One of our favourite places that we have been to on our travels is Stanthorpe. Situated in the heart of the Granite Belt wine region the area produces some very fine cool-climate wines, as well as a huge variety of fruit and other fresh produce. We love the whole area and you will find lots of things to do in Stanthorpe.
CASTLE GLEN WINERY
One of my favourite spots in Stanthorpe is Castle Glen Winery. The outside of the building looks like a castle and the inside is packed with a huge variety of liqueurs, wines, beers, ciders and other spirits. The thing I like most about Castle Glen’s products is that they are all chemical and additive-free. There are even gluten-free products available.
My favourite drop is their ‘Queensland Delight’ a chocolate, rum and coffee liquor. Will definitely be getting some more of that! It went down a treat around the campfire.
STANTHORPE CHEESE
If you like cheese then just up the road from Castle Glen you will find Stanthorpe Cheese. Stanthorpe Cheese produces a variety of cheeses on the premises. All made on the farm from milk from their own jersey cows. I ended up with a lovely piece of blue cheese and the kids grabbed a milk shake each. The only thing I would have like more was if they had offered a tour of the cheesery.
GRANITE BELT MAZE
If you are travelling with kids, then I can highly recommend a visit to The Granite Belt Maze. Even our older kids had lots of fun running through the big maze. In each of the dead ends there are alphabet clues that help you solve the riddle on your game card. As well as the large maze, there is a mini maze and a putt putt golf course. The gardens are really lovely and somewhere you could easily relax whilst the kids run around. It certainly helped to burn off some of their excess energy.
GRANITE BELT WINERIES
Stanthorpe is very well known for it’s wineries and there are several in the area worth visiting. Granite Ridge Wines is a lovely spot and they have some very nice wines. Ballendean Estate Wines is another favourite and is one of Queensland’s oldest family owned and operated wineries. Lots of yummy wines and food available there too. I particularly liked their Chocolate Rummy Port.
A couple of other great places to check out are Jamworks at Glen Aplin which is a great spot to buy locally produced jams, chutneys and sauces. It’s also a great spot to grab lunch, morning or afternoon tea. The kids also enjoyed Strawberry Fields where you can pick your own strawberries so you know they are fresh.
GIRRAWEEN NATIONAL PARK
If you are staying at Stanthorpe then you are close enough to Girraween National Park for a visit.
Girraween National Park is situated on the Queensland-NSW border about half way between Stanthorpe and Tenterfield. It is roughly a 35 kilometre drive from Stanthorpe. The road is sealed or for the more adventurous you can go via Eukey and Storm King Dam where you will find some gravel sections of road.
On the way out we stopped at a little shop called ‘Heavenly Chocolate’. Which as the name suggests does indeed sell an array of chocolate. Set in a beautiful cottage style garden you can sit and enjoy a hot chocolate. Or whatever goodies you might have purchased! There are also three cottages on the property that you can stay in. It was a really pretty spot and would be lovely for a weekend getaway.
Girraween National Park is just a little further down the road and has two main camping areas. Castle Rock or Bald Rock Creek. Both are suitable for tents and camper trailers. Castle Rock is also suitable for caravans and motor homes. There were plenty of good sized flat sites available and there are also toilets and showers there. Camping permits are required and must be displayed on your tent or van. It is advisable to bring your own drinking water. All rubbish must be removed by campers and visitors. Fires are only allowed in designated BBQ areas.
BUSHWALKING PARADISE
For anyone keen on bushwalking Girraween has 17 kilometres of walking tracks. Ranging in length from a short 280-metre stroll to an 11-kilometre return walk to Mt Norman. There is also a large day-use area. The toilets, picnic shelters and BBQs all looked as if they were fairly new. I always keep a picnic bag in the back of our car so that we can stop along the way for lunch. This was a great place to stop and afterwards, we went for a walk along the edge of the creek. It was a great spot for the kids to do some exploring.
WHERE TO STAY
There are plenty of places to stay when you visit Stanthorpe but our favourite is Sommerville Valley Tourist Park. Sommerville Valley is located about 10 kilometres from Stanthorpe and is right on the edge of Storm King Dam. Storm King Dam is a perfect spot for water skiing, kayaking or fishing.
The un-powered sites are large and grassy and all have purpose-built fire pits. These are just awesome as the nights can get pretty chilly in Stanthorpe. Finding wood is not an issue as you can get a load delivered straight to your campsite.
As well to the campsites there are also small cabins, powered sites and some luxury cabins if you don’t feel like roughing it.
We definitely recommend a visit to Stanthorpe. There is so much to see and do in the area. I think you will love it as much as we do.
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I planned a camping trip out to Stanthorpe once, even booked the camp site. Then ended up calling up and cancelling the week before. I had a new baby and the temperatures out there plummeted and I couldn’t bear to take the girls camping when it was so cold. I so want to go and this post has reminded me why, but am going to either try for warmer weather (though not too hot) or until the girls are old enough to handle the cold.
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We have been to Stanthorpe twice now, once in April and once in September. Both times the days were beautiful but the nights were chilly, but great for a camp fire. It’s a lovely spot.