Drought. Bushfires. Floods. Sadly, Australia has gone peak Dorothea Mackellar this summer. Heroically, the people touched by disaster keep on keeping on. Miraculously, they laugh because if they didn’t they’d weep. The call to #bringemptyeskys and #holidayherethisyear has gone out. But we need to buy more and stay longer. One region fighting the good fight is South East Queensland’s Granite Belt – aka Granite Belt Wine Country.
People around here aren’t sentimental. They’re not even nostalgic. Working the land in Australia has never been easy unless you’re a multi-millionaire grazier. Our PM told us last year if “You have a go, you’ll get a go”. Nothing could be further from the truth for many Australians both in the city and the country. Sometimes all your hard work just goes up in smoke. Or it’s washed away. Now’s the time for us to start doing more for our country cousins who need our dollars.
One of Australia’s food bowls, the Granite Belt is renowned for apples, stone fruit, and wine. Only 3 hours from Brisbane or the Gold Coast, the region is perfect for a weekend away with wine tasting and national park hiking top of the list. Last weekend we road-tripped with a group of travel writers to explore, taste, sip, and marvel at its unique landscape. We also listened to strawberry and apple growers, soap makers, brewers, winemakers, restaurateurs, and chocolatiers. Earthly and heavenly all at once.
25 apples in every pie
Dave and Roz Sutton have done it all from wheat farming to trawler fishing and now they’re orchardists. They saw the writing on the wall some years ago and started to diversify and value add. Their shingle now reads ‘ Sutton’s Juice Factory, Cidery and Cafe.
Inhale the warm, sweet swoosh apples and spice. Jars and bottles of juice, cider and sweet treats are stacked high. And there’s Limoncello too!
Sutton’s enormous apple pies are legendary. Manager Deb Gavin tells us it takes 25 Pink Ladies to make each pie. (That’s apples, not employees). This variety holds its shape better and is sweeter than a Granny Smith. Slabs not slices of these full-figured beauties are served with whipped cream topped with Sutton’s Apple Syrup and a scoop of Spiced Cider Ice Cream. Big enough for two to share.
If you crave even more handcrafted goodies like jams, relishes, chutneys and sauces make a stop at Jamworks – local and luscious.
Getting schooled on wine – Queensland College of Wine Tourism
Queensland College of Wine Tourism, CEO Peter O’Reilly knows a thing or two about tourism as the former CEO of Enterprise Whitsundays. Peter’s family own and operate O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat in the nearby Scenic Rim so he is no stranger to heartache.
Peter tells us the college is a joint venture with the state government and USQ and aims to engage schools with industry training in wine science and hospitality. Nearby Stanthorpe High is the only school in the Southern Hemisphere that grows and crushes grapes. The wine is also served at Vanias – the onsite restaurant.
The College’s Banca Ridge label has had particular success with its Sparkling Marsanne and Sparkling Merlot. Visitors can join a guided tour of the facility, finishing in the ‘Tastes of the Granite Belt’ room where they sample the student’s work. Guests also enjoy a cooking demonstration and then have the opportunity to taste the finished product.
Wine tourism is a relatively new concept on the Granite Belt and Peter says, “it’s all about making boutique wine and selling it to people as part of a wine experience”.
“Drought and bushfires have been horrific in terms of tourist numbers. January was the worst month in six years. December was horrendous as well. (The drought means) key wineries won’t pick fruit this year. If it’s not one thing, that gets you, it’s another.”
I love to have a beer with Phil and Dee and so will you
When we arrive at Granite Belt Brewery dark clouds are brewing but it’s a different sort of brewing we’re here to see and more importantly taste. 5 minutes from Stanthorpe, set in 30 acres of natural bushland, the property seems to have recovered remarkably from last year’s fires.
The beer gods were smiling when bushfires reached the Brewery’s back fence last September. Determined firies said to brewery owner Geoff Davenport (a volunteer firefighter himself), “if we’re going to save anything it’ll be the brewery”.
Phil and Dee are business partners and partners in life. They’re both looking forward now, buying local for their restaurant and supporting those who helped keep the micro-brewery safe. $3 from every Beer and Bratwurst Lunch goes to various charities including Wildlife Carers or Rural Men’s Health.
Image: Granite Belt Brewery
You can sample craft beer and eat your fill from the hearty menu. And, you can also stay in one of the Tennessee-style, cedar log cabins on the property. The cosy, rustic cabins are ringed by towering eucalypts that are home to some all-knowing koalas up high. Laconic wallabies and the occasional ambling echidna also call this patch home. An idyllic spot mid-week or for a long weekend of Granite Belt exploration.
Ridgemill Estate – Elegance in a glass
Winemaker Peter McGlashan welcomes us to the winery’s deck with glasses of Ridgemill Estate’s 2018 ‘Ellie’ Sparkling Brut de Blanc. Corks pop as we listen to stories of not enough water, hail storms and marauding cockatoos. All test the winemaker’s craft and nerves in these parts.
Tasting here is a learning experience and most importantly fun. Taste a Black Dog or the Mongrel. And don’t forget their Saperavi – an 8,000-year-old Georgian grape with red skin and unusually dark flesh. The birds like this one so much that the first harvest only produced 17 bottles. It’s one of the Granite Belt’s * ‘Strange Birds’ and also one of James Halliday’s favourites.
A few years ago owners Martin Cooper and Michelle Feenan added elegant studio cabins to the grounds. Round up some local cheese, a Ridgemill Estate red and a crackling wood fire and your night is sorted.
Essen – Grow local, eat local
Essen is a new addition to Stanthorpe. Big fruity grapes on lush vines adorn the old-school shopfront. Family run, the BYO restaurant combines traditional favourites with modern Euro-Oz dishes. Produce is sourced locally and served with style.
Don’t miss the roast baby peppers and smoked eggplant with labneh or the excellent Scotch Fillet served simply with portobello mushrooms and salsa verde. Pork schnitzel is accompanied by a traditional German-style potato salad with dill and gherkins. The pretty as a picture, house-made lemon ‘fruche’ is ethereal – veiled with a crispy tuile and in a puddle of summer sweet strawberry and verbena coulis.
St Jude’s Cellar Door and Bistro – the new home of the long lunch?
Chef Robert Davison greets us with the widest of smiles. Best known for his epic Robertos at Noosa, he’s swapped the beach for a chance to grow wine on the Granite Belt. Things have been tough, to say the least, but he’s still smiling.
On the New England Highway opposite one of Sirromet Wines’ vineyards, you can taste Sirromet wines five days a week, grab an early morning coffee or feast on some of the best food on the Granite Belt. If the figs/honey/mascarpone wonder is on the specials board order it stat.
St Judes Cellar Door and Bistro is a special treat and Robert’s knowledge is second to none. He guides us through a few Sirromet wines, some produced by the former Australian Winemaker of the Year, Mike Hayes.
Strawberry fields forever
We all try our luck at picking the biggest berry in the perky green strawberry patch at Ashbern Farm. Today it’s fruity Monterey and juicy Albion varieties to harvest. Amateur pickers are welcome Wednesday to Sunday during the summer season from October to May.
After the ‘big berry’ weigh-in (I was off the mark by 5 grams), we tackle some epic strawberry desserts. Here sundaes look more like skyscrapers if skyscrapers were made with juicy strawberries. Or you can try them chocolate-covered or with special balsamic blend vinegar (highly recommended). Nothing beats a just-picked berry.
When asked what the current rain means to the farm, co-owner Brendan Hoyle says “It’s life-changing”. The normal summer season should mean 500 kilograms or 1 kg per bush. Although they haven’t had to cart in water, times are tough with tourists staying home.
Robert Channon Wines – where Paola makes the wine and cooks too
We feast on a glorious selection of tapas lovingly cooked by Paola Andrea Cabezas Bono – a winemaker who also operates Paola’s The Winemaker Kitchen here at Robert Channon Wines. The Chopin Chardonnay is the perfect accompaniment to the tortilla and roasted capsicums.
Image: Granite Belt Wine Country
James Halliday is one of the Verdelho’s biggest fans and many of the vintages have won countless state and national awards.
Growing wine at Australia’s highest altitude with hot summers and sometimes snowy winters is not for the faint-hearted. Patience is more than a virtue – it’s mandatory for all winemakers but especially those who survive drought. It’s not just the rain or lack of it. A very well-known Champagne label challenged the Channon name on their labels and the outcry was heard from here to France. The big boys backed down.
And now for something completely different- WashPool Skin Wellness
At WashPool Skin Wellness owner and former educator, Melissa Thomas teaches why store-bought soap should never, ever touch your skin again.
The ethics, marketing manipulation and down-right environmentally detrimental ingredients in most soaps will take your breath away. Melissa rightfully evangelizes the benefits of pure coconut, shea butter, and olive oil.
If you can’t make it here for a little indulgence, all products are easily available online. But it’s not quite the same as immersing yourself in the earthy wholesomeness.
Right now there are a whole lot of different sounds from the Gulf in the north to the NSW/Victorian border. Or are they just old sounds that have been forgotten – splashing puddles, gushing downpipes and dripping gutters? In most places, it’s a little damp but we can still take a weekend drive with empty cooler bags and eskys. Take a trip, buy breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Stay awhile. Drink some wine and bring some home. You’ll be rewarded with fabulous food and the warmest smiles.
Special mention to Granite Highlands Maxi Tours owner and driver Allan Foster who ferried our ragtag bunch of Australian Society of Travel Writers from Brisbane and beyond, across the Granite Belt and safely back home again.
Liz Bond comes from a PR background and loves fine wine, great food and rewarding travel - all the magnificent things in life. She prides herself in meeting famous celebrities at baggage carousels.
Love this story and beautiful images Liz. It’s making me hungry. Thanks for sharing