Fruit, Wine & Granite

Last weekend, half our group went on an over-nighter to Stanthorpe and Girraween National Park. It was a blast!

After a 3-hour bus ride south, we stopped off at the University of Queensland wine and tourism campus for a quick tour and tasting of their student wines. In addition to university students, they allow high school students from the area to grow and bottle wine as well in an effort to strengthen the industry from the bottom up.

From there we traveled to a family-owned orchard. Now, I realize this doesn't carry with it the same glamour that a performance at the Sydney Opera House does, but I loved it! (Although, I am coming to the conclusion that I may have been born to live on a farm.) In six enormous fruit baskets we were pulled along by a tractor stopping frequently for fun farming facts as well as a chance to sample the fruit right out of the field, which included rasperries, apples, tomatoes and peaches, each the best I've ever had! After being given an entire case of apples as a parting gift, we went on our way to The Vines Motel. Anna's Restaurant, a classic Italian eatery, fed us well with some seven courses including salad, ravioli, stuffed mushrooms, fried potatoes, chicken and pork, plus dessert! What a treat. (Luckily, I'd gone for a run along the river across from our motel that afternoon.)

After a poor night's sleep, we arose ready for our Castle Rock hike located in Girraween National Park. It was a beautiful 2-hour kike through granite-covered eukalyptus forest to the park's central peak, which allowed for 360 degree views. Gorgeous! From there, we headed to Ballendean Winery, which has been in business for 75 years and three generations of an Italian family. As with the orchard, we were given a tour by the grower himself (Angelo), which would never happen in the states. We tried both the red and white grapes right off the vine, toured their facilities for everything from crushing to bottleing and ended our time there with more wonderful Italian food prepared by Angelo's wife along with unlimited tasting of all their wines, which are the best I've ever tasted! My personal favorites were the White Pearl (sweet white), Summertime (semi-sweet red), and Late Harvest Muscat, which smelled and went down like honey- perfect paring with fruit according to Angelo's wife. Definitely ordering a few bottles when I get back to the states!

Coming up is a trip to an amusement park called Dreamworld, and then it's off to my six-day excursion in Tasmania. I'm sure there'll be lots to share!

Cheers!