By Shane Rodgers
The Queensland town of Stanthorpe, 220km south-west of Brisbane, is known for cold weather, wine, an apple and grape festival and a Johnny Cash “secret” its residents chose to keep.
Then there is a Christmas farm and shop that operates most of the year, a 50s style diner and the legend of bushranger Captain Thunderbolt, who hid amongst the region’s hallmark granite rocks.
Not to mention a truffle farm, a cheese factory, a jam factory, a pretty cool national park and strawberry fields forever – or at least a fair way.
Did I mention country singer Johnny Cash? More on that later.
Earlier this year Stanthorpe was named Australia’s Top Tourism Town for 2026. This is quite a feat. Australia has a lot of towns, and they all claim to be famous for something.
Previously, Stanthorpe may have been better known as Queensland’s coldest town. It sits 811m above sea level and holds the official record for the lowest temperature ever recorded in Queensland at −10.6°C (June 23, 1961).
The area also produces most of Queensland’s commercial apple crop, and many south-east Queenslanders would have made the trek to the Apple and Grape Festival held every second year, with its street parades, orchard tours and grape-stomping.
When the Top Tourism Town award was announced last month, Australian Tourism Industry Council CEO Erin McLeod said Stanthorpe “brought together outstanding visitor experiences with a strong sense of local character and a community that understands what it takes to create an exceptional visitor experience”.
Off the back of that, it seemed time for another visit.
Wine – everywhere
The big surprise for me returning to Stanthorpe and nearby Ballandean after a few years was how many wineries there are – more than 50!
And there are some pretty good wines coming out of there now – particularly the dessert wines.
That aside, it has become a great place to experience a wine and cheese tasting adventure, with a vineyard around every corner and many wineries offering niche accommodation with picturesque views.
The Christmas farm
The Granite Belt Christmas Farm is a fully-operational Christmas tree plantation, Christmas animal farm and Christmas decoration shop.
Between visits, the shop has expanded a lot – now spread across three buildings. The café is also bigger and still sells its signature hot chocolates.
The 50s Diner
The 50s diner with its jukebox, rock and roll poster walls, burgers and shakes used to be a must-visit at the service station between Stanthorpe and Ballandean.
Now it has moved to the main street where it is now called the Groove n’Grill Diner. There are still plenty of interesting rock and roll images on the wall and US-style diner cuisine.
Stanthorpe Heritage Museum
The Stanthorpe Heritage Museum in town proved to be an interesting surprise. There is lots of old stuff and old buildings that do a nicely rustic job of capturing past eras, without polish.
It is mostly run by volunteers and well worth a look.
The Girraween National Park
The national park, south of Stanthorpe, is famous for its curious granite natural rock formations, interesting hikes and water pools.
Among the many attractions are balancing rock, the pyramid, the granite arch, Mount Norman and the underground creek. No shortage of photo opportunities here.
The home of Captain Thunderbolt
Between 1863 to 1870 bushranger Frederick Wordsworth Ward (known as Captain Thunderbolt) used these rock formations to hide between pillaging businesses and robbing stagecoaches.
Despite his long crime spree, Thunderbolt was known as the “gentleman bushranger” because he did not kill anyone, used manners during his robberies and did not steal from women.
It all came to an end when he was shot and killed by police in 1870 at Kentucky Creek near Uralla. All these years later, his hideouts are a major tourist draw to the granite belt.
The Man in Black
Speaking of bushrangers, in the US they were called Highwaymen, as was a group consisting of country superstars Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson.
During an Australia tour by the Highwaymen in 1991, Cash and his wife June Carter took an unscheduled detour to Stanthorpe and did a last-minute fundraising concert for just 585 locals at the Stanthorpe Civic Centre.
This was not as random as it sounds. In part it was a thank-you for the town that kept their secret.
Cash had been a frequent visitor to Stanthorpe to spend time with close friends but managed to keep this low profile because the locals protected his privacy.
According to the folklore, Cash started the visits in 1982 because a US heart specialist, who was a good friend, moved there after he married a local woman. They kept quietly returning year after year.
Their son, John Carter Cash, reportedly spent most of his childhood summers on a farm in the district.
Stanthorpe’s enduring Johnny Cash/June Carter connection continued after his death, eventually leading to the creation of the annual Johnny Cash Country Festival.
Stanthorpe is a town of many stories. They probably get better after a day of wine tasting.
