South East Qld Country

Take a short drive from Brisbane or the coast and you'll find yourself in Southern Queensland Country.

Welcome to four clearly defined seasons, clean air, a burgeoning wine industry, galleries and museums plus the freshest and tastiest produce. All this wrapped up in warm hospitality makes Southern Queensland Country an ideal holiday destination.

Take time to enjoy the simple pleasures of life…home-cooked breakfasts at quaint cottages, hidden antique shops or simply cuddle a loved one by the fire in the cooler winter months.

Reminiscent of times when a smile and a handshake were all that you needed to get by, a visit to Southern Queensland Country will help restore that faith. Well, it’s time to take that well-deserved break.

Southern Queensland Country is made up of five regions, each with a unique offering - South Burnett, Toowoomba & Darling Downs, Southern Downs & Granite Belt, Brisbane Country, Sunshine Coast Hinterland and Gold Coast Hinterland.

Food and Wine
Pack light when you head to Southern Queensland Country and allow plenty of room for those must have cases of wine, trays of apples and stone fruits, can't resist olives, flavoursome jams and lovely drifts of lavender.

Road side stalls are one of the easiest places to pick up farm fresh seasonal produce, but there are some pick-your-own options for an even fresher taste!

If it's going to snow in Queensland it is usually on the Granite Belt so expect crisp winter days and cooler temperatures than on the coastal strip.

There are plenty of bed and breakfast options sprinkled among the more than 50 cellar doors, award winning wineries and vineyards in the area and a choice of cafes and delis to make your meals memorable.

Country Drives
Within two and a half hours of Brisbane, you'll discover some of the best kept secrets in Queensland: deep secluded valleys, jagged mountain ranges and pristine wilderness areas. A drive through Southern Queensland Country is as much about savouring the journey as reaching a final destination.

The stunning and varied natural landscape is dotted with inquisitive native Australian wildlife, welcoming townships, roadside stalls, incredible lookouts, and the burgeoning wine industry’s boutique wineries and cellar doors; all demanding a relaxed approach.

There is a great mix of civilised indulgence and natural beauty in Southern Queensland Country. The modern thriving townships of Kingaroy, Toowoomba, Warwick and Stanthorpe are full of antique stores, galleries, museums and lovingly maintained original buildings steeped in the region’s pastoral heritage.

The surrounding mountain ranges fringe the hinterlands and create a contrasting and dramatic landscape, from monolithic rock structures to expansive ranges, followed by dense subtropical rainforest, all in a day’s drive.

South Burnett
Drive north-west from Brisbane on the D’Aguilar Highway and you’ll climb into ranges clothed with hoop pine and eucalypt forest.

The South Burnett region is charming, where scenic drives and walking trails lead off through state forests, peppered by the historic towns of Nanango, Blackbutt and Yarraman.

The country opens out to lush farmland around Kingaroy and you’ll find interesting new wineries in the region. Teahouses welcome you with freshly baked dainties, townships entice you with craft shops, and host farms greet you with damper and billy tea.

In the south-west lies the brooding bulk of the Bunya Mountains. A steep climb takes you the ridge top. Follow to the north and the tidy farmland widens into grazing country and the towns of Wondai, Murgon, Goomeri and Kilkivan appear.

Sit on the wide veranda of a B&B with a drink in your hand, pan for those elusive specks of gold, prowl through the markets for forgotten treasures, or raise a glass of the finest local vintage to a technicolour sunset.

Southern Downs and Granite Belt
Two hours’ drive and you’ll be through Cunningham’s Gap and out 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. To the south lies the Granite Belt and Stanthorpe, surrounded by vineyards and orchards. 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.

Toowoomba and the Darling Downs
Just 90 minutes from Brisbane, the lofty city of Toowoomba, overlooks the coastal lowlands laid out below. Toowoomba is Queensland’s Garden City, and in spring, when the Carnival of Flowers is held, it’s a riot of perfume and colour.

Drive west to the rolling plains and there are little rural townships where you can yarn with a local or retreat fireside with a bottle of wine. Cruise north to Crows Nest through the hamlets strung along the eastern escarpment and check out the nurseries, cafes, museums and galleries.

Go south into the country and enjoy the atmosphere in the popular historic pubs. Head north-west and you’ll see the Bunya Mountains rising dramatically against the sky. This unique offshoot of the Great Dividing Range has dense rainforest, waterfalls, walking tracks and the largest remaining stand of bunya pines anywhere.