Stanthorpe

Friday was a day we had been looking forward to. Kirsty and Matt, as a thank you for helping with their bathroom, had treated us to a wine tour of the region.
We were picked up by Eugene and with one other couple we visited five wineries throughout the day.
At the first Ridgehill we were given samples of every one of their wines, six whites, three rose, 5 red and a port.
We next visited Jesters Hill where we sampled about 50% of their range.
Just prior to lunch we enjoyed a tasting at Kominski, and Toni the Greek proprietor was a brilliant character.
All the while, as we travelled around the area Eugene was giving us a commentary on the history, geography and farming industry in the area.
We enjoyed a pie lunch at The Blue Pool prior to a visiting The Summit vineyard, then Castle Glen where the proprietor was exceedingly proud of the selection of 200 liqueurs, fortified wines etc that were all developed by himself on the premises.
On Saturday we drove into the Girroween National Park where the Granite outcrops in the area form some interesting shapes.
On the way we had a look at the train station at Wallangarra, famously visited by the Prince of Wales on his tour to Australia after WW1. It is built on the border between NSW and Queensland and the different shapes of the two canopies on either side of the station building is apparently due to the authorities of each railway administration not liking each other.
Prior to the National Park , we needed to stop at the chocolate factory where K enjoyed a tea and A a coffee accompanied by a nice chocolate fancy. Karen then managed a short walk around the park on her crutches where we came face to face with kangaroos and wallabies. A took a further short walk to have a look at the granite arch - a natural formation of the granite formed over millions of years.Read more