The Granite Belt is a region of Southern Queensland famous for its incredible produce and beautiful national parks. Centred around the town of Stanthorpe, there is plenty to do in this part of the Southern Downs. In Spring, this region is home to beautiful wildflowers and in autumn the trees turn brilliant colours of yellow, orange and red. In winter, the Granite Belt is the only region in Queensland that occasionally receives snow! Summer is a great time to visit for comparatively mild weather. Sitting over 800 metres above sea level, Stanthorpe is five to seven degrees cooler than Brisbane on average! All of these factors combine to create a brilliant destination for a long-weekend getaway. In this post, I will share the highlights of the Granite Belt and surrounds.
Getting to the Granite Belt
The easiest way to get to the Granite Belt is by car, and this makes it easier to get around once you’re there too! It takes around two and a half hours to get from Brisbane to Stanthorpe via the Cunningham Highway. You can also take a slightly longer route travelling through Toowoomba and more of the Darling Downs region. It is possible to get a bus from Brisbane to Stanthorpe, though you may struggle to get around once you’ve arrived in the town. A quick Google search brings up a number of winery, food and National Park tours that depart from Stanthorpe, so this could be an option for anyone without access to a car.
If you’re planning on driving and have some extra time, I highly recommend a visit to Main Range National Park. This is a huge park with lots of different natural features to explore. The most famous of these is Queen Mary Falls, located approximately 40 minutes from Warwick. It is also sunflower season in the Southern Downs from late December until March, so be sure to check out the sunflower fields if you’re driving around Warwick and Allora!
Where to stay: Granite Belt Retreat
At the centre of the Granite Belt Region, Stanthorpe makes the perfect base for all of your adventures. There are plenty of accommodation options in and around the town, ranging from camping to motels to cabin retreats. It is also possible to camp at Girraween National Park if you’re wishing to extend your stay in the park. We chose to stay at the Granite Belt Retreat in the Hidden House; this was a beautiful accommodation option located only seven minutes from town.
The Hidden House is the largest accommodation option available at the Granite Belt Retreat, sleeping up to 10 people. There are also smaller cabins available, and all options are dog-friendly. For the cold nights, each cabin has a wood fire heater. Firewood can be purchased on-site or is included for stays over the cooler months (from April). Also included in your stay are a breakfast box for stays between Sunday and Friday, and a hot breakfast in the restaurant for Saturday night stays. The site is also home to the Granite Belt Brewery and a restaurant, which serves both lunch and dinner. You can also sample all the beers on offer that are made on site with a tasting paddle! I’m not much of a beer (or alcohol) fan overall, but I highly recommend the cider and the blueberry ale (seasonal).
The Granite Belt Retreat is surrounded by native bushland, including plenty of the granite boulders the area is most famous for. There is also an abundance of wildlife living here, including a mob of Eastern Grey Kangaroos, some wallabies, frogs and various species of birds.
Places to eat in Stanthorpe
Stanthorpe is a great place to stay, in that it offers a variety of places to eat despite being a rather small town. There are quite a few places to choose from on the main strip. These include a Thai restaurant, and ‘The Pizza Place’ (yes, that’s really it’s name!), both of which I recommend. There are also other restaurants located elsewhere in the town. It is important to note that as of March 2022 some restaurants are still only doing takeaway orders. If you’re unsure, try to book in advance or ask at the Information Centre. The volunteers there are extremely helpful and are more than happy to give their recommendations and advice.
Produce of the Granite Belt
It wouldn’t be a visit to the Granite Belt without trying (and buying) some of the local produce! The region is most famous for its wineries and apple production. Whilst there is plenty of wineries to choose from (and I do highly recommend visiting at least one!), you can’t miss visiting some of the other produce suppliers.
Our personal favourite was Stanthorpe Cheese. Visitors can sample all the cheeses made on-site plus some local chutneys and honey in a $3 cheese tasting. At the end, you can buy not only the cheese, but a selection of local products including jams, honey, sauces, and much more. Stanthorpe Cheese is also a great place to stop for lunch, with the option to create your own toastie featuring one (or more) of their cheeses. Talk about the ultimate cheese toastie!
Another favourite was the Truffle Discovery Centre, which hosts free tastings on both truffle and Granite Belt Gourmet products. They are only open on Wednesdays and weekends, though, so be sure to plan your trip around their opening hours. They also have a centre on Mount Tambourine, which is easily accessible as a day trip from the Gold Coast.
Ideally placed on the road to Girraween National Park is Heavenly Chocolates. This is a small local chocolate shop which does great coffees and milkshakes, making it an ideal place to stop on the way in or out of the National Park. It also gets brownie points for being one of the only places open on the ANZAC day public holiday. If you’re after a gift for someone, the chocolates made here are delicious and come in cute shapes! I am a little biased, because they sell echidna chocolates; anyone who knows me will recognise how amazing that is!
Girraween National Park guide
Girraween National Park is one of the best places to truly experience the incredible granite boulder structures of the Granite Belt region. Though there are a number of other national parks in the area, including Sundown National Park to the West and Bald Rock National Park across the border in New South Wales, Girraween is the most accessible. You do not need a four-wheel-drive vehicle to access the day use area or Castle Rock camping area. There is a wide variety of walks to choose from, most of which start in or near the day use area. There is also a small visitor centre where you can learn more about the landscapes, plants and animals that call the National Park home.
The Pyramid walk
One of the most popular walks in Girraween National Park is to The Pyramid, one of the many granite peaks in the park. The Pyramid walk is classed as Grade 4, due to the very steep rockface you climb to get to the top of the feature. You will need around two hours to complete this walk. The last part of the walk is on the Pyramid itself and is very steep; none of my family actually ended up making it to the top. If you are intending on going all the way up, you will need hiking boots or other good-quality footwear. But you would be rewarded with 360 degree views over the park and of Balancing Rock perched precariously on the top of the Pyramid. Even if you don’t quite make it all the way up, you can still get some fantastic views back the way you came.
Girraween’s short walks
Another very popular walk in the National Park is the Granite Arch loop. This walk is only 30 minutes on a Grade 3 track, and can easily be added onto your hike to The Pyramid. The Granite Arch is a natural stone archway formed out of three boulders. One large, round boulder is balanced atop of two column-shaped ones! It is a very interesting natural feature, and makes a great walk for families.
I also highly recommend doing the Wyberba Walk near the visitor centre and carpark. This is a very short walk, needing only 15 minutes, but is rated at only Grade 2 and therefore is accessible to most visitors. The walk meanders along the Bald Rock Creek and provides great views of the Pyramid. In spring, the walk is famous for its beautiful wildflowers. This walk is great to do after lunch or your Pyramid walk, as you get to relax a little and admire the view of the feature you just climbed!
Wildlife of Girraween
If you want to see animals, it’s best to arrive early or camp overnight. However, you might get lucky on your day trips too! There is currently (March 2022) a small mob of Eastern Grey Kangaroos living in the day use area, which you can see eating the grass in the mornings or resting under trees later in the day. There are also plenty of reptiles to be spotted basking on the granite boulders, such as Cunninghams Skinks and dragon lizards. Around 150 bird species also call Girraween National Park home; we were lucky enough to spot a female Satin Bowerbird in the day use area.
Additional places to explore
If you’re not able to make it to the national park, don’t worry! There are other places you can see the impressive rock formations of the Granite Belt. These are located much closer to the town and are dog-friendly if you have brought your furry friend along.
Donnelly’s Castle
Despite it’s name, Donnelly’s Castle isn’t actually a castle. Instead, it’s a rather large collection of granite boulders. This place was once one of Bushranger Captain Thunderbolt’s hideouts. Now, it is a small park home to two short walks: one in amongst the caves and one to a lookout atop one of the boulders. Unfortunately a number of the rocks have been graffitied and this detracts from the natural feel. However, it is still a cool and unique place to visit! The view from the lookout is pretty incredible; on a clear day, you can see over Stanthorpe and all the way to the border with New South Wales. Wandering amongst the caves was also quite a unique experience. We didn’t get to do this anywhere else! It really feels like you are hidden away from the world in amongst the crevices.
It is important to note that this is the perfect environment for snakes. They love to hide amongst the crevices in rocks. Even if you’re not lucky enough to see one like we did, they could be around. Make sure you are aware of where you are walking and keep an eye on your pets if you bring them. I also recommend you wear closed-in shoes. This will make exploring easier and more comfortable too!
Stanthorpe town
There are also a number of features closer to the town of Stanthorpe that you can check out. These come recommended by the volunteers at the Information Centre. Located just outside of town is Mount Marlay Lookout. If you want great views over Stanthorpe and surrounds without going all the way to Donnelly’s Castle or the National Parks, this place is for you. There are no toilets here, but there are picnic tables for you to bring lunch or a snack. You can drive to the top, but there is a short walk around the summit. This allows you to check out all 360 degrees of the view! If you are into mountain biking, there are also four trails down the mountain of varying difficulty.
If you are staying at the Granite Belt Brewery and want to extend your exploration beyond the property, Broadwater State Forest is located across the road. Within the park you will find a series of fire trails, which can be used for walking and mountain biking. All together, these can create an hour-long loop. Not a lot of information is available about Broadwater State Forest online, so it is best to ask at your accommodation or the Information Centre before you head out.
Looking to extend your trip? Here are some other nearby destinations!
I hope that after reading this post, you feel inspired to visit this beautiful part of South-East Queensland! As you can see, there is heaps to do here but if you are wanting to extend your trip, here are a few other ideas for you.
Instead of heading back to Brisbane, take the New England Highway North to Toowomba and the Darling Downs. This is a beautiful part of Queensland as well, with beautiful gardens, national parks and historical sites to explore. You can check out my post about Toowoomba here. Of course, an easy way to extend your trip in Queensland would be to explore Brisbane or the nearby Gold Coast. I have multiple posts about these destinations you can check out from my Australia destination page. Happy travelling!
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