Fungi Feastival 2027 Guide: Batemans Bay, Malua Bay And Winter Forest Walks

Fungi Feastival 2027: The Dates And What Is Confirmed So Far

The official Fungi Feastival website now says the 2026 festival is over and invites visitors to plan a weekend or a week in 2027, with "more science, food and art" from 18 June to 18 July 2027. That gives you a full month in the middle of the South Coast winter, which is exactly when the forests are at their dampest and fungi are easiest to find.

What is not confirmed yet is the detailed program. At the time of writing the festival's calendar page showed no events, which is normal this far ahead. Individual walks, workshops, dinners, film screenings and exhibitions are usually added in the lead-up, and many of them have limited places. The simplest move is to join the festival's mailing list on its website so you hear when bookings open.

The festival's photography competition is also coming back. The official site says the 2027 Fungi Feastival photography competition is on the way, invites photographers to plan trips to the Bega Valley and Eurobodalla, from Batemans Bay to the Victorian border, and promises more information later. If you enjoy photography, that alone is a good reason to pack the camera for any winter walk.

The festival is funded by Eurobodalla Shire Council, FRRR and the Australian Government, according to its website, and it is supported by a long list of local businesses and photographers. That local backing is part of its character: this is a community-built regional festival rather than one big event in a single venue.

What A Fungi Feastival Program Usually Includes

The official website describes five themes, and they are a useful way to decide what your group will enjoy most.

Science. Seminars and workshops on the role of fungi in nature and the benefits they bring to the environment. Visit NSW's event listing describes past programs with fungi forays, workshops and seminars with Australian and international experts, and talks on fungi in agriculture, regenerative agriculture and forestry.

Growing. Learning to grow gourmet mushrooms at home, including demonstrations of growing oyster and shiitake mushrooms, a tour of a mushroom fruiting room and building an outdoor mushroom garden.

Eating. Cooking classes, plus mushroom and truffle dishes at participating restaurants and cafes. Visit NSW also mentions truffle hunts, a mushroom or truffle dinner and the chance to buy gourmet mushrooms and truffles.

Exploring. Truffle hunts, kayaking and walks to find fungi. Visit NSW's listing mentions a kayak trip focused on Indigenous uses of fungi in past programs.

Arts. Workshops in painting or photographing fungi and making mushroom pottery, educational fungi documentaries and films, and fungi art exhibitions. Visit NSW describes a program of more than 60 events and five exhibitions, along with children's activities during the school holidays.

Where The Festival Happens: Batemans Bay To Eden

Fungi Feastival is a regional festival. Visit NSW describes it as a month-long celebration "from Eden to Batemans Bay", held at various venues along that stretch. In practice that means events can be in Batemans Bay, Moruya, Narooma, Bermagui, the Bega Valley and further south, often on different days.

As an example of how spread out it can be, the festival's resources page notes that the film Fungi: The Web of Life screened in Batemans Bay, Moruya, Narooma, Bermagui and Merimbula during the 2025 festival. Fungi identification walks in 2026 ran on two set dates in late June. That pattern of repeated sessions in several towns is helpful, because it gives you a better chance of finding a session close to your base.

Malua Bay sits at the northern end of the festival area. Eurobodalla Coast Tourism puts the village about 13 kilometres from Batemans Bay along the coast road, and Moruya is a short drive further south. That makes Batemans Bay and Moruya sessions the easiest to reach, with Narooma a realistic half-day trip and the Bega Valley events better saved for a longer stay.

When the 2027 calendar is released, sort events by town first and theme second. A great workshop two hours away can still be worth it, but for a weekend trip the best plan usually puts your main event within about an hour of where you are staying.

Timing Your Trip: Weekends, School Holidays And Booking Early

The 2027 festival runs for a full month, so you have choices. The NSW Department of Education lists Term 2 of 2027 ending on Friday 2 July, with winter school holidays from Monday 5 July to Friday 16 July and Term 3 starting on Monday 19 July. The festival's last weekend, 17 and 18 July 2027, falls just after those holidays end.

That overlap matters in two ways. Families can plan around the children's activities that past programs have offered during the school holidays. And because the coast is busier in those two weeks, accommodation for larger groups is worth securing early, well before the full program comes out.

Couples and adult groups who prefer quieter roads and easier restaurant bookings may find the late-June weekends more relaxed. The 2026 fungi identification walks, for example, were held on 27 and 28 June, so late June has form for walk-based events.

For a first visit, two or three nights is a good length. It allows one booked festival event, one self-guided forest walk, one good food outing and still leaves room for weather. A week lets you add a second region, such as Narooma or the Bega Valley, without rushing.

Fungi Spotting Near Malua Bay: Where Damp Forest Meets The Coast

You do not need a booked event to enjoy fungi on the South Coast. After winter rain, shaded gullies, rainforest pockets and fallen timber can be covered in brackets, cups, corals and tiny gilled mushrooms. A slow walk with a phone torch and a camera can turn into a highlight of the trip.

Depot Beach Rainforest Walk, Murramarang National Park

North of Batemans Bay, NSW National Parks describes the Depot Beach Rainforest walk as a 0.4 kilometre loop from the Depot Beach picnic area, graded 3, taking about 15 to 45 minutes. It passes through littoral rainforest behind the beach, which NPWS notes is listed as an endangered ecological community, and children can use stepping stones and logs along the path. Murramarang National Park has a vehicle fee of $8 per vehicle per day, paid at machines, and NPWS warns parking can be limited on busy weekends.

Monga National Park

Inland, NSW National Parks describes Monga as home to cool temperate rainforest with ancient plumwood trees from the Gondwana age, as well as warm temperate rainforest and old growth eucalypt forest. The Dasyurus picnic area is described as a great day trip from Batemans Bay or Braidwood. NPWS notes mobile reception is limited and that the park can close in poor weather or fire danger, so check park alerts before you drive up the range.

Both parks are always open in normal conditions but can close at short notice, so check the NSW National Parks website on the morning you go. Choose walks that suit everyone's fitness, and give yourself more time than the sign suggests. Fungi walks are slow walks.

Look, Photograph, Do Not Eat: Wild Mushroom Safety

A fungi festival makes mushrooms feel friendly, so it is worth being clear about one thing. NSW Health advises people against foraging for, and eating, wild mushrooms. It says cooking poisonous mushrooms does not make them safe, and that you should only eat mushrooms bought from a reputable grocery store, supermarket or produce market.

NSW Health also warns that symptoms of mushroom poisoning can be delayed, and that early treatment is vital. Effects can include vomiting and diarrhoea, and in severe cases liver and kidney damage or death. If you suspect anyone has eaten a wild mushroom, NSW Health's advice is not to wait for symptoms and to call the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26 straight away.

That advice is especially important for families and pet owners. Young children pick things up and put them in their mouths, and dogs can eat fungi on lawns and walking tracks. Keep a close eye on both during damp-weather walks, and check the garden at your accommodation after heavy rain.

Guided forays run by experienced leaders during the festival are the right place to learn identification. Even then, treat what you learn as appreciation and photography skills, not a licence to harvest and eat.

Fungi Photography On A Winter Walk

Fungi are small, low and often in deep shade, which makes them a satisfying photography challenge. With the 2027 photography competition on the way, a few simple habits will make your photos far better.

Get low. Most of the drama is at ground level, so kneel or lie down and shoot from the mushroom's height rather than looking down on it. A small mat or a plastic bag to kneel on keeps you dry.

Use soft light. Overcast winter days are ideal. If it is very dark under the canopy, a phone torch held off to one side, or bounced off a piece of white card, lifts detail without the harsh look of a flash.

Keep still. A small tripod or a beanbag lets you use slower shutter speeds in the gloom. On a phone, brace your elbows on the ground and tap to focus on the cap or gills.

Check the competition rules when they are released. Past competitions have had an overall champion and a youth champion, which makes this a nice project for teenagers on a school holiday trip.

Eating Mushrooms The Safe Way: Festival Menus, Markets And Growers

The food side of the festival is where many visitors start. Past programs have included cooking classes, truffle hunts, mushroom or truffle dinners and fungi dishes at participating cafes and restaurants. When the 2027 calendar is released, look for a food trail or list of participating venues near Batemans Bay and Moruya, and book any dinners early because seats are limited.

For cooking at your accommodation, buy cultivated mushrooms. The festival's suppliers page lists Forest Door, which supplies mushrooms and ready-to-grow bags, as available from Southlands Fruit and Veg and the SAGE Market in Moruya. Eurobodalla Coast Tourism describes the SAGE farmers market as running every Tuesday afternoon at Riverside Park in Moruya, so a midweek stay can include a market run.

A mushroom-focused meal is an easy group project. One person makes a big tray of roasted mushrooms, another handles a risotto or pasta, and someone else puts together a simple cheese and local produce board. Eurobodalla Coast Tourism highlights local dairy, oysters, breads and craft breweries, so there is plenty to build around.

If a specific restaurant, market stall or supplier is central to your plans, confirm their current trading days and stock before you travel. Small producers sell out, and winter hours can be shorter.

Learn To Grow Your Own Mushrooms

Growing workshops are one of the festival's most practical offerings. The official site describes demonstrations of growing oyster and shiitake mushrooms, a tour of a mushroom fruiting room and building an outdoor mushroom garden.

The festival's resources page notes that Peter Wenzel and Leonie McGlashan, who own FungiCo, presented workshops on growing oyster and shiitake mushrooms, cooking mushrooms and medicinal mushrooms at the 2025 festival. Presenters change from year to year, so check the 2027 calendar for who is running what.

If you come home inspired, the festival's suppliers page lists local businesses selling grain spawn, substrates, growing kits and wood pellets along the South Coast, from Moruya and Dalmeny down to Cobargo, Pambula and Eden. A grow bag picked up on the trip makes a good souvenir that keeps giving after the holiday.

Growing workshops are also one of the best options for mixed groups. They are hands-on, mostly indoors or under cover, and suit curious children and adults alike.

Wet-Weather Fungi Days: Films, Exhibitions And Art

Rain is good news for fungi but can make long outdoor plans hard work. The festival's arts and film side is built for exactly those days.

Past programs have included fungi documentaries and movies, art exhibitions and workshops in painting, photography, drawing, collage and pottery. If the forecast turns, swap a long forest walk for a screening or an exhibition, then do a short rainforest loop later when the rain eases.

You can also bring the festival into the house. The festival's resources page notes that Follow the Rain, a film by fungi hunters Stephen Axford and Catherine Marciniak, is available on Netflix. A fungi film night after a day of walks is an easy way to bring the whole group together.

For reading, the festival lists Moruya Books among its book suppliers, and its resources page recommends field-guide style booklets for beginners. A small identification guide makes walks more engaging for older children, as long as everyone understands it is for spotting and photographing only.

Malua Bay As A Winter Base For The Festival

Malua Bay is a small beachside village on the coast road south of Batemans Bay. Eurobodalla Coast Tourism describes it as about 13 kilometres from Batemans Bay, with a small shopping centre, cafes and restaurants close by, and notes Mosquito Bay to the north has a cafe and public boat ramp.

For a winter festival trip, that location works well. Batemans Bay is close for events, groceries and dining, and Moruya is within easy reach to the south for the market, bookshop and any festival sessions held there. Murramarang National Park is north of Batemans Bay, and the drive inland towards Monga makes a good single big outing.

Winter at the beach is different from summer. Eurobodalla Coast Tourism notes the Batemans Bay Surf Life Saving Club patrols Malua Bay beach in summer, so do not expect patrols in June and July. Treat the beach as a place for walks, fresh air and sunsets rather than swimming, and check conditions before going near rocks.

Winter is also whale season on this coast. Eurobodalla Coast Tourism says the whale migration runs between June and November, so a morning beach walk or headland stop during the festival can come with a bonus sighting.

Why Skyes Beach House Suits A Fungi Feastival Weekend

Skyes Beach House is a two-level Malua Bay home that the WTP listing places about a two-minute walk from Malua Bay Beach. It sleeps up to 20 guests across six bedrooms and three bathrooms, which suits extended families and friend groups who want to travel to the festival together.

A fungi weekend involves cool, damp days outside, and the house has a strong wellness setup for coming back from them. The listing describes two hydrotherapy spas and a five-person outdoor infrared sauna with red light therapy in the backyard wellness area. After a muddy rainforest loop, that is a very good way to warm up.

The food side of the festival also fits the house. The listing shows a full upstairs kitchen with island bench seating, dishwasher and large fridge, plus a second kitchen downstairs, two dining areas, and a backyard BBQ area with a smoker, gas pizza oven, seating and outdoor dining. A group can cook a proper mushroom feast with produce from the trip.

On wet afternoons, the arcade-style games room gives younger guests something to do while others head to a workshop. The listing describes two Daytona racing machines with 151 racing games, a four-player shooter arcade with 4,700 games and a virtual pinball machine with 1,300 games.

The listing also shows the house as pet-friendly. Confirm approval, fees and house rules before booking, and remember the wild mushroom warning above applies to dogs on walks and in the garden after rain.

How A Group Can Use The House Between Festival Events

A month-long festival with sessions across several towns rarely suits everyone at the same time. A large house with two living areas lets the group split and come back together without anyone feeling stuck.

One part of the group might head to a morning growing workshop in Moruya while another stays local for a beach walk and the games room. The upstairs living, dining and kitchen area, which the listing notes has water views from the kitchen windows, can be the shared hub, while the downstairs lounge and kitchen give a second, quieter zone.

Evenings are where the house earns its place. A cooking session using cultivated mushrooms from the trip, a pizza oven night, then the spas or the sauna, makes for a satisfying end to a day outdoors. For mixed-age groups, the fenced backyard with lawn and garden areas gives children space to run around close to the house.

A Sample Three-Day Fungi Feastival Weekend From Malua Bay

Day One: Arrive And Settle In

Arrive in the afternoon, pick up groceries and any cultivated mushrooms on the way through Batemans Bay, and take a short walk down to Malua Bay Beach before dark. Check the next day's event details and the forecast, and set out walking shoes and rain layers so the morning is easy.

Day Two: One Festival Event And One Forest Walk

Make your booked festival event the anchor: a guided fungi walk, a growing workshop, a talk or a cooking class. Add lunch nearby, then, if the weather allows, a short self-guided walk such as the Depot Beach Rainforest loop to practise what you learned. Come back for the spas or sauna, and cook a mushroom dinner together.

Day Three: Slow Morning And A Food Stop

Start with a beach walk and a look out to sea for whales. If you are staying into the week and it is a Tuesday, head to Moruya for the SAGE Market in the afternoon. Otherwise, choose a cafe or a festival exhibition on the way home, and keep the last day light.

What To Pack For Winter Fungi Walks On The South Coast

Winter fungi hunting means damp ground, low light and cool air. Pack for comfort and you will stay out longer and see more.

Bring waterproof walking shoes with good grip, a warm layer and a rain jacket for each person. Rainforest tracks can be slippery with leaf litter and roots, and stepping stones are often wet.

A torch or headlamp helps under thick canopy, and a small magnifying glass makes tiny fungi much more interesting for children. A camera or phone, a small tripod or beanbag, and something waterproof to kneel on cover the photography side.

Carry drinking water, snacks and a basic first aid kit. NSW National Parks also recommends drinking water, a hat and sunscreen for walks such as Depot Beach. Remember that mobile reception can be limited in places like Monga, so let someone know your plans.

For the house, pack slippers, swimwear for the spas, and a few board games or a film list for wet evenings. If you plan to cook a mushroom feast, check what the kitchens already have before buying extras.

Before You Book: Your Fungi Feastival Checklist

Ready to plan your 2027 festival stay? See the full details, photos and availability for Skyes Beach House in Malua Bay, or browse more stays with WTP Holiday Homes.