MEALS, MARKETS and MORE - Burnt Earth: Bonyi Bounty

There are few places on the Sunshine Coast that hold you quite the way Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve and surrounds does – the cool hush of ancient rainforest on one side and on the other, that unforgettable sweep of the Glass House Mountains, glowing and shifting with the light.

It’s within this deeply storied landscape that Horizon Festival invites diners to step into Burnt Earth: Bonyi Bounty, an immersive First Nations food experience shaped entirely by Country, culture and season on May 3.

Led by four First Nations chefs, the experience begins gently with a guided walk through the rainforest, where guests are introduced to the textures, scents and uses of key plants. Each dish draws on botanical ingredients such as bunya nuts, native citrus, foraged greens and ancient grains, offering diners a sensory connection to stories that stretch back thousands of years. 

As the meal unfolds, so does the storytelling. The chefs share how fire, smoke, method and memory shape cooking practices, and how these traditions evolve while remaining anchored to Country.  

What makes Bonyi Bounty so moving is its sense of togetherness. Guests share long tables, listening to stories carried through music, memory and the landscape itself. There’s time to pause, breathe in the mountain air and reflect on the places we live alongside and the people who have cared for them long before us. 

For hinterland locals, this experience feels uniquely close to home – a chance to engage with First Nations culture in a setting that already holds great importance. 

For visitors, it’s a gateway into the depth and generosity of First Nations foodways on the Sunshine Coast. 

And for everyone at the table, it’s a reminder that the richest flavours often come from connection: to land, to community, and to the hands that gather, prepare and share. 

Burnt Earth: Bonyi Bounty is intimate, atmospheric and unforgettable – the kind of meal that lingers long after the plates are cleared, because it could only happen here, in the heart of the hinterland.

Also presented at Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve, is the Medicinal Plants visual art exhibition (free), which features stories, art and interactive displays celebrating healing knowledge through local native plants. 

View the full Horizon Festival program at horizonfestival.com.au