LT68: QLD Granite Belt

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ISSUE 68 - WINTER 2021

ISSUE 68 - WINTER 2021

NZ$15 / AU$15

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Destination Australia, Queensland

Get Loose on the Granite Belt

By Roderick Eime

Q

ueensland is cautiously opening to both domestic and international visitors. Get away from the tourist crush and head into the rocky heights for cool relief.

Tourists are on a road trip binge right now. Caravan and holiday parks are booked out weeks in advance and the roads are chock full of caravans, campers and SUVs piled high with bicycles, kayaks and sundry holiday paraphernalia.

The humble road trip is a simple enough exercise these days. Cars are safer than ever and the roads are enormously improved, especially the major intercity routes like the Hume and Pacific Highways.

For this exercise to SouthEast Queensland, we thought we’d raise the bar and take one of the newest all-electric vehicles, the Hyundai Kona SUV, on a 2,000+ km round trip from Sydney to Brisbane and then on to the Lockyer Valley, Southern Downs and the Granite Belt. A completely petrol-free journey.

We were among the very first travellers to use the newest and final section of dual-carriageway to complete the Pacific Highway from Sydney to Brisbane, the Ballina bypass. The whole project began in earnest in 1996 after two horrendous head-on bus crashes in 1989 and has greatly reduced the stress of the intercity drive.

Our timing was unfortunate, however, as near-cyclonic weather battered the east coast, so our planned stops in northern NSW were largely abandoned except for a couple of necessary fast charges at the super-efficient NRMA-installed booster stations along the way.

Images courtesy of Katie Purling

QAGOMA On Show:

Branell Homestead

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In Brisbane, we took the opportunity to visit ‘The Motorcycle: Design, Art, Desire’ at Queensland’s Gallery of Modern Art where radical concepts, record breakers and road icons are on show as part of this immersive exhibition showcasing 100 of the greatest motorcycles ever assembled. A big call, sure, but a great exhibition no matter what your two-wheeled persuasion.

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Amid rain squalls, we bade soggy Brisbane farewell and headed west toward the Lockyer Valley, itself a veritable primary production breadbasket well known for vegetable and grain growing as well as sheep and cattle grazing.

West On The Warrego: Just an hour by road from Brisbane along the Ipswich Motorway (M2) and Warrego Highway (A2), it’s an easy commute. Normally we’d be keen to investigate all kinds of backroads and byways, but with the ever-present threat of deluge, we were keen to get to our first overnighter at Plainland.

At the rather unremarkable intersection at Laidley Road, adorned with the great icons of multi-national fast food, is the historic, century-old Plainland Hotel, owned by the last three generations of the Porter family. Brand new, surprisingly quiet motel rooms are more like studio apartments and the renovated bistro serves local beef steak sandwiches to match the best.

This retail oasis packs a few surprises too. Schulte’s meat market for one. You might not be able to pack a side of beef into your duffle bag, but there’s always room for a few packs of jerky, chilli beersticks or a ‘stuck’ of brilliant bratwurst to go with lagers after we’ve pulled up for the night.

Looking For Lockyer: Next day we’re heading west, via historic Forest Glen, toward the shire’s ‘capital’ at Gatton to have breakfast with Pastor Doug. Doug is the local Baptist minister and an unofficial ambassador for the Lockyer Valley.

The Lockyer Valley Regional Council (LVRC) take their road-tripping visitors seriously and have constructed several comprehensive themed drive/ ride programs, all of which have their own dedicated leaflet with map and suggested stops. The ‘Antiques & Collectables Trail’, for example, takes in The Barn & Scotty’s Garage, one of Queensland’s best museums of automobilia and all things ‘retro’ as well as Laidley Pioneer Village, the Unique ‘n’ Fabulous Emporium and a dozen more.

Pastor Doug is taking us to see one of Queensland’s most important motoring museums, the Queensland Transport Museum inside the Lockyer Valley Cultural Centre. Jammed packed with superbly preserved old trucks and vans as well as models and memorabilia. There are a few bikes, cars and military vehicles too and displays change regularly.

South To The Downs: We continue south toward the Southern Downs, stopping for milkshakes and banter with Deb Wallis at the delightful Ma Ma Creek Milk Bar. The 100-year-old store is part of local folklore and the burgers are talked about all along the highway. Speaking of which, from here we can take either the Gatton Clifton Road (Route 80) or the Mt. Sylvia Road. The former still carries some heavy vehicles and the latter becomes a single lane track in some spots, which may be unsuitable for larger mobile homes, although the views are superb.

We’re going via Route 80 because Doug wants to show us the famous Theiss Cutting where brothers Bert and Leslie dug a massive 35m groundbreaking cut through solid sandstone at Heifer Creek in 1939. It was a big deal at the time and the rest, as they say, is history.

We say ‘Godspeed’ to Pastor Doug while we continue silently south through Allora (birthplace of P J Travers who wrote Mary Poppins) and into the Southern Downs and Granite Belt at Warwick. Take Tourist Drive 11 to spare yourself the highway traffic on the New England Hwy (Route 15). The little Kona is brilliant on the highway, nimble, confident, swift and infinitely economical.

red wine. Local beers from the Brass Monkey Brewhouse are also on tap.

Southern Downs and Granite Belt Highlights:

Next morning kicks off at Foxy’s Bakery further down the main street where we meet Shaun’s mates, Jeff and Gus, all passionate Stanthorpe locals keen to show us the sights.

Castle Glen Australia: Meet the eccentric and ebullient Cedric who brews, distils and ferments a staggering range of beverages, including many award-winning spirits.

Location: 3184 Amiens Rd, Thulimbah. www. castleglenaustralia.com.au

We shoot off on the backroads rounding up such sights as the famous 7,500-tonne, 18m Ballandean Pyramid, the dam (although it could use some more rain) and the curious cross border railway station at Wallangarra, now a dainty museum and cafe.

Stanthorpe Heritage Museum: More than 20,000 items in 15 buildings describing the history and heritage of the Stanthorpe and Granite Belt region, especially the WWI soldier settlers.

Location: 12 High St, Stanthorpe. www. stanthorpehistoricalsociety.org.au

Granite Stacks Up: So what’s with the pyramid? Was it aliens, a lost civilisation or just a whimsical notion by the landowner who had a lot of rocks left over after tilling for vineyards? Yep, you guessed it.

Fordsdale Horse-Riding

Granite Belt Brewery: Run by owners, Dee and Geoff, this excellent destination complex has a great range of beers, ales and ciders. Meals and quality accommodation too, ideal for your motorcycle group. Location: Glenlyon Drive, Stanthorpe. www. granitebeltbrewery.com.au

Plainland Hotel

Speaking of wineries, Michael and Ann Bourke at Jester Hill are definitely worth a visit. Michael is chuffed that his recent award-winning reds toppled such star-studded labels as Grange.

Family-owned Ballandean Winery, near the mystical pyramid, is another worthy of your time.

Pete's Hot Rod and Resto Shop: Pop in and see fair dinkum ‘Greased Lightning’ hot rods under construction from the ground up. Pete and the team welcome visitors, just call first and he’ll put the kettle on. Location: 148 Watson Road C ot tonvale .w w w.fa ce b o o k .co m / peteshotrodsandrestoshop

Our ‘burger break’ was at the cute, retro Blue Topaz Diner at the caravan park of the same name. Make sure you’re hungry, you won’t find these generously-proportioned creations under the ‘golden arches’.

The saddest part of our visit, apart from leaving, was the short time we had available. Two nights was way too short to do the region justice, especially if you’re coming from interstate or overseas. Of course, day trips from Brisbane are a doddle.

Downs Explorer: The Southern Downs Steam Railway Association Inc (SDSR) runs fabulous heritage steam railway tours out of Warwick on the disused narrow gauge line. Location: Brosnan Cres, Warwick and Cottonvale Railway Precinct. www.downsexplorer.org.au Schulte's

www.granitebeltwinecountry.com.au

Mild Hogs & Brass Monkeys: We roll into Stanthorpe, home of the fabled Brass Monkey, and the High Street Motel and Steakhouse. Our hosts, Shannon and Shaun, are also movers and shakers behind the local motorcycle club, The Mild Hogs, who will guide us around the region.

It’s no coincidence that we chose these digs. Dinner at the Steakhouse is a juicy SE Queensland beef steak with local

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If you’re planning a trip up here - as much as anyone can plan anything these days - try to give yourself more time.

You can hire a car, SUV, motorhome or even a motorcycle from Brisbane and head out west easily on well-maintained roads. It’s a great escape from the heat and humidity along the coast and is an ideal destination for road trippers with super grub, accommodation and more wineries than you could ever hope to visit.

Lockyer Valley

Dorf Farms

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Lockyer Valley Highlights: The Queensland Transport Museum: Features a magnificent display of different forms of transport of various ages and a display of 200 models exploring the founders and functions of the transport industry. Location: 34 Lake Apex Drive, Gatton. www. facebook.com/qldtransportmuseum Scotty's Garage Museum & 1950s Diner: Call in for great coffee, cakes, Devonshire tea, gourmet burgers and lunchtime grills. With wood fires in winter, cool trees in summer, The Barn is a truly unique venue. Location: 1709 Flagstone Creek Road, Upper Flagstone www. thebarnandscottysgarage.com.au

Awassi Cheesery

Awassi Queensland: It's all about the Artisan Bespoke Cheeses at the new purpose-built cheesery, milking parlour and farm gate outlet. Milk sheep and make cheese. How good is that? Location: 776 Sandy Creek Road Grantham. www.awassiqueensland. com.au www.luvyalockyer.com.au

2021 Hyundai Kona EV: Features: - SmartSense safety suite including Blind-Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist (BCA) - Rear Cross-Traffic CollisionAvoidance Assist (RCCA) - Leading Vehicle Departure Alert (LVDA) - Safe Exit Warning (SEW) - Rear Seat Alert (RSA) - Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist with pedestrian and cyclist detection (FCA-Ped) - Smart Cruise Control with Stop & Go (SCC w/S&G) - Lane Following Assist (LFA) - Lane Keeping Assist (LKA) - Intelligent Speed Limit Warning (ISLW) - Driver Attention Warning (DAW) - Range: 450 km (from 100%) - Charging Time: From 0%, allow one hour when using a fast charger.

Overnight when using a standard 240V outlet - Price: AU$45k + on-road costs

The Barn

2021 Hyundai Kona EV

62 www.letstravelmag.com Australia, Queensland