Gympie and the Mary Valley region will host their standout festival of the year when the Mary Valley Scarecrow Festival kicks off in mid-September.
This year, the Festival has a Wild West theme and locals are currently yeehaw-ing and cracking the whip to come up with their remarkable creations.
Scarecrows come out of the hills on September 11 and will be on display until October 2, throughout the Mary Valley (one hour north of the Sunshine Coast).
This year, you might see scarecrows resembling Wild Bill Hickok or Annie Oakley on display – and one supporter is creating Woody the Cowboy for a scarecrow hunt competition.
This year, organisers have arranged a social media competition with a $150 prize. To win, participants must track down Woody and get a photo with him, then, share the photo to THIS Facebook group and use the handle #Woody.
For the scarecrow ‘artists’, there are prizes of up to $500 for the grand champion, with prize winners announced on 13 September.
Visitors will be able to download a Google map from the website and enjoy scarecrow spotting as they drive around the lush Mary Valley and its historic villages such as Brooloo, Imbil, Ridgewood, Kandanga, Amamoor, and Dagun.
Whilst in town, there are plenty of pubs, restaurants, and picnic spots to enjoy the superb local Mary Valley produce.
The Festival began in the hinterland in 1998, to herald the region’s spring growing season and has been held almost every year since then. It is one of two festivals – the other is the Mary Valley Art Festival – hosted by the community group, Mary Valley Artslink.
Located just an hour north of the Sunshine Coast, Mary Valley is a perfect getaway destination. Known for misty hills, rolling valleys and warm, charming towns, the region is a favourite among trekkers, cyclists and adventurers of all kinds.
With a wide range of accommodation types available, visitors can be sure a trip to Mary Valley will be an authentic country experience.
