Past HerbFest’s-
HerbFest started as a little seed of an idea of bringing people together around learning and celebrating herbs, herb people and our herbal traditions!
In its 5th year now, you can get a feel for our biggest herbal medicine gathering on the Coast by getting a glimpse of past events.
Some pics, some of the past speakers and topics and some of our longer-term sponsors who help bring this dream to life every year.
a celebration of the people’s medicine
HerbFest is education, inspiration and community. It’s about building the world where people and plants are kin. Where health and well-being is something we all know how to build and care for in daily life.
Speakers & Activities
Past speakers
HerbFest is blessed to have hosted some AMAZING speakers over the years. Each shares their own knowledge, experience and passion for herbs and health with their own flair, coloured by their personsal experience and walk with the plants.
Our topics are broad and far ranging, including Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine, gardening talks, kitchen medicine and recipe demonstrations, wildcrafting and so. much. more.
Gardening & Wildcrafting
cooking from your medicinal garden with Caroline Parker, growing native Australian herbs with Witchjuti Grub Nursery, Plantain medicine with Tatiana Lustre Dawn, how to grow herbs with Leonie Shanahan
Health and wellbeing
Herbs and food to improve your mood with Hannah Moore
choosing the perfect adaptogen with Claire Murray
Ayurvedic medicine with Wayne from Yukti Botanicals, 5 Element Food as medicine with Kimberly Ashton
psilocybin mushrooms with Tim Nixon
kitchen cupboard medicine with Connie Page
herbs for Gut health with Lissa Gavins
herbal medicine for women’s health with Karen McElroy
Demonstrations including:
Jess Holdsworth from the Greensmith Grocer showed us how to make delicious dahl
cough syrup, oxymels and calendula ointment with Heidi Merika
herbal chocolate truffles with Caroline Parker
earth healing traditions with Alyson Maier
Starting in 2024, we started hosting interstate speakers
I bumped into friends I haven’t seen for ages. I love how many people I see here.
2023
I love being surrounded by like-minded people, it feels so good.
2023
I love the laid-back vibe.
Next HerbFest: June 15, 2025. 9:30am – 2pm. Coolum
Putting the heart into community herbalism
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Post-HerbFest Masterclasses
We’re super lucky to have talented educators come from interstate to talk at HerbFest. We don’t want to just leave it at 30 mins though!
The Masterclasses started in 2024 to give our community a chance to dive deeper with our interstate educators. We kicked it off with Tatiana diving deeper into plantain medicine and Kimblery Ashton covering 5 Element nutrition.
If you’re keen to hear from our local educators more, some of them run their own workshops, but they’ll often be guest educators at our regular Herb Folk gatherings (click here to see more about that)
By community, for community
HerbFest costs a lot to run, and I’m determined to keep ticket prices as low as possible to make herbal education and community gathering as accessible as possible. Our sponsors make that possible each year as the event grows. On the HerbFest page you can find the organisations sponsoring us this year, but I particulary wanted to say thanks to a few companies who’ve supported us at least 2 years and some of them more – couldn’t do it without you!
Mudbrick Herb Cottage
MAJOR SPONSOR
Yandina Market Garden
Community Sponsor
Tewantin Market Garden
Community Sponsor
Happy Herb Co
Major Sponsor