Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Tangalooma Flyer
( 07-3268 6333, shuttle bus 07-3637 2000;
www.tangalooma.com
;
return adult/child $80/45)
Fast passenger catamaran operated by Tangalooma Island Resort. It makes the 75-minute
trip to the resort three times daily from Holt St Wharf in Brisbane (see the website for dir-
ections). A shuttle bus (adult/child one way $21/10.50) scoots to the wharf from the CBD
or airport; bookings essential.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Granite Belt
Dappling the western flanks of the Great Dividing Range about 210km southwest of Bris-
bane, the Granite Belt region features rolling hillsides lined with vine rows and orchards
(apples, pears, plums, peaches) that thrive in the cool, crisp air here (Stanthorpe, the re-
gional hub, sits at an altitude of 915m). This is Queensland's only real wine region of any
size - the only place in the state where it's cool enough to grow commercial quantities of
grapes. Further south, on the NSW border, balancing boulders and spring wildflowers at-
tract bushwalkers to the photogenic Girraween National Park.
Stanthorpe & Ballandean
Queensland's coolest town (literally),
Stanthorpe
(population 4300) is one of the state's
secret tourist hotspots. With a distinct four-season climate, the town is a winter retreat
where normally sweltering Queenslanders can cosy up in front of an open fire with a
bottle of
vino rosso
from one of the 50-plus local wineries. In 1860 an Italian priest
planted the first grapevines here, but it wasn't until the influx of Italian immigrants in the
1940s (bringing with them a lifetime of viticultural nous) that the wine industry really
took off. Today functional Stanthorpe and the tiny village of
Ballandean
(population 470),
about 20km to the south, boast a flourishing wine industry, with cellar-door sales, on-site
dining, vineyard events and boutique accommodation.
The Granite Belt's changing seasons also make it a prime fruit-growing area and there's
plenty of fruit picking available for backpackers who don't mind chilly mornings.
