We woke up to another crisp morning. I didn’t particularly want to get out of bed, but eventually did. not helped along by a message from our host suggesting the pipes may be frozen after the temperature had dipped to -8 degrees overnight. We showered and headed straight to the Farmers Market. My ongoing conundrum is when is a Farmers market actually a farmers market. This one passed the test. Aside from a coffee cart and a doughnut stall, it was mostly fresh produce and locals catching up, which gave it a proper community feel. We’d hoped for a breakfast option, but that wasn”t on offer, so we pushed on with our day.
We decided to take tourist drive #6 – the Highlands Drive. Our first stop was Storm King Dam which has served as the sole water supply reservoir for Stanthorpe since 1954. Being only 8 kilometres out of town, it is also a popular recreation spot for the Stanthorpe locals. It was just us and another family, their young lad enthusiastically fishing working a fishing ro under the watchful eyes of some ducks and pelicans. In the distance we could hear kookaburras and magpies called, in keeping with a spot well regarded by local birdwatchers.
There are several wineries on this road and our first stop was Symphony Hill, proud sponsors of Qld Ballet and therefore responsible in keeping Deb’s ballet club going. We worked through a generous tasting across their range, ultimately favouring the Tempranillo and the Petit Verdot, with a very drinkable Prosecco Rose, for those inclined. Much of their fermentation is done in Amphoras rather than oak barrels that dominate further south, which gives the wines a different feel to the South Australian styles that reside in my cellar.
The next winery we stopped at was called Clever Kid, so named after the resident goats. This site used as Just Reds and still focuses on five red wines from a light shiraz through to more tannic style at the other end. The current owners bought the winery from the retiring former owner and are clearly keen to put their own stamp on on the place, starting with the goat-themed branding. We met Luke, one of the owners who was both warm, personable and very capable. He gave a textbook demonstration of how to manage a crowd when a couple of tour buses rolled in.
Pretty soon we were back near Ballandean and saw a sign to the Meteora, a winery our host at Symphony Hill had suggested was worth a look. Meteora Vineyard is a relatively new arrival rather than one of the region’s original wineries, founded by Andrew and Karen Catsoulis with the ambition of creating a “world‑class” wine and hospitality destination. It brings together a modern cellar door, premium restaurant and vineyards on a prominent site just outside town. Despite all the investment, when we arrived there wasn’t a spare tasting table, so we left them to it and decided we would visit another time. It did, however, leave me thinking about the shift from small, family-run cellar doors to the big investor-backed venues.
We had a toasted truffle cheese sandwich from the folly truffles food truck, parked outside a place called The Church. The building was originally St Oswald’s Anglican Church, dedicated on 1 March 1926. In recent years, it has found a new life as a heritage venue focused on Granite Belt wines, tastings, local producers and truffle products. Fittingly, truffles have become on of the Granite Belt’s standout specialties, with the region’s cool winters, warm summers and suitable soil making it well suited to black truffle production.
The Granite Belt’s has a burgeoning gin scene the complements the region’s wine and craft spirits culture, with distillers leaning into the altitude, cool climate and local botanicals that help give the gins a distinct regional connection. The Ginyard is one of the standouts, a small-batch producer offering a relaxed ambience and an interesting tasting experience. We chose three gins each, served with a splash of the Strangelove of our choice and in the end we liked the Lemon Myrtle and the Honey Gins, though there are plenty of other options for the discerning drinker. The gin scene has definitely become another part of the Granite Belt’s broader drawcard, alongside wine, truffles and the rest of the food and drink scene.
With nothing else on our agenda, we drove on to Girraween National Park, making a stop at Heavenly Chocolate, on the way in. It is well known for its hot chocolate but as far as the photographer was concerned, the bird feeders were just as big a drawcard, so a few more photos were in order. As well as the parrots, there were some Wrens fluttering around, but they were too quick for me. With the photos taken and the hot chocolate drank, we drove to the visitor centre at Girraween, and I took a photo of the Pyramid, which is one of the park’s granite domes.
Tonight we had dinner at Essen, one of Stanthorpe’s most well-known restaurants. It is a small restaurant with a distinctly local story, run by chef-owner Clarissa Pabst, who was born and raised in the region. She opened it in 2019 after spending time in Melbourne and working at places like Tivoli Road Bakery in South Yarra, before bringing her own style back home to the Granite Belt. Essen is known for seasonal, locally focused food. The meal was a set menu that featured fresh breads, chicken liver parfait, kingfish crudo, Austrian pasta, roasted lamb rump and roast pumpkin. They do not have a liquor licence, so I took along a nice McRae Wood Shiraz from my collection.
That brings to a close a great three days. For me it was a good tune up for taking wildlife photos in Africa in just a few weeks time. This area has certainly upped it’s game since we last visited, quality wine and food abounds. For Deb, she was pleasantly surprised at the quality of a food and wine and felt like we’d discovered a hidden gem.
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