We have only ever really driven through Stanthorpe on the way up the New England Highway to Queensland. Back in the day it was renowned for everything apple. But we had heard that this had changed and the area was now a premier wine area, with a great reputation based on tourism. We were really looking forward to exploring the area, especially Girraween NP. And it all worked out so well – we really enjoyed Stanthorpe and the surrounding area. And the company of our fellow travellers.
Getting There
We were at Stanthorpe from 26th November 2022 to 1 December. We travelled with good friends Barry (ex school mate) and the delightful Liz.
We live in Kingscliff and got to Stanthorpe via Beaudesert (90km via the M1), Warwick (121 kms) then Stanthorpe (60km). A total of 272km.
Kerry’s snippets in fuchsia
History
To read more on the history of Stanthorpe, click here.
First Nations
Prior to the arrival of British settlers, the Kambuwal First Nations people lived in a vast area of 9,600 square kilometres. The Wallangarra-Girraween area was an important meeting place. Family groups came together for marriages, trade, gift exchange and ceremonial gatherings. The woodlands and waterholes of the Severn River offered a plentiful food supply.
Colonial History
The first non-indigenous person to explore the area was Allan Cunningham who passed through the area in 1827, and the Stanthorpe district was first settled in the 1850s. Grapes were first grown in the area in the 1860s.
The discovery of tin on the Quart Pot Creek in 1871 brought about increased settlement but by 1876 the mining had finished.
After World War I soldier settlements were established to the north of the town, stimulating rail development. During World War II Italian POWs were sent to the area to work on the farms.
Today, Stanthorpe is an attractive rural service centre set in the middle of a rich, mixed farming area where rural activities range from vineyards, wineries and orchards to sheep and cattle grazing. By 2011 there were over 5,000 people living in the town.
Day 1 – Saturday 26 November – To Stanthorpe
Thankfully we were travelling on a Saturday so the terrible traffic we normally experience on the M1 to the south of Nerang was missing. We made good time to Nerang then Beaudesert, driving through some loverly countryside. The road was narrow in places but quite OK for towing the van. At Beaudesert we stopped for fuel as the price was the cheapest around.
We met Barry & Liz at Aratula – they had travelled from the Gold Coast. It was their tradition to stop there at the pie shop before the ascent to Warwick. Given the large number of people at the bakery it looks to be a tradition for many people. The pies were excellent.
The drive up to Stanthorpe was great and it was good to be back into granite country. We had stayed in Tenterfield about a year ago and loved that. Our post for that trip can be read here.
It was a drive through lovely rolling hillsides with an occasional outcrop of granite. The highway was generally pretty good, but with a few bumps and sways on the way.
We were staying at the Top of The Town van park, about 2km north of the town. It’s a large and spacious park with a flat area where the majority of the sites are. Then there is a raised area at one end, and also a top level. These areas provide some interesting sites – such as a camping site tucked away behind some bushes.
We were on the middle level where there was only 1 van set up. It was a bit difficult to see how the vans should best fit in, as individual sites were not marked. But we were soon both set up. The only issues for this location was that the land dropped away making coupling and uncoupling the towball tricky; and the long distance to the ablutions. The park was a bit rustic but the facilities were fine. Note to self: Try to be closer to the facilities – its a bugger walking 200 metres in the middle of the night.
There were many lovely black-tailed birds on a constant hunt for food. Later we walked up to the water tank for great views of the sunset.
Day 2 – Sunday 27 December – Girraween NP
As the forecast was for deteriorating weather over the next few days, we decided to go to Girraween NP.
This stunning national park is known for its massive granite outcrops, precariously balanced boulders, clear streams and tumbling cascades. All set within 11,800 ha of eucalypt forests and other plant life. The area provides great diversity of plant and animal species, some of which do not occur naturally elsewhere.
To read about the history of the Park, click here
It was a short drive south to the turnoff to the park and a good road to the Bald Rock Creek day use area. Our intention was to do the Weberba Walk, the Pyramid, the Granite Arch, and the Bald Rock Creek circuit.
The Wyberba is a very short walk along the peaceful waters of Bald Rock Creek providing views of The Pyramid and the spring wildflower displays. It took us back to the car park. The wildflowers are stunning.
After that we left the Granite Arch track and walked steadily uphill through eucalypt forests, past rocky outcrops and grassy flats to the base of this massive granite dome. It is indeed a climb up the stepped track and Kerry took refuge about two thirds of the way up. We were impressed by the massive stones we passed on the trail.
Reaching the base of the rock face we were in awe of the climb we faced up to the top of the Pyramid. We had read that a good level of fitness is required to make the climb as the ascent on the exposed rock face is steep and would be slippery if it rained. So we set off up the face. I waited on a comfy rock just before the really steep part. My hips are presenting problems for this level of serious walking.
Liz pulled out when the full scale of the climb was clear, and perched on a rock as Barry and I headed up.
It was a hell of a climb that really stretched our fitness. A few times we both nearly gave up. But we were so glad we didn’t as the views are stunning and the granite rocks are amazing.
Then we got to Balancing Rock – what an amazing structure. How could a rock that size remain balanced on its tiny base. There are even gaps in the base. Awesome.
We then walked on to the top of the mountain. The view is best seen from our video – click here.
Unfortunately there was a small shower when we were at the top. This made the rock face extremely slippery and drove home how vulnerable we were. If we lost our grip we could easily have gone over the edge and would be in real trouble. We ended up going down on our bums, as did quite a few others who had abandoned plans to get to the top. It was a relief to get down safely.
We then made our way around to the Granite Arch, a short distance away. This is another remarkable rock formation. Quite cute, as were the pocket of kangaroos on the other side. Its always so nice to see a kangaroo family with a couple of joeys. But you really wouldn’t want to be anywhere near this area if an earth tremor hit.
From there we walked back to the carpark and enjoyed a picnic lunch. we abandoned any further walks because of the uncertain weather.
Day 3 – Monday 28 November – around town, Donnelly Castle, Stanthorpe Cheese
Lovely day, though a tad cool.
Around town
I had a long walk first thing to check out the town. It has a great streetscape – the flowers add a nice touch – and some lovely looking buildings with the Post Office being the stand-out. It was built in 1901.
St Josephs catholic school, built in 1875, is another stunning building.
There are also many lovely looking pubs in town. We ate at the O’Mara as this was Kerrys maiden name. The food was excellent too and we had a lovely local prosecco.
Some others include the museum.
At the end of town is the narrow Quart Pot Creek bridge over the same named creek near the Information Office. There are lots of walking tracks in both directions along the creek and I enjoyed many of them.
Don’t you love the families of ducks when the ducklings are so young.
Donnelly Castle
Donnelly’s Castle is a granite rock formation that you can walk between, around and over! The massive boulders are just as spectacular as some of the rock formations in Girraween National Park. It is was named after Ned Donnelly, an early settler. The Castle was the one of the hideouts for the infamous bushranger ‘Thunderbolt’ who roamed the New England Tablelands.
The rock formation is a short and pretty drive out of Stanthorpe near Pozieres, although signage to get there would have been a great help. But we got to see farmlands typical of the area. The orange flowers were prolific. Coriopsis from memory.
Now a crown recreation reserve, the area has picnic tables and barbecues. The site contains boulders to scramble over and hidden passageways to explore, as well as spectacular views of the surrounding area from the 200 metre walk to the top. Its great!
At the carpark you can take one path to get to the Castle or the other to get to the cave. We took the latter first.
The cave is amazing – massive boulders, tight cracks between those to get through and then the caves themselves. A perfect hideout. And with an area to store the horses. It was remarkably similar to Thunderbolt’s caves we had seen near Tenterfield. However, it was really spoilt by the graffiti on some of the rocks. Why do people do this!
The castle is a massive rock outcrop providing spectacular views of the surrounding area from the 200 metre walk to the top via a metal staircase. Brilliant – check it out in the video – click here.
From there is is off to Stanthorpe Cheese factory. There are couple of cheese factories in the area – this one is on the north side of Stanthorpe. We bought quite a few of the cheeses and other produce. My favourite was the blue.
After that we had a lovely lunch at the nearby Vincenzo’s, then back to the van park. The cheeses are all made from Jersey Cows milk… delicious.
Day 4 – Tuesday 29 December – Mt Marlay, Pyramid, Symphony Hill, Wallangarra
Mt Marlay provides a panoramic view over Stanthorpe. Located close to the town, you can drive all the way to the top of the summit. I had walked to the top on one of my morning walks.
But we started at the Soldiers Memorial, a heritage-listed war memorial at Lock Street. It was built from 1925 to 1926. The Memorial was originally erected to commemorate those who served in World War One but today encompasses those who have served in all conflicts in which Australia has been involved.
It’s a short drive to the lookout driving up from Lock St. There are great views and you get an appreciation how big this town is. You can also see this on the video – click here.
There are free binoculars and picnic tables. We did not take the short walk around the summit, but I had done that on a morning walk. It’s via a narrow concreted path through the trees. The mountain also features 4 mountain biking tracks.
From there we drove to Ballandean to see the Ballandean Pyramid, a constructed stone pyramid near the village. The pyramid is approximately 15 metres in height and built from blocks of the local granite. It is on private property belonging to a local vineyard, with keep out signs prominent. You really wonder how this was built, and why.
We called into the Symphony Hill winery still close to Ballandean. We had chosen that winery as at dinner at O’Maras Pub the previous day Liz and I had shared a bottle of their prosecco and really enjoyed it.
The winery experience there was excellent. We tasted several wines (free tasting), and Martina, the woman who did the tasting, was exceptionally good. It was just about the best winery experience I have had. There were a number of grape varieties I knew little about and we really enjoyed being able to taste such a variety. The quality was also great – these wines are served by Qantas in business class. We also go to look through the winery process – loved the Amphoraes.
We both joined the winery club committing to getting 2 cases of wine per year. I elected to get the red wine package. That also gave us a 30% discount for all wines bought. We went away with a few cases in our boots.
We kept driving south, past the entrance to Girraween NP to Wallangarra. The attraction there is the famous railway station. In 1885, the Queensland Government announced that a town would be formed where the railway line between Queensland and New South Wales would meet. The town would provide a break-of-gauge between Queensland’s narrow gauge and NSW’s standard gauge. Two railway stations were created within the area.
When the railways were completed this meant that people travelling from one state to the next had to alight at Wallangarra and change trains. Not surprisingly this ensured that the tiny settlement became a major railway junction. Today the town’s most impressive feature is the rather grand Victorian-era railway station. This actually splits the railway station in two with different awnings on either side of the building. It’s an amazing place – we could start with a foot in each state.
Early in its life, the station contained a customs house when goods crossing the border had to pay taxes or levies. Scheduled rail services ended in 1997. The station is now a restaurant and museum. We had lunch there, on the NSW side of course. It was excellent.
After lunch we walked through the museum.
Finally we called in to the Storm King dam – very pretty area.
Day 5 – Wednesday 30 December – truffle farm, street art
The weather changed for the worst overnight. Barry & Liz took down their awning – we left ours out as we had rafters and the privacy screen attached.
It was a freezing morning with strong winds. We abandoned a trip to Nundubbermere Falls as the weather looked ominous. Instead we had a pretty lazy day trying to keep warm.
We started at the truffle farm, where they plant and harvest their own truffles. It’s only about 10km north of town. The truffles looks like a large black golf ball. We were the first customers there and were told about the farm before being given a taste of about a dozen products. Kerry was in her element having a long love of most things truffle, while I was less enthusiastic finding the taste very strong.
We had a tasting of several truffle products – I didn’t realise what a big difference in flavour there is between the black and white truffles. Black for me from now on. We came away with a big bag of goodies needless to say.
After that we drove into town and parked, so as to walk about and see the murals. These are brilliant although some are hard to see as there are within a narrow pathway. The second photo shows Kerry patting a cat in the picture – so realistic.
We also took the opportunity to do a bit of shopping before returning to the van park.
In the afternoon we went to the Christmas tree farm and, more importantly for Kerry, a great Christmas shop. Barry & Liz had been there before. It was quite a big shop with lots of all things Christmassy.
Being so close to Christmas most of the trees were gone (or still there but with sold signs on them). It was unusual to see a few donkeys at the farm. It was still bitterly cold so made our way back to the van park.
To see photos from this post, click here.
To see a video from this post, click here.