Flower picking near Melbourne is mostly a sunflower story, with paddocks scattered from the Yarra Valley at Wandin East through to the Bellarine Peninsula near Geelong and down to Dromana on the Mornington Peninsula. Most of these farms sit within about an hour to 90 minutes of the CBD, an easy loop with a winery or beach stop either side. The main bloom window runs December through March, with the reliable peak in January when both the Yarra Valley and Bellarine paddocks are typically at their best.
Pricing is usually a small entry fee plus per-stem cutting, often around $8-$10 for a bunch of ten stems, or a family entry fee with stems priced separately. Surf Coast Sunflowers at Modewarre is a good standout, running ticketed daytime and twilight sessions with clear family pricing. Because these are true field-bloom farms, the exact opening fortnight moves with the season's heat and rain, so check before you drive.
4 farms
Wandin East · Dandenong Ranges
About an hour east of Melbourne
Modewarre · Geelong & the Bellarine
Around Geelong, about an hour south-west of Melbourne
Marcus Hill · Geelong & the Bellarine
Around Geelong, about an hour south-west of Melbourne
Details may have changed. Call before travelling.
Dromana · Mornington Peninsula
About an hour south of Melbourne
Details may have changed. Call before travelling.
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Sunflower paddocks are the main draw, with fields at Wandin East in the Yarra Valley, Modewarre on the Bellarine Peninsula near Geelong, and Dromana on the Mornington Peninsula. There's also a small mixed-flower farm at Marcus Hill near Geelong that opens on weekends. Each is a distinct day trip rather than a single hub, so pick the direction that suits your day.
The Yarra Valley sunflower farm at Wandin East is about an hour east of the city, while the Bellarine Peninsula and Mornington Peninsula options are roughly an hour to 90 minutes south-west and south respectively. All three routes are comfortable for a half-day trip, and each area has plenty of other food and wine stops to build a full day around.
Sunflower season around Melbourne runs roughly December to March, with January the most consistent peak across the Yarra Valley and Bellarine paddocks. Bloom windows are short, often only two to three weeks per farm, and shift year to year with rainfall and heat, so the safest approach is to check a farm's page for its current-season opening dates.
Ticketed sessions, including Surf Coast Sunflowers' daytime and twilight slots, are best booked ahead online, especially on weekends when they can sell out. The smaller, less formal paddocks tend to run as walk-up cut-your-own days during their open window without a booking system, but it's still worth checking social media the day before to confirm they're open.