Stanthorpe is around 2 hours and 45 mins away from Brisbane. It is known to be the coldest town in Queensland during winter. However, there are a variety of things to do here all year round and at any season of the year.
A day trip to Stanthorpe is feasible but if you have young kids, I recommend booking for an overnight stay, that is, if you do not want to rush during the entire trip and get cranky at the end of the day because of too much exhaustion.
It was a spur of the moment roadtrip for us so I hurriedly booked the most reasonably priced room I could find.
Here’s a timeline of how we spent approximately 35 hours in Stanthorpe with kids:
Early Wake up Call
I must say it pays to start the day early on any given roadtrip. Come Wednesday and everyone woke up VERY early. We left Brisbane at 4:30AM, and it was the best decision we have made.
Early bird catches the worm, they say. The roads were not too busy. We were driving thru a foggy, cold morning with great views of the mountains, not to mention a hot cup of coffee while enjoying the scenery. It was indeed a very nice and relaxing drive.
At 7:30 AM we arrived in Stanthorpe and decided to stop at Macca’s for breakfast. It was along the highway and seemed not too close from our next planned stopover. Plus, the twins love their pancakes. 😉
Granite Belt Christmas Farm
The Christmas Farm was the first on the list as it opens the earliest, which is 9 AM. As we drove thru the entrance, we can already see lovely Christmas decors and hundreds of Christmas trees lined up. Two things about this place that made it very memorable for us: farm animals and Belgian hot chocolate. They are soooooo worth it.
Santa’s Animals
Santa’s animals consist of reindeers, lambs, donkeys, chooks and ducks. This was the highlight of the trip for our little girls. They enjoyed feeding Santa’s farm animals so much that it consumed most of our time there. You can purchase feeds inside the store for just $2 a bag.
Mistletoe Store
The farm also has a Mistletoe Store filled with all sorts of Christmas decorations, from prettly little Christmas tree baubles to huge wall hanging decors and wreaths and what not.
Cafe
Perfect place for mums who just cannot live without coffee. However we highly recommend trying their bestseller Belgian hot chocolate. Never dare leave without trying one. We were so full from our breakfast that we did not try the rest of their food but their menu looked promising.
Fresh Christmas Trees
One of the best things about this farm is that every year starting late November you can pick and purchase any Christmas tree of your liking, that is, if you prefer to put up a farm fresh Christmas tree in your home for the holidays.
Sutton’s Juice Factory
Next stop is the Juice Factory. This place can never be missed as it is right across the famous big apple in Stanthorpe. Here they have an onsite cafe that serves really popular and very good apple pies. By 10AM we were devouring on their yummo apple pie with vanilla ice cream. Definitely worth a stop.
Stanthorpe Apple Picking
February to April is apple picking season in Stanthorpe and the girls were keen to see real apple trees and pick some apples themselves. I rang Nicoletti Orchards prior to our trip and they were more than happy to book us on a private apple picking experience.
Apple Tasting
We made it just in time for our apple picking tour at 11AM. We met Toni who introduced us to 3 varieties of apples (Fuji, Envy and Pink Lady) and got the chance to taste each one of them. I must say Envy is the sweetest of them all.
Apple Picking
Toni walked with us to the apple orchard, which was massive. We can see lots of apples falling on the ground. The most awaited part of the tour was the apple picking, which was so easy and fun to do especially for kids. We ended up bringing home 5 kilograms of both Envy and Fuji apples at the end of the tour.
It is also a great idea to give those extra freshly picked apples to family and friends when you get home to Brisbane. Surely they will be delighted.
Stanthorpe Cheese
At around 12:30 PM we then decided to stop by Stanthorpe cheese as it was just 8 minutes away from Nicoletti Orchards. We had free cheese tasting (no booking required) which we highly recommend for anyone planning to visit.
If I’m not mistaken it was a variety of 6 types of cheese, plus chutneys and relishes. Hubby and I enjoyed this part of the trip. The girls took part in the cheese tasting too, which they seemed to enjoy.
Hotel Check-in
We checked in at Boulevard Motel at around 1:30 PM. It is a place I would highly recommend for just a short overnight stay. Definitely five stars for location, cleanliness, value for money and very friendly and accommodating staff.
To book your next holiday at Boulevard Motel, you can do so by clicking on the link below:
We stayed in the family room with a bonus breathtaking view. It is located right next to Lions Park and Quart Pot Creek and right in the middle of the town centre. We were so exhausted by this time so lunch and wine o’clock followed.
Stanthorpe Town Centre
At 4:00 PM a stroll along the town centre seemed like a good idea. The park right next to where we stayed has beautiful maple trees with colourful autumn leaves falling on the ground. The girls had a fun time throwing leaves and just running around the park.
There was no place else to see by 6PM in a small town like Stanthorpe, so we decided to buy takeaway Chinese food which was just a walking distance from the motel. Wine and cheese night then again.
We finally decided to call it a night by 10PM. Nobody dared to set the alarm for the following morning.
Quart Pot Creek
The following day, by 8AM we were strolling along Quart Pot Creek and taking God knows how many photos. We stopped at the big thermometer (given Stanthorpe is the coldest part of Queensland) which showed it was 14 degrees Celcius.
I must say if only we had more time in our hands, we would have loved to sit by the creek and enjoy a picnic. This park is just breathtaking. It also has a nice playground for kids to exhaust all their energy.
Walanggara Railway Cafe
We checked out at Boulevard Motel at 9:30AM and drove towards Walanggara Railway Cafe. It is a 30-minute drive south of Stanthorpe where you can find the border between NSW and QLD. Of course we do not want to miss the chance to be in two places at once!
By 10AM we were enjoying a quiet brunch at Walanggara Railway Cafe. This used to be a railway station, now turned museum and cafe. Interestingly, the train station used to carry passengers travelling between Sydney and Brisbane back in the 80’s.
Our girls enjoyed the walk along the tracks and around the railway station and museum.
Giraween National Park
Next stop was Giraween National Park. We arrived here at around 10:30AM. The twins had so much fun collecting sticks and hiking along one of the the walking trails. You can choose different trails that suit you, depending on each trail’s difficulty level.
Of course we opted to do the Granite Arch, which is the only kid-friendly trail (at least for our four-year-old girls) at 1.6km return. 😉😊😂
This place features amazing granite landscapes and giant boulders. It was a nice hike with the sun out and the autumn breeze keeping us cool.
It was also a wonderful learning opportunity for the girls to explore nature, feel the cold running water, climb on rocks, skip and jump over small rock pools and cross small bridges.
Balancing Heart Vineyard
The Granite Belt is also popular for its 50 wineries. Surely we want to see and enjoy at least one of them.
At 12:30PM we went to The Balancing Heart Vineyard. It is such a lovely place with a very relaxing and laid back atmosphere. It is that tranquilizing that we ended up staying there the entire afternoon, sipping on a variety of wine for our wine tasting which we paired with pizza and a cheese platter.
Seeing the place was enough to forget the remainder of our itinerary for that day. Having a big grassy area for kids to run around is a bonus, as you can enjoy sipping your wine in peace.
We finally decided to head back home at around 4:30PM, right before dusk. What a lovely way to end our Stanthorpe escapade.
