Some of the Scenic Rim’s most memorable experiences are found when you leave a little extra room in the itinerary.
From sunrise balloon flights and working farms to camel encounters, sheep cheese, alpaca walks and treetop adventures, these are the places worth travelling a little further for. Some require advance bookings, others are seasonal, and a few are best enjoyed as part of a full weekend—but each offers a memorable way to experience more of the region.
Choose one special stop or build several into your journey, then continue towards O’Reilly’s with your Scenic Rim adventure already well underway.
Begin the day as the sun rises over the rolling countryside with Hot Air Balloon Gold Coast.
A balloon flight offers a completely different perspective of the Scenic Rim and Gold Coast hinterland, with farmland, valleys and distant mountain ranges unfolding below. Selected packages also include breakfast at O’Reilly’s Canungra Valley Vineyards, creating an easy transition from an unforgettable morning in the sky to a relaxed start beside the vines.
Best for: Couples, celebrations and memorable weekend escapes
Plan ahead: Advance bookings are essential
At Summer Land Camels, visitors can go behind the scenes of a working camel dairy, meet the animals and learn more about the farm’s products and processes.
Book a farm tour and camel encounter, taste camel-milk products or make more of the visit with one of the farm’s paddock-to-plate experiences. It is an unusual and engaging stop for families, food lovers and anyone curious about life on one of the Scenic Rim’s most distinctive farms.
Best for: Families, animal lovers and curious foodies
Journey note: Best included as part of a broader Scenic Rim day or weekend
Set in the Kerry Valley, Tommerup’s Dairy Farm offers an authentic connection to Scenic Rim farming life.
The sixth-generation family farm welcomes visitors through farm stays, open days, long-table lunches and selected seasonal experiences. It is a place to meet farmers, encounter farm animals and gain a deeper appreciation of the people and traditions behind the region’s food story.
Best for: Families, farm stays and slower-paced country escapes
Plan ahead: Public experiences are often seasonal or available by booking
At Towri Sheep Cheeses, visitors can experience one of the Scenic Rim’s most distinctive artisan food stories.
The working sheep dairy produces handcrafted cheese and offers tours, workshops, open days and seasonal events. Depending on the experience available, visitors may meet the sheep, browse the farm shop, taste locally made cheese and learn more about the craft behind each product.
Best for: Food lovers, families and farm-gate explorers
Plan ahead: Check current open days, markets and bookable experiences
Located within O’Reilly’s Canungra Valley Vineyards, Mountview Alpaca Farm is one of the region’s most joyful animal encounters.
Meet and feed the alpacas or book a walk through the vineyard’s creekside grounds. With friendly animals, rows of vines and plenty of open space, it is an easy experience to combine with lunch, an artisan picnic or a relaxed browse through the vineyard’s country shop.
Best for: All ages, multigenerational families and photo lovers
Add nearby: Lunch or a creekside picnic at O’Reilly’s Canungra Valley Vineyards
Visitors travelling through Tamborine Mountain can add a treetop experience to their Scenic Rim itinerary.
The Tamborine Rainforest Skywalk provides an elevated way to explore the forest, combining walking tracks, raised pathways and rainforest views. It is a gentler option for families and visitors who want to experience the canopy without committing to a long bushwalk.
For those looking for something more active, Tamborine Mountain also offers adventure-based treetop and zipline experiences that can be incorporated into a longer Gold Coast hinterland route.
Best for: Families, nature lovers and active travellers
Journey note: Best treated as an extended scenic route rather than a quick roadside stop
The best detours are often the experiences that become the highlight of the journey.
You may float above the countryside at sunrise, meet a camel, share lunch on a working farm, taste handcrafted sheep cheese or walk an alpaca beside the vines. Each experience offers a different connection to the Scenic Rim and the people who help give the region its character.
Check current opening days, book ahead where required and allow enough time to enjoy the experience without rushing.
Once you have chosen your detour, continue towards O’Reilly’s and complete your Scenic Rim escape in World Heritage Lamington National Park.
Acknowledgement of Country
We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land on which O’Reilly’s stands, and pay our respects to Elders past and present. We recognise the Yugambeh language region, and the Aboriginal language mobs connected to this Country, including the Mununjali people of the Kerry Valley and Beaudesert region, and the Wangerriburra people of the Canungra and Coomera River region. We honour their enduring connection to this ancient landscape — known to many as Woonoongoora — and acknowledge the stories, knowledge and care that have shaped and protected this place for generations. We recognise that our responsibility as custodians today builds upon thousands of years of care shown by the Yugambeh people. Our commitment to protecting this rainforest is one small part of that continuing story.
