Farmer Zoe McMahon says the maze has grown from an experiment into a loved attraction. Photo: Shots By Sal.
Breeze in your hair, a field of sunflowers spread out before you, live music playing – it’s a world away from the concrete jungle of Canberra.
The Majura Valley Farm Gate is again opening its property to the public from this Saturday (1 March) for its sunflower maze.
Farmer Zoe McMahon is one of the hands (literally) growing the attraction.
“It takes up a good portion of our front paddock – I’d say two-thirds of our front paddock,” she says.
“Everyone in the family chips in and does a really amazing job nurturing them. I’d say that at the start, after they have been seeded, which takes about 24 hours, it is a bit of ‘negligence is the best fertiliser’ because we’ve planted in such a high volume, it is pretty safe to say that most of them grow.”
Their hard work results in not only a field of summery flowers, but a field full of twists and turns.
The layout of their namesake maze is put together by “maze designer” Fred McGrath Weber.
“He designs the maze differently every year, and then sits on the tractor colouring in the maze,” Zoe says.
“There are no tricks. You just have to wander around in a beautiful maze until you find your way out.
“We’ve had people dawdle, which we love, and we’ve had people set up an easel to paint the flowers or do a drawing class or do some yoga.”
This year, Canberrans can test their luck in the maze while listening to live music performances, picking their own sunflowers and shopping locally grown produce.
“A major thing that we’re going to bring back this year is having the farm shop not just on the outside of the gate, but a smaller version on the inside of the gate,” she says.
“That’s to avoid congestion [on the property], but it’s also bringing people into the maze. We’ve got a lot more suppliers coming in to sell their products through us, so we’ve really bumped up the local produce.”
Canberrans will likely have several weeks to tour the maze before the sunflowers decide it’s time to wrap it up, and the farm’s animals are brought on to eat what hadn’t been picked.
“This week, we’ve opened it a week early, and we’re estimating that we’ll get three weeks out of the maze,” she says.
“That being said, it is a play-by-weather event, so that can change things.”
Just like last year, visitors will need to book their spot, with each ticket valid for approximately two hours.
“Saturdays and Sundays are generally booked out as is, but weekday sunsets are a really good idea to come past because it’s not as crowded as it is on weekends,” Zoe says.
“You get a bit more space to yourself, and it’s also just absolutely magical with the sunset, because the sun actually sets behind the sunflowers, so it illuminates the petals facing towards you.”
Majura Valley Farm Gate is located at 728 Majura Road, Majura, and is open from 8 am to 7 pm, seven days a week.
The sunflower maze will be open from 1 March and people can book sessions between 9 am and 8 pm on Wednesdays to Sundays (including public holidays). Tickets are available via Humanitix for $5 to $10, and children under five are free.
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