Father's Day at Spring Farm Village

Father's Day is Sunday 6 September, which gives you a fortnight to do better than the socks-and-a-mug routine. Here's what's on at the Village.

A free photo album workshop, Saturday 5 September

The day before Father's Day, bring the kids down and let them make him something he'll still have in twenty years. We supply the albums and the decorations; you bring the photos and the kids take it from there — which is to say your album will be laid out by someone with strong opinions and no interest in symmetry. That's rather the point.

Saturday 5 September | 10:00–10:50am or 11:00–11:50am | Free One dad and one child per booking. Spots are limited and bookings are essential.

Book your session → HERE

The Great Kingston Dad Joke Showdown

We're hunting for the region's worst best dad joke — the one he's told at every barbecue since 2019, and still pauses for the laugh. Comment his joke on our Facebook or Instagram post to enter. That's the whole thing.

Thanks to Jo's Fresh Meats, first place takes a $250 meat pack and the runner-up a $100 meat pack. Entries close Sunday 6 September at 11:59pm, finalists go to a public vote on Facebook from Monday 7 to Thursday 10 September, and winners are announced Friday 11 September.

Enter on Facebook → HERE

Where to find a gift

Under $20 — Sukin For Men from $12.49 at Chemist Warehouse: face wash, moisturiser, beard oil, and he'll use it daily rather than saving it for good. Or a proper loaf and a coffee from Hansel & Gretel Bakery, with the cabinet full from 8.30am.

Under $50 — A cut and a hot towel at Male Alchemy, our modern barber and quietly the best gift in the centre; a voucher means he has to sit down for an hour, which is more than most gifts manage. Open Sunday 10am–4pm. Or the screen he keeps meaning to get fixed, at Addressia Trading.

Under $100 — At Chemist Warehouse: Montblanc Emblem EDT 100mL, $69.99 (save $70 off RRP); Gucci Guilty Pour Homme EDT 90mL, $99.99 (save $45); and the Oral-B iO3 Electric Toothbrush at $99.99, which is not glamorous but is genuinely the gift most likely to still be in use next Father's Day.

Go on then — Paco Rabanne Invictus EDT 200mL, $129.99 at Chemist Warehouse, saving $100 off RRP. Or a cut he'd never buy himself from Jo's Fresh Meats: tell the team what he likes and what he's cooking it on, and they'll sort the rest. Open Sunday 8am–5pm, so even the morning of is fine.

Chemist Warehouse offers valid 20 August – 6 September. Savings are calculated against the supplier's current published recommended retail price at the time of preparation; due to Chemist Warehouse's discount policy, the product may not have been sold at that RRP.

And on the day

Let him choose lunch — Smashboy Burgers from midday, Parthenon Souvlaki Bar from 11am, Sushi Sushi from 10am, or Happy Larry Deli for coffee and a sandwich until 3pm. Or skip the cooking with the VIVA Banquet from Viva Italia Pizzeria: two family pizzas, two large pastas, two garlic breads and two 1.25L drinks, saving $20.

Almost everyone is trading on Sunday, including the butcher, the bakery and the barber, with Coles open from 7am. RACT is the exception, closed Sundays as usual — so if you're claiming the free 12-month Lifestyle Membership, pop in before Saturday midday.

Check trading hours →