We have always known we live in a rather special corner of the world. It seems the rest of Australia is catching on. Earlier this month Stanthorpe was named Australia’s Top Tourism Town for 2026, after earlier taking out Queensland’s Top Tourism Town title. We were delighted to hear the news!

Stanthorpe has long been a favourite day out and somewhere we recommend to guests staying at The Nesting Post. It’s an easy country drive south and with good food and wine, a growing local brewery scene, beautiful walks, art and orchards, there are plenty of reasons to take your time.

And taking your time is really the point.

Ashbern Farms. Photography: Reuben Nutt. Courtesy of Tourism and Events Queensland.

Spring has arrived in the Granite Belt

Right now is a particularly lovely time to go.

Head south through the open farming country of the Southern Downs and, as you approach Stanthorpe, the landscape begins to change. Granite appears among the paddocks, and at this time of year, blossoms announce that you've reached the Granite Belt. This is Queensland's apple-growing heartland. Pink, red and white of apple orchards dot the landscape from late September following stone-fruit blossom that began in late August.

Take a little detour along Amiens Road near Thulimbah and you'll find yourself among orchard country with a couple of especially good reasons to stop. At Stanthorpe Cheese you can taste locally made farmhouse cheeses and choose a few favourites to bring home. They'll even provide a cold pack so you can keep exploring. Then there is Sutton's Juice Factory, Cidery & Shed Café. Stop for coffee and a piece of their famous apple pie. Or take a whole pie home for later. We'd usually do both!

Leave the car behind for a while

Once in Stanthorpe, one of our favourite things to do is remarkably simple. Go for a walk.

Quart Pot Creek winds through the centre of town, finding its way around the great granite boulders so characteristic of this country. Walking paths follow the meandering creek beneath the trees. Wander the creek for as long as you like, feed the ducks or take the path less travelled towards the historic Red Bridge, built as part of the railway in the mid-1880s. It's peaceful and unhurried and, for us, one of the nicest ways to get a feel for Stanthorpe.

For another perspective, head up to Mt Marlay Lookout, only minutes from the centre of town. A short summit walk rewards you with wonderful 360° views across Stanthorpe and the surrounding Granite Belt country.

Visitors taking in the view across Stanthorpe and the Granite Belt from Mt Marlay Lookout. Photography: PixelFrame. Courtey of Tourism and Events Queensland.

Find a little art along the way

It’s always worth checking out the Stanthorpe Regional Art Gallery in Weeroona Park with a changing program of exhibitions, music, workshops and events.

Then head outside again to enjoy more art. Murals and sculptures are scattered through Stanthorpe's streets and laneways, telling something of the people and cultures that have shaped the town. Wander using the digital Stanthorpe and Granite Belt Street Art Map, or pick up a copy from the Stanthorpe Regional Art Gallery or Visitor Information Centre.

Find the murals. Stop for coffee. Browse a shop or two. Truly you don’t need a schedule.

Linger over lunch

Of course, this is Granite Belt Wine Country, so food and wine deserve some time of their own. Cellar doors are scattered throughout the countryside, alongside winery restaurants, cafés, local produce experiences and a growing collection of craft breweries. Rather than give you a list that will inevitably change, the Granite Belt Wine Country guides are a good place to discover what's open and what appeals to you. Choose somewhere lovely for lunch, ideally booked ahead, and linger.

If wine is part of your day, you might continue a little south of Stanthorpe to Ridgemill Estate at Severnlea. Alongside its cool-climate wines and some of the alternative varieties the Granite Belt has become known for, we like Ridgemill's commitment to sustainability from solar and water recovery to returning vineyard prunings to the soil and reusing winery waste. As a sustainably certified stay ourselves, we appreciate finding other regional businesses thinking carefully about the land they call home.

Taste something you haven't tried before. And perhaps choose a bottle or two to bring home.

Take the long way home

This might just be our favourite part.

You could simply head north again on the highway. But there is a much more interesting way home. Leave Stanthorpe towards Liston, then make your way north through Legume and Killarney. From Killarney, follow part of the historic Settlers' Route through Tannymorel and Yangan, before turning towards Allora and The Nesting Post.

It isn't the quickest way home. But it may be the more adventurous.

The granite and orchard country gradually gives way to the foothills of the Main Range. Roads wind between working farms and small villages come and go. At Tannymorel, an Avenue of Honour of magnificent old plane trees planted as a memorial to local servicemen after WWII, line the streets and put on their own golden show in autumn and as the road sweeps into Yangan, cultivated paddocks stretch towards the mountains.

Driving country roads isn't simply about getting from one place to another. It's about getting to know our amazing country. Take your time and enjoy the longer way home.

Every season tells a different story

Spring may have inspired this visit, but Stanthorpe is certainly not somewhere we save for once a year.

Come in autumn for harvest, vineyards and deciduous trees turning shades of gold and red. At Nicoletti Orchards in Pozieres, a third-generation family orchard dating back to 1950, selected pick-your-own days offer the chance to wander the rows and pick Granite Belt apples straight from the trees.

Apple picking at Nicoletti Orchards in Pozieres, Granite Belt. Photography: Demi Gavin. Courtesy of Tourism and Events Queensland.

Winter brings frosty mornings and weather made for a long lunch. It’s a chance to embrace layers, think boots, coats, scarves and all those lovely winter things that spend too much time tucked away in wardrobes in Brisbane and along the coast.

Summer brings cherries, stone fruit and long country days before spring begins it all again with blossom and fresh green growth.

As with the seasons of our lives, there is always something beginning, changing or resting.

And then come home

By late afternoon, after wandering, tasting and country roads, find your way back to The Nesting Post. Late afternoon is one of our favourite times at the cottage.

Unpack the treasures you've collected. Bring out the local cheese. Open the bottle or two you discovered at a cellar door or local brewery. Then sit on the verandah, watch the light change across the paddocks and if you’re really lucky, enjoy one of our sensational sunsets. Light the outdoor firepit and sit beneath the stars or retreat to the fire inside when the nights cool. And when you're ready, warm the Sutton's apple pie.

There is nowhere else you need to be.

You can spend the day discovering somewhere wonderful and come home at all The Nesting Post offers. There are places to explore in every direction. Stanthorpe is one of them. Killarney, its mountains and waterfalls are another. Then there are the walking trails and wild country of Main Range National Park and Goomburra. But we'll save those stories for another day.

Late afternoon at The Nesting Post, Allora. Photography: Hannah Puechmarin.

For now, congratulations Stanthorpe deservedly Australia's Top Tourism Town for 2026. We're very proud to call you our neighbour!

Australia’s Top Tourism Town is Just Down the Road