Adam Whipp planted a million sunflower seeds in early December. They have now bloomed.
Photo by
Lua Ikenasio
With the sunflowers of Timmering now in full bloom, dairy farmer Adam Whipp and his family are preparing to welcome guests from near and far to enjoy the fields.
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The gates will officially open this weekend and it is expected to attract thousands of visitors over the two weekends.
Farm owner Adam Whipp said the event had continued to grow since it began six years ago.
“About five or six years ago, we were growing sunflowers and people turned up, jumping the fence, wanting to take photos, so we opened up the field and made it an event every year,” he said.
“We get people coming from Melbourne and miles away and they all just spend hours in there taking photos.
“Last year we were swamped, we had thousands of people last year ... we have an old fella come give us a hand to park the cars, otherwise it gets too chaotic.”
The Whipp family is preparing for a huge two weekends.
Photo by
Lua Ikenasio
This year, the Whipp family has continued to build on its past success.
Mr Whipp’s wife, Claira Whipp, is a photographer and will offer photoshoots during the event.
Last year the family ran a sunflower maze activity, but this year, the maze has been carved out in a corn field between the sunflower fields.
The corn field is taller and denser than the sunflowers, giving attendees more of a challenge.
For the kids, there will be a hay bale obstacle course set up in an adjoining paddock, as well as a lollipop pick.
Visitors can also take some of the flowers home for $4 per stem or $30 for a bunch of 10.
Although the event is a fun side job for the family, Mr Whipp said it gave them a chance to put the smaller communities on the map.
“We try to be community people and send (visitors) to the towns near us,” he said.
“People will come up and ask ‘where’s the best bakery?’ or for us to recommend a pub, and we just send them to Rochester or Colbinabbin and Elmore.”
There are two fields of sunflowers for guests to explore.
Photo by
Lua Ikenasio
The entry fees are $10 per adult or $5 for kids under 12, which will cover parking, entry to the sunflower fields and all other activities.
Morning sessions will run from 8.30am to 11am and evening sessions will be held from 6pm to 8.30pm at 517 Thornton Rd, Timmering.
The first sessions will be held on Saturday, February 15, and Sunday, February 16, and the last ones on Saturday, February 22, and Sunday, February 23.
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