Get dirty, get loved: Valentine’s & Galentine’s adventures with a twist, and a hump!
Couples, besties, and situationships - there’s something here for all
Images here
ATTENTION: this Valentine’s (or Galentine’s) Day on February 14, serve up romance/friendship with grit, glitter, and a generous splash of “what even is happening?!” From getting dirty on mini-excavators at Dig IT, to peddling your way through a golden-hour picnic on Tamborine Mountain, to sharing a perfect hump (yes, really) at Summer Land Camels, and kicking up red dust in the Outback, there’s an adventure, experience, or foodie delight for every kind of love.
Think heart-pounding rodeo thrills in Mount Isa (and yes, there’s been a marriage in that famous red dirt arena!), goosebump-inducing acrobatics under the Big Top with Cirque du Soleil, gourmet whimsy at Boonah’s Blume, or rescuing perfectly imperfect fruit and veg for the planet and your taste buds with Funky Food.
Bring dirty back - take someone you dig to Dig IT on Tamborine Mountain!
It’s the ultimate Double Digger Date. Pop on your hard hats and high viz and get dirty operating real mini-excavators side by side. Whether it’s your partner, best mate, situationship or long-time love, nothing says romance like teamwork, dirt and a shared mission to dig, lift, stack and demolish. Let’s make dating dirty again! Thunderbird Park – Tamborine Mountain Road, Tamborine Mountain, Scenic Rim. Child or Adult admission $65 and Concession is $60. 2 hour sessions BOOKINGS and website here
Roses may be red, but red dirt was more romantic! Hello RODEO!!
Give MOUNT ISA MINES RODEO tickets this VALENTINE/GALENTINE’s DAY! More photos here
Fancy the ultimate bucket-list adventure with your partner or bestie in the heart of Outback Queensland? From thrilling arena action, adrenaline-pumping rodeo events, and iconic red-dirt vibes, to VIP experiences, behind-the-chutes tours, and the super sassy Cowgirl Cocktail Brunch, this is a love story written in boots, buckles and dusty trails. Lock in your seats for August 7–9, 2026! www.mountisarodeo.com.au
*Don’t believe me? Ask champion bronc rider Fred Osman, who married his Canadian cowgirl Kyla Dolen in the centre of Buchanan Park during rodeo. They said ‘I DO’ and then Fred won the Open Bronc ride!
Get funky this Valentine’s Day – give a FUNKY FOOD box!!
As Australians look for more meaningful ways to celebrate the people they love (besties included), rescued fresh produce is fast becoming the new love language, with Brisbane-based Funky Food delivering boxes of seasonal fruit and veg that are as good for hearts as they are for farmers and the environment. Each box is packed with perfectly fresh, cosmetically imperfect produce rescued directly from Australian growers, helping loved ones eat well, stretch grocery budgets and cut food waste. It’s a gift that lasts longer than flowers, gets shared, cooked and enjoyed, and proves that romance doesn’t have to be wasteful to be sweet. Because remember, roses may be red, and violets may be blue … but give a Funky Food box, and you do good too! Funky Food - Rescue Food From Waste
On ya bikes for a perfect peddly picnic on Tamborine Mountain
Newly launched in the Scenic Rim, Peddly Picnics is the perfect date or bestie experience - cruise the mountain at your own pace, sip award-winning gins and wines, sample paddock-to-plate fare, linger over long lunches and chase golden hour lookouts, all without breaking a sweat (electric bikes, of course). It’s slow travel at its most delicious, intimate, sustainable, effortlessly fun and even dog-friendly if your furry third wheel fits in the basket. peddlypicnics.com.au
Now here’s a Valentine’s Day gift with grit!! PBR Origin tickets!
Tickets to the 2026 PBR Australia Monster Energy Origin Series in Newcastle, Brisbane or Sydney are the ultimate Valentine’s present, delivering heart-pounding action, raw adrenaline and one hell of a date night! With NSW ripping the title from the Mighty Maroons in a history-making 2025 series, revenge is brewing and bragging rights are on the line as Australia’s fiercest sporting rivalry explodes back into the arena. From the opening clash in Newcastle (May 30), to the pressure-cooker showdown in Brisbane (June 6), and the epic decider in Sydney (August 1), this is state-versus-state, rider-versus-bull, and passion turned all the way up. Forget dinner reservations, this Valentine’s Day book a night to remember!
For a Valentine’s/Galentine’s gift that delivers goosebumps ➡️ Cirque du Soleil!
The famed Big Top spectacular KOOZA by Cirque du Soleil returns to Australia this year – serving up death-defying acrobatics, laugh-out-loud clowning and edge-of-your-seat surprises in a dazzling, kaleidoscopic world; it’s a true “circus in a box” and the kind of shared experience that beats flowers every time. KOOZA has mesmerised nearly eight million spectators across more than 70 cities worldwide, making it the perfect gift for couples, besties and anyone who believes the best dates come with a little danger, a lot of magic and a Big Top full of wow!! cirquedusoleil.com/kooza
Catch Cairns’ wintersun during the Australian Festival of Chamber Music
Forget everything you think you know about classical music, because in July 2026, over nine glorious days from 24 July to 1 August, the Australian Festival of Chamber Music (AFCM) begins an exhilarating new chapter in Cairns–Gimuy, where world-class musicians, once-in-a-lifetime performances and unforgettable experiences unfold against the backdrop of the World Heritage–listed Daintree Rainforest and Great Barrier Reef. If love is the universal language, then music is it’s soundtrack! This is a perfect north Queensland getaway gift! www.afcm.com.au
Give a DIVINE stay (or three)!!
The Scenic Rim is home to not one, not two, but three beautifully transformed churches you can actually stay in, each blessed with its own charm, history, and hallelujah-worthy views; perfect for a Valentine’s Day stay, or a besties weekend away. Vanbery Chapel just opened near Boonah; this restored 1900s chapel is the newest addition to Vanbery Cottage Host Farm. What makes it even sweeter? It was funded almost entirely by the family’s artisan rosella jam side hustle. Vanbery Chapel is rustic romance with a rich, jammy heart. vanberycottage.com.au There’s also The Old Church BnB just outside Boonah oldchurchbnb.com.au and The Church Roadvale thechurchroadvale.com.au
Bloom at Blume in Boonah
Just three years old, this tiny 21-seat dining wonder is stacked with awards and bursting with charm. Housed in a beautifully restored former dental surgery, Blume’s white pressed-metal walls and ceiling sets the stage for chef-owner Jack Stuart’s masterful cuisine, where local produce takes centre stage and edible flowers and herbs from his aunt’s garden add a whimsical, romantic flourish. With experience from Melbourne’s Congress Wine and Brisbane’s Gauge, Jack serves dishes with precision, restraint and a touch of magic, creating a dining experience that’s intimate, playful and utterly memorable. Putting the “OO-AH” in Boonah, Blume is the perfect setting for couples, besties or anyone looking to celebrate love (or friendship) with food that tastes as good as it looks. Blume Restaurant
And to finish, the perfect hump (!!) and camel kiss – visit Summer Land Camels
What better day to kiss a camel!! As the Southern Hemisphere’s largest camel dairy, this is a place where gentle camels roam, farm tours reveal the quirks of camel life, and award-winning flavours abound, from rich cheeses and fresh camel milk to surprisingly smooth camel vodka and whiskey that make for a great tasting and a perfect gift! For a date that’s equal parts fun, funny and delicious, a Galentine’s adventure that’s truly one-of-a-kind, or a gift with a little hump and a lot of heart, Summer Land Camels delivers a farmyard experience that’s quirky, charming and absolutely Instagrammable. Camel Rides, Farm Tours, Camel Milk Skincare – Summer Land Camels
Contact details:
Kath Rose on [email protected] or 0416 291 493
