Country people sure know how to throw a party! In fact, the calendar is packed with fabulous festivals and events being thrown across Southern Queensland country on an annual or biennial basis. In this special episode of Queensland Weekender we check out great events happening across Queensland’s Scenic Rim and Granite Belt.
In the Scenic Rim, you can get in touch with your creative side and visit the inner sanctums of artists and sculptors during Open Studios of the Scenic Rim.
The event, held in various centres across 5 weekends, encourages artists to welcome the public into their studios and work-spaces – as well as offer art workshops and master-classes.
At ABS Studios in Boonah, bronze sculptor Cathy Anderson is one of three local artists who’ll open their doors to visitors during this year’s festival.
While in town, check out the masterpiece that is the historic Dugandan Hotel. And if you’re signed up to the RACQ Dining Rewards program, you can enjoy a discount on your meal.
Head further south to Warwick in October for Australia’s most famous rodeo. The “City of Roses and Rodeo” welcomes the top rough-riders and campdraft talent from across the country to its annual celebration.
And if you’ve got a case of rodeo fever that burns all year round, Warwick is also home to the Australian Rodeo Heritage Centre – a museum to the rodeo stars of the past and present-day.
While in town, why not carry on the rodeo theme and stay at the Buckaroo Motor Inn, which offers clean, comfortable air conditioned rooms and suites, just minutes from the heart of the city. The Cherry Tree Café serves up fantastic food, featuring local produce where possible – including a cracker of a steak sandwich! Former butcher, Scott Morton, is the man behind the café – where RACQ Dining Rewards members also enjoy the benefits of meal discounts.
Get out your diary and mark off the February 23 to March 4, March 2018 for the next Apple & Grape Festival in Stanthorpe. The event is held every two years. This year the harvest celebration notched up 50 years of existence – and promises to be bigger and brighter than ever before, as it moves into its next half-century! Local produce and fine wines are the stars of this week-long party that takes over town.
A highlight is the Channel 7 Grand Parade which sweeps through Stanthorpe’s main street in a colourful celebration of community.
And if you’re planning to visit one – or all – of these fantastic festivals in Southern Queensland country, make sure your first journey is on-line to the RACQ Trip Planner, where you’ll find all you need to pre-plan your route as well as discover local attractions and accommodation.
Watch the stories here:
There’s an arty-vibe going on in Boonah on Queensland’s scenic rim with the annual Open Studios. Held over five weekends, the public is invited inside the sanctums of 180 regional art studios. If the visits spark your own creativity, you can sign up for an Open Studios workshop. A trip to Boonah wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the “Dugie”, a classic country pub built in the 1880s. There’s live music every Sunday and a great pub menu including seven different versions of the traditional parmy!
In this video Liz uses the RACQ’s Trip Planner to travel from the Scenic Rim to the Southern Downs for some R&R. In this case that means – roses and rodeo. She heads into Warwick and discovers the Australian Rodeo Heritage Centre and meets some fortunate students studying sport of rodeo in their high school curriculum. We check out the Buckaroo Motor Inn and have of the best steak sandwiches in Queensland at the Cherry Tree Café.
https://youtu.be/QLg0sV52vyw
Luscious, juicy grapes … fat, crisp apples – put them together and you end up with a lot of more than a fruit salad.
Stanthorpe’s Apple and Grape Festival is held every two years and is more than just a street parade.
In this story, we taste test the Multicultural Carnival in the Park and sample Claudine Binet’s home made (and hot!) sauces, vintage c Stanthorpe cheese and a lovely red wine from Golden Grove.
https://youtu.be/TB93qaYrmpA
Before it was Apple & Grape, Stanthorpe’s harvest party was called the Apple Blossom Festival… and each year, a Queen was crowned. We meet some of the former royalty and join in the annual Festival procession. Then things get messy as Liz is roped into the Celebrity Grape Crush Challenge.
https://youtu.be/DQTKY9v2Gx8
Open Studios of the Scenic Rim
30th April – 29th May
liveatthecentre.com.au/Open-Studios-pg20594.html
Warwick Campdraft & Rodeo
24th – 30th October
warwickshowandrodeo.com.au
Apple & Grape Festival
3rd & 4th March 2018 (main weekend)
appleandgrape.org
RACQ
racq.com/qldweekender
racq.com/tripplanner
