From Southern Downs Farms to your Fork

Foodies rejoice! The Southern Downs and Granite Belt has two new food maps to showcase the freshest produce of the region. The philosophy of the Southern Downs and Granite Belt Food Maps supports product that is at least 50% locally grown or made, or that which is grown up to 100% on-site. On both maps you’ll find farms that sell their produce online or you can visit by appointment at their farm gate. Much of the produce can be found at the weekly local farmers markets too.

Also on this map are our cafes and restaurants who incorporate locally grown produce on their menus. These chefs are just as passionate about their dishes, as the creators of the food are. Order online or call to talk directly with the producer; these maps have been created to help you to easily enjoy the Southern Downs and Granite Belt whole food experience – from farm to fork. Download them or pick up a copy at the Warwick and Stanthorpe Visitor Information Centres.

STANTHORPE AND SURROUNDS

1. Restaurants supporting local produce on their menus

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For a region blessed with over 30 wineries, a wine making college, numerous award winning restaurants and delicious cafes worth the drive, the South end of the region has a plethora of places to sample our locally grown and produced food. These restaurants and cafes fully support local meat, vegetables, fruit, condiments and more, using them seasonally on their menus and to enhance cellar door tastings. You’ll need more than a weekend to fit these all in!

Heritage Estate Wines Restaurant – food and wine pairing lunches with award winning wines

Paola’s the Winemakers Kitchen – Robert Channon Wines and Kitchen Cafe

Varias Restaurant at Qld College of Wine Tourism – Award winning, serving local produce and wines

Hidden Creek Winery and Restaurant – boutique small batch wines with local produce served in the cafe

Barrel Room Restaurant – Modern Italian restaurant situated in Ballandean Estate Winery

2. All things indulgent

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What could be more inviting than an afternoon tasting cheese and truffles!

Stanthorpe Cheese – Come up to Queensland’s highest and coldest dairy farm cheese shop for one of the best things to do in Stanthorpe. Taste the difference in a true farmhouse cheese! For the past 12 years their artisan cheeses have been made from a single herd of pure bred Jersey cows from one farm. This makes their cheeses totally unique and seasonally different and interesting. If it’s raining and the grass is rich and luscious, the cheese reflects this with its bright yellow colour and earthy aroma.

Truffle Discovery Centre – The rare and highly valuable French Black Perigord Truffle is often heard of in culinary circles but in commercial farming areas suddenly becomes very secretive due to security and bio-security reasons. The Truffle Discovery Centre unearths all that is truffles with talks, information, products and tastings, gourmet product range and interactive exhibits.

3. Visit a working boutique brewery

Image by Keith Barnett

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Granite Belt Brewery – Set on 30 acres of natural bushland just five minutes from Stanthorpe, this unique country estate features 20 cedar cabins complete with log fire, micro brewery plus a bar, restaurant and function centre. If it’s a 3 course lunch you’re after, enjoying local produce matched with local ciders and beers produced on site, or you simply need a refreshing ale, Granite Belt Retreat has it all.

Granite Belt Brewery was established in 2012. Their ales and lagers are hand crafted in a 1000 litre microbrewery where they use nothing but the finest ingredients to create dynamic beers that are full flavoured and delicious to drink. Experience their famous Brewers Platter with four dishes perfectly paired to complement the beers.

4. Tempt Your Sweet Tooth

Our foodie paradise is not just for adults! It’s easy to treat the kids (and yourself!) to a delicious stop when you’re travelling through the Granite Belt, with plenty of options for a cheeky morning tea stopover. Many orchards and fruit farms offer pick your own in season, with Suttons Apple orchard serving up some of the best Apple Pie in the country!

Suttons Juice Factory and Cidery – stop for morning tea and take home some delicious cider and juice.

Traprock Orchard – Peaches, Nectarines and Plums October to May.

Ashbern Farms – enjoy home made ice cream, strawberry jam and pick your own strawberries from October to May

Jamworks Cafe & Larder – a wide selection of jams and chutneys made from locally sourced ingredients compliment morning tea, lunch or afternoon tea

6. Sample local and take it home

Our food maps list many farms and producers who sell at the weekly farmers market, or you can contact them directly to order online or by phone.

The Granite Belt Farmers Market is held every Friday morning 7.30am – 1.00pm at the Stanthorpe Railway Station.

Check out our farm and produce listing map for producers who sell at market or directly via their website.

WARWICK AND SURROUNDS

7. Farmstay

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Gleneden Family Farm – Say howdy to life in the country by experiencing first hand how a functioning farm works. Gleneden Family Farm is an authentic connection to the countryside where you can slow down, taste local organic produce and immerse yourself in farm life. Rowan and Fiona produce a range of delicious, organic products including pastured pork, 100% pasture fed lamb & beef as well as hosting guided farm tours, heritage tours and bush camping. Their growing methods are natural and ethical with organic and holistic farming as their guiding principles.

12. It’s all about breakfast!

What better way to start the day than with fresh eggs and a pot of tea and toast dripping in the tastiest honey from our local apiaries and you are set for the day!

Freestone Valley Eggs and Honey – Organically Fed, Raised on Pasture, Fresh Farm Eggs & Produce

Condamine Apiaries – Offering a roadside honesty box on 4249 Leyburn Cunningham Rd Wheatvale

Clarke’s Bees and Honey– A 3rd generation beekeeping business, giving customers easier access to quality Honey, Wax and 100% Pure Honey.

13. The best meat you’ll ever taste

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Our region has long been known for its’ fresh and abundant produce. We are blessed with rich fertile soil and perfect climactic conditions (with four distinct seasons) to enable growing and producing a wide range of high quality food. The region has a strong agricultural industry better known for cattle, pork and lamb. Our farmers and graziers are incredibly passionate about their animals and produce, how its made, and how it gets to you, the market.

Echo Valley Farm – nutrient dense farm fresh produce, order online for delivery the next weekend. A range of fresh products including pastured eggs, grass fed Brangus beef, and sauerkraut-fed pasture-raised pork!

Picot’s Farm – owned by 4th Generation Graziers, the Lewis family have been managing Brangus cattle holistically and offer farm visits by appointment.

Carabeen Beef – “Carabeen”, a boutique cattle property high in the Border Ranges is home to Bazadais and Angus stud which produces superior stud cattle and premium grass-fed beef.

Skyview Pastoral Co – a small farming enterprise breeding cattle, sheep and pigs and growing herbs in the local broken basalt mountain soil. Beef, lamb and pork, and a range of Herb Salts made specifically from herbs grown on farm.

Eggcettera – Truly free-range pastured chicken and dusk eggs, marbled pastured pork, box gum goat, long paddock lamb, pastured beer-malted beef. Ethical treatment.

14. Dining out to sample local

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Our BUY AND EAT LOCAL Map is for the visitor who wants to try our local produce. Businesses on this map use at least 50% locally grown or made produce, or that which is grown up to 100% on-site. Here we also feature our cafes and restaurants who incorporate locally grown produce on their menus, with a high proportion of menu items sourced locally and seasonally – often they know the farmers personally and are very passionate about supporting them. These chefs are just as passionate about their dishes, as the creators of the food are.

Bluebird Kitchen and Smokehouse – renowned far and wide for the best smoked meats in SE Qld, many will drive hours to enjoy lunch at this licensed establishment – an American style Wood Smoked BBQ restaurant set up in 2015 by Katie and Jim Osborn. Just to tempt you… a sample from their menu which uses locally sourced produce:

Pulled Pork Loaded Fries w/ Smokey Sweet n Sour Sauce, and a Apple & Buttermilk Slaw $12

Little Gallery Cafe – A small family owned and operated business offering Coffee, Organic Teas, Breakfast, Lunch and a variety of homemade sweet treats. All their food including cakes and other treats are made in store with local ingredients including their famous French apple cake which is gluten and dairy free.

From Southern Downs Farms to your Fork

STANTHORPE AND SURROUNDS