Christmas in July Stanthorpe
23 - 25 July 2021
We made it. We snuck it in before lockdown.
On Friday 23rd July, 20 ladies joined me to head out to the Granite Belt for the Ladies Long Weekend ‘Christmas in July’ departure and boy we did have a great time. We ate, drank, shopped, tasted, drank (have I said that yet?) and sung our way through three very full days exploring the best that the Granite Belt has on offer, and I feel we didn’t even touch the sides! It was cold and rainy the morning we left but that certainly didn’t dampen the spirits (or voices!) of these ladies. With two departure points - Helloworld Travel Rochedale Shopping Village and another in the City near Roma Street, we headed to the first stop on our itinerary – Suttons Juice Factory. Here we (literally) indulged in the most incredible scones, jam and cream and a hot drink before heading on to learn everything we could at the Truffle Discovery Centre. The ladies tasted a good 10 truffle products before making many delicious purchases to share with those ‘left at home’. Our lunch was at the Varias Restaurant at the Queensland College of Wine and, paired with wines, this was a wonderful start to our trip. After an informative town tour we had some ‘quiet time’ before heading out to Balancing Heart Vineyard for our wine tasting and Pizza dinner. This would have to have been one of my personal highlights – the wine, atmosphere & food by a warm fireplace – bliss.
On Saturday morning we had a relaxed morning. The option was to visit town or have a sleep in and the majority of us chose to walk, shop and drink our way through the quaint main street of Stanthorpe. We then headed out to our first tasting at Symphony Hill Wines where we were delighted with the presentation and tasting of their award winning wines. On to Washpool Skin Wellness – the home of ethical, authentic and nourishing giftware and everyday home, bath and body care. Their handcrafted soaps and natural bath and body products are all handmade right there at the Soaperie in Ballendean and I managed to indulge in some gorgeous soaps, face oils and bath bombs – every time I use them I feel incredible and like I’m away on holiday! We enjoyed lunch at Jamworks Gourmet Food - a funky café, retail larder with the most incredible jams, spreads, oils, relishes – just amazing. To round out the day before our night time festivities we called into Komino’s wines. We enjoyed a fabulous, and probably the best, presentation from Tony Komino himself, there is certainly a difference between a presentation from the winemakers and that of an employee. Our night time event – a masquerade Christmas in July part at the Granite Belt Brewery. The ladies met Santa (some even had a little cuddle), and we enjoyed a Christmas themed dinner and dessert with music.
After breakfast we headed to the Granite Belt Christmas Farm – did you even know there was one?! This is a fabulous location and a must for those with children. They are surrounded by Christmas Trees (of which you can order for yourself), a wonderful selection of animals and an incredible Christmas store. The Belgian Hot Chocolate is a MUST! We then headed over to Stanthorpe Cheese for a tasting of some of their award winning and bestselling cheeses. They are also quite renowned for their toasted sandwiches. A lot of the ladies filled the esky with purchases from the tasting. From here it was on to our final stop for the weekend – Heritage Estate Wines. This lunch was a traditional Christmas lunch held in their cellar door which holds so much history within it. Our 3 course Christmas themed lunch with a sparkling red wine by the fire was a magnificent way to finish our wonderful weekend.
The Granite Belt has so much to offer and even though I have visited Stanthorpe itself on a few occasions, I have never once done any of what we completed on this itinerary. It was definitely an eye opener and I recommend that anyone considering a destination a little closer to home add this region to their bucket list.
Tina x