much-loved residents of the estate.

Adults visiting the Gardens Café, Country Store and Specialist Nursery can continue to enter those areas free of charge. Fairhill Adventure Day Passes and Memberships provide access to the G.O.A.T. Playbarn, farmyard experiences, botanic gardens, nature trails and children’s play areas. Children visiting Fairhill require either a Day Pass or Membership.

“Our purpose is to nurture joy, connection and regeneration through nature, community, creativity and care—all within Fairhill’s gardener’s paradise and nature’s playground,” Mrs Wright said.

“We love giving our guests magical memories, priceless photographs to share and at least one story they cannot wait to tell someone else. Discoveries include stunning native plants, local foods and gifts in the Farm Shop and Local Makers’ Marketplace.

“That is what Fairhill has always been about: a magical wildlife estate where Happiness is in our Nature.”

EVENT DETAILS

WHAT: Opening of the Sunshine Coast’s new G.O.A.T. Playbarn, the revival of the Famous Fairhill Spring Festival and Fairhill Spring School Holiday Adventures

SPRING FESTIVAL: Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 September 2026

SPRING ADVENTURES: Saturday 19 September to Monday 5 October 2026

WHERE: Fairhill Adventure Gardens, 114–132 Fairhill Road, Ninderry, Sunshine Coast—five minutes from M1 Exit 215

OPEN: Daily, 8am–4pm

ADMISSION: Spring Adventures and the Spring Festival are included with applicable Fairhill Adventure Day Passes and Memberships. Bookings are strongly recommended.

Adults visiting the Gardens Café, Country Store and Specialist Nursery can enter those areas free of charge. Children visiting Fairhill require either a Day Pass or Membership.

INFORMATION AND BOOKINGS: www.fairhill.com.au/events

ABOUT FAIRHILL ADVENTURE GARDENS

Established in 1975, Fairhill is home to Queensland’s original native botanic gardens and one of Australia’s most historically significant native plant nurseries.

Today, the renewed 21-acre living country estate combines native gardens, wild nature, friendly farmyard animals, imaginative play, an extraordinary specialist nursery and farm-and-garden-to-table dining.

Fairhill Adventure Gardens is a place for families, gardeners and nature lovers to explore, reconnect and belong: 114 Fairhill Road, Ninderry 4561 QLD on the Sunshine Coast.

Ends ### 1380 words.