SOUTHERN DOWNS

Southern Downs Home

Just two hours drive from Brisbane and you’ll be out through Cunningham’s Gap and under the wide skies of the Southern Downs; the high country, where people know that the good things of life should not be rushed.

At Warwick, the "Rose and Rodeo City", magnificent sandstone buildings stand as monuments to its pioneer past. To the north, Allora and Clifton are similarly rich in pioneering history. And to the south lies the Granite Belt and Stanthorpe, surrounded by vineyards and orchards. Here you can pull up at a roadside stall and load the car with just-picked apples, stone fruit, grapes and berries.

Then in winter, when the air is sharp with frost, curl up in front of the roaring fire with a glass of local red from one of the many state-of-the-art wineries. With spring, the wildflowers come to Girraween National Park, and the gardens of Warwick and Stanthorpe are ablaze with colour and life. In the west, Inglewoold and Texas are fast becoming known for a burgeoning olive industry and primary produce. Whether it's wilderness you're seeking, exhilarating bushwalking in a dramatic landscape, or a little pampering in a cosy B&B while a rare snow whitens the hills, you'll find it somewhere in the Southern Downs.