Thursday 09/18/08 - Sweet Wines
Stanthorpe - Queenslands Wine Capital
Stanthorpe is a picturesque town known for its amazing national parks, historical buildings and wineries, located on the New England Highway close to the New South Wales border. It has become more popular over the last few years as a tourist destination with so many rural activities and sightseeing options available.
There are a large number of bed and breakfasts if you are stopping over for a night or two, and self contained cottages are available for a longer stay. Black Creek Mountain Cabins are a unique accommodation option, located five minutes south of Stanthorpe.
The locals of Stanthorpe experience the four seasons of the year, which is not common to Queensland. Winter is a fantastic time to visit, and with low temperatures, a popular retreat is in front of a roaring fireplace with local wine and great food. Make sure you pack your scarf and mittens as there is even the occasional snowfall.
With such high altitudes the frosts are perfect for excellent grape harvests, and perfect wines. There are over 50 wineries in the Stanthorpe district on the Granite Belt as well as stone fruit and apple orchards.
There is so much to see and do in Stanthorpe, with vineyards such as Bald Mountain Vineyards, Aventine Wines and Kooroomba Vineyard and lavender farm all deserving a visit. North of Stanthorpe is also the famous Old Caves winery. Winery tours are popular, and each year in August the famous Jazz in the Vineyard is attended by almost 1000 people each year. Opera in the Vineyard, held in May, also promises to be an amazing cultural experience.
In February, the Apple and Grape festival is held every second year, along with the Food and Wine Festival. With Mediterranean food on the main menu and a favourite with the locals, it has all ingredients for a memorable cuisine experience.
You cant miss the Historical Society Museum, located in the town centre, with a shearers hut, preserved school and goal, along with interesting artefacts from the mid 1800's.
The four major national parks surrounding the city provide an unspoilt wilderness beckoning you to drive further on and explore at your own pace. Easily accessible by car, each park offers a contrasting experience.
Girraween National Park is perfect for bushwalkers of all levels, with picturesque walking trails ranging from 25 minutes to six hour hikes. With massive granite rock formations, wildflowers in Spring and eucalypt forests, it is a nature lovers dream. Girraween is easy to find if you take the turnoff from the New England Highway at Wyberba.
Bald Rock National Park is famous for its name, Bald Rock, which is Australia's largest exposed granite rock. With magnificent views, rock formations and bushwalks this park is accessible from the Mt Lindsey Highway, 39 km from Stanthorpe. Camping areas are available.
Boonoo Boonoo National Park is well known for its river system and impressive waterfall. Take a picnic lunch and relax for an afternoon by the rock pool that is above the cascading falls, and surrounded by open forest and lush vegetation.
Sundown National Park is located on the Queensland/New South Wales border. You can leave your car at the entrance of the park and then travel by foot to experience the remote wilderness. There are steep gorges, rainforest and waterways and there are places to picnic, camp, swim and just relax and enjoy the amazing birdlife and beauty of the park. You can also explore the impressive Red Rock Falls, Mt Lofty, Red Rock Gorge and Carpenter Gully.
More than just a stopover, Stanthorpe is a unique and relaxing destination and perfect for your car hire holiday.
Jenny Brewer is a travel agent whose passion is writing. After spending her leisure time writing time writing childrens stories, she now enjoys writing about travel destinations. For more of her articles visit Australia Car Rentals |
Thoughts about Sweet Wines
Stanthorpe - Queenslands Wine Capital
Stanthorpe is a picturesque town known for its amazing national parks, historical buildings and wineries, located on the New England Highway close to ...
Click Here to Read More About Wine ...
Sweet Wines Products we recommend
The FTD Garden Basket - Premium
This basket holds a sampling of many favorites including a red rose, a yellow lily, white daisies, yellow sunflowers, purple aster, white alstroemeria, and more. B24-3284P
Price: 66.99 USD
Headlines on Sweet Wines
Beam breaks ground on Visitors' Experience (Business First of Louisville)
Wed, 17 Sep 2008 10:18:53 PDT
Beam Global Spirits & Wine Inc., a subsidiary of Fortune Brands Inc. (NYSE: FO), and Jim Beam Bourbon has broken ground on a multimillion-dollar Visitors’ Experience project at Beam’s distillery in Clermont, Ky. (FO)
Jim Beam(R) Bourbon Invests Millions in Kentucky Tourism with New Visitors' Experience (Centre Daily Times)
Wed, 17 Sep 2008 08:08:12 PDT
Beam Global Spirits & Wine, Inc. (Fortune Brands, Inc. (NYSE:FO)), a global leader in premium spirits, and Jim Beam(R) Bourbon, the world's number one selling bourbon, today announced the ground-breaking of its Visitors' Experience project at its Clermont distillery. With this multi-million dollar tourism development project, Jim Beam continues to be the industry leader and positions its ...
Five whiskeys worth collecting
Wed, 17 Sep 2008 06:50:05 PDT
We know wine matures in bottles beautifully over the years. However, this isn't the case with spirits. But the good news is that they don't deteriorate either. Therefore they have the potential to last for centuries if stored right. Sukhwinder Singh of The Whisky Exchange suggests that the following five modern malt whiskies will stand the test of time. First is Rosebank. It is 12 years old and is from the Flora & Fauna Series Distillery Release. It will cost you $74. Apparently Rosebank is a '
Pot….. Meet Kettle.
Wed, 17 Sep 2008 06:22:00 PDT
The latest Obama commercial blasts McCain for hiring lobbyists to advise his campaign. HOLD THE PHONE!!!!!! Check this post from Jessi at Wake Up America: Obama’s Campaign Relies On Lobbyists As Advisers And Volunteers. “Sen. Barack Obama’s refusal to accept donations from federal lobbyists is a centerpiece of his White House bid, but lobbyists still advise the Democratic front-runner and volunteer on his campaign, underlining the enduring connection between special interests and politicians
Wine Blogging Wednesday #49: End of an Era?
Wed, 17 Sep 2008 05:30:00 PDT
Today's Wine Blogging Wednesday is hosted by dhonig of the wine blog 2 Days per Bottle. A Renaissance man, dhonig is part wine blogger, part cartoon artist, and part political commentator--and that's not all. But for this month, all we need to know is that he's our leader for Wine Blogging Wednesday. For his theme he's asked wine bloggers to consider the following: "What will you drink to toast the end of the Bush era?" There were a number of ways to go with this one, and dhonig suggested sever
A last-minute shout-out to some Wineauxs
Wed, 17 Sep 2008 04:43:26 PDT
This from my friend Dan, at Gator Sprirts here in Gainesville: Hi Wineauxs and Friends, Another Wine Tasting Class! Perhaps a review of the Southern Hemisphere: Exciting Exotic Varietals, most of us know and love… Malbec, Carmenere, Torrontes, Bonardo… and the usual Suspects… Wines from South Africa, South America, Australia and New Zealand are GREAT values as well as some world class wines so we will be finding some bargains and some cherries to pick. I hope that all of you interested pa
Women & wine (Chicago Sun-Times)
Wed, 17 Sep 2008 02:14:14 PDT
Though they have never met, Karen Hand, Alpana Singh and Charla Sweeley have more in common than their passion for wine. These Illinois women share common gender-related reactions of surprise as they go about their day-to-day jobs in the wine industry, once male-dominated.
Wine Racks
Wine Supplies | Wine Taste
Labels: Wine Bars | Wine Basket
1 Comments:
Well written article.
<< Home