Stanthorpe Area Attractions

More reasons to visit ridgemill estate

Current Weather in Stanthorpe

ridgemill estate is located at Severnlea, just south of Stanthorpe, in Queensland’s premier wine growing region. Stanthorpe is located on the New England Highway approx 250km south west of Brisbane.

The New England region covers a wide area where the Great Dividing Range crosses the Queensland New South Wales Border. It includes the towns of Stanthorpe, Tenterfield and Glen Innes, all of these areas produce wine grapes.

The Granite Belt: Queensland's premier wine district.

The Granite Belt continues to build on it’s reputation as Queensland's leader in quality cool climate wines, with over 700 hectares planted with wine grapes and more than 50 wine producers.

Stanthorpe is now home to Queensland’s first college of wine tourism, which offers tertiary, secondary and accredited industry training in all aspects of wine tourism. The students at Stanthorpe State High School grow, harvest, produce and sell quality wine under the Banca Ridge label.

Stanthorpe's wine region is made up mostly of family operated wineries. There are a number of grape varieties grown on the Granite Belt some of these being Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Chardonnay, Verdelho, and Sauvignon Blanc. Some of the more unusual varieties are Tempranillo, Saperavi, Lagrein, Tannat, Nebbiolo and Mourvedre.

Stanthorpe has an altitude of around 800 metres. The climate ranges from spring frosts, cold nights at the beginning and end of the season, with relatively low humidity, peak summer temperatures and intermittent heavy late seasonal rainfall, all of these contribute to the unusual climate. The cool winters and dry weather allow for a slow ripening process, which results in the development of superior flavours and characteristics.

The granitic soils are typically sandy and well drained, which is good for viticulture. The mineral composition of the soil gives some wines a ‘flinty’ character. Stanthorpe presently harvest around 1600 tonnes. To see all there is to see you can join one of the local tour operators, who do winery tours, soon you will even be able to fly in and out of Stanthorpe.

Stanthorpe Heritage Museum

The Kambu Wal aboriginal tribe used the Granite belt as their summer hunting grounds, long before Allan Cunningham discovered it in 1827. The history of the Stanthorpe Shire can be seen through the heritage trail and museum. On visiting the Granite Belt you can trace Stanthorpe’s early times and the hardship the town’s folk endured. They developed industries that today are used by the ever expanding multicultural population. On visiting Stanthorpe you can learn more about the diverse range of industries and the strong Italian influence.

National Parks

There are two national parks to visit on the Granite Belt. Girraween National Park has massive granite outcrops, balancing boulders and clear tumbling cascades awaiting your visit. You can picnic, bushwalk, camp, nature spotting and climb scrambling cliff faces. During spring wildflowers can be seen amongst the huge granite boulders and Girraween’s forest of red gum, stringybark and blackbutt. You might even be lucky enough to see one of Girraween’s endangered species. If you love to visit national parks Girraween National Park is a must.

The other park is Sundown National Park, which has two parts the south, is accessible by the family car where the northern side is only accessible by 4WD. In contrast to Girraween’s rounded granite hilltops and open valleys, the Severn River has carved it way through Sundown’s high Traprock country making spectacular sharp ridges and steep sided gorges. Access to this area is difficult.

Sundown national Park is home to a number of animals such as deer, goannas, and kangaroos. The Sundown National Park is also home to a number of endangered plants. The Park is best visited between May and September when you can expect cold nights, frosty mornings and warm days.

Stanthorpe’s other industries

Stanthorpe's cool climate is also home to some of the biggest apple orchards in Queensland. Other things grown on the granite belt include stone fruit, pears, nashi, table grapes, berries, olives and a large range of vegetables. Also unique to the Granite Belt is the heart-friendly Beefalo red meat. Lavender is starting to become very popular on the Granite Belt with a number of farms starting up. The newest addition to the attractions in Stanthorpe is the Granite Belt Maze.

Don't forget you can enjoy these activities while staying at our Cabins in the Vineyard