Fruit picking in the Barossa & Clare Valley

Shimmering Pines Farm at Tarlee is the only sunflower pick we currently list in the Barossa and Clare Valley — it runs a Sunflower Festival from late spring, with pick-your-own dahlias alongside it through summer. It is a seasonal, ticketed pop-up rather than a year-round operation, so check the current dates and confirm it is open before you drive out.

The Hidden Flower Farm, known as Mr Dahlia, at Marananga grows dahlias from summer through into autumn, and Shimmering Pines Farm at Tarlee offers pick-your-own dahlias alongside its sunflowers, with evening picking sessions concentrated in January and February. Both are small operations, so it's worth calling ahead to check the fields are still in bloom.

Summer is the main window, roughly December to February, when sunflowers and dahlias are at their peak across the region. Some dahlia picking continues into autumn at farms like Mr Dahlia. Flower fields depend heavily on rain and heat, so always check a farm's socials before travelling.

Prices vary by farm and event. Shimmering Pines Farm has charged around $55 for a combined pizza and flower-picking ticket including a dozen stems, a jar and snips hire, with a pizza-and-entry-only option at about $25 and children under 15 free when sharing with a ticketed adult; an earlier picking-only session was $22 for 10 stems with extra stems at $2 each. The Hidden Flower Farm at Marananga sells through ticketed patch events and dahlia workshops rather than a published per-stem rate, so contact it directly for current prices. Confirm current pricing when you book.

Yes — both of the flower farms we list here work on advance bookings. Shimmering Pines Farm's festival and evening picking sessions are ticketed ahead of time, and The Hidden Flower Farm runs its patch events and workshops by booking rather than walk-in. Because these are seasonal, weather-affected events rather than daily operations, calling or checking online before you go is always the safest approach.