Australian Country – June-July 2019

A taste of the

Granite Belt

ruggedlandscapes,Boutique wineries

specialisinginrarevarietals, fabulous

produce ... Queensland’sgranite

beltdeliversthetotalpackage.

By Kirsty McKenzie, photography Ken Brass

108 australiancountry.net.au

ESCAPE ROUTES

Locals like to boast that Stanthorpe, the main town

in Queensland’s Granite Belt, is the state’s coolest

town. At elevations between 800 and 1200 metres,

this energetic farming and winemaking region does

experience a real winter — and even occasional

snowfalls. But Stanthorpe is also cool in the other

sense of the word as the thriving country town,

population around 5000, punches above its weight

when it comes to hospitality and visitor experiences.

In part, that’s attributable to its vibrant food and

wine culture. But it’s also because the region has a

multicultural history that dates back to the earliest

European settlement.

While the fi rst settlers were squatters who took up vast

holdings around what was then known as Quart Pot Creek,

Stanthorpe really made it onto the map when tin was

discovered in the 1870s and miners from all over Europe

and Asia came to seek fortune. The district’s fi rst parish

priest, Italian-born Father Jerome Davadi, planted the fi rst

vines to make altar wine in the 1870s. German fettlers

added to the population mix when the railway line

pushed through from Warwick to Wallangarra in the

1880s and, during the waves of migration following both

world wars, Italian migrants arrived to establish stone-fruit

and apple orchards.

In the 1960s, the Puglisi family of Ballandean Estate

planted a commercial wine grape vineyard and today,

patriarch Angelo Puglisi is widely recognised as the

father of Queensland’s wine industry. Winemaking has

evolved from the domain of small-time producers for

mainly home consumption to a serious contender on

the world wine stage. The region’s long, slow-ripening

season also means that Granite Belt apples, stone fruit,

vegetables and strawberries are recognised among the

state’s fi nest. Backpackers who work in the vineyards and

farms continue the cosmopolitan vibe and, on any day

downtown, accents from the UK, France, Japan and Korea

mingle with Aussie voices.

The welcoming attitude to newcomers was one of the

fi rst things Steve and Taya Michalski noticed when they

arrived in town to take over Diamondvale Cottages. Having

given up corporate careers in marketing and banking,

they took over the four self-catering cottages and four-

bedroom lodge on their property just outside Stanthorpe

in time for Christmas 2016. They wanted their two sons

to experience life beyond the city and knew they’d made

the right decision when one of the tour bus owners who

takes their guests around the vineyards took time out on

Christmas Day to ring and wish them all the best. The

Michalskis can accommodate a maximum of 25 guests

Clockwise
from above:
Balancing Rock
Wines (image
Granite Belt Wine
Country); Girraween
National Park;
wildlife abounds;
Saperavi grapes at
Ridgemill Estate;
the platform cafe at
Wallangarra Station.