The Granite Belt is opening its doors, farms and workshops to promote buying local and from the bush over the summer.
The Granite Belt Wine and Tourism president Martin Cooper said the annual pre-Christmas pilgrimage to the Granite Belt has become a thing.
“We’re seeing visitors and extended families looking for gifts with meaning and that give back, with many taking pre-Christmas escapes from the shopping crowds and humidity of the coast,” Martin said.
“There’s just so much to do here. From incredible national parks to dining with more than 50 wineries in the region, the area has become a destination of choice in summer,” he said.
“We don’t BYO here, we PYO (pick your own) with strawberries and fresh stone fruit grown right here on the Granite Belt.”
Local saddler, Lyle Kent from Kent’s Saddlery said the people who come into the store want to support small business and buy Australian made.
“What my wife and I love about this place, we employ local people, and this contributes to their livelihood and the flow-on effect is amazing,” Lyle said.
Around every twist and bend of the Granite Belt can be found master makers of all kinds. From wines to cheesemakers, apple pie makers, leather goods, jam makers, luxe skin care makers…. you name it, they probably grow or make it on the Granite Belt.
Local grower and wine maker, Tim Coelli, with his wife Michelle, show people firsthand what the vine to the glass experience really is.
“The Granite Belt wine makers are small scale producers and it’s reflected in our specialised wines here. It means you’re literally drinking wine on the ground from where the grapes are grown.”
Sourcing local ingredients and taking inspiration from a famous National Park, the natural skin care maker, Washpool Supply Co, teaches visitors how to make their own products.
“When you buy from the bush, you’re supporting not just one person, or one business, you’re supporting everyone. We’re a community here and we support each other,” Washpool Supply Co Retail manager Emily Thomas said.
The Granite Belt has in recent years become increasingly appealing for family holidays, with the growing popularity of the year-round Christmas wonderland that is Stanthorpe’s Granite Belt Christmas Farm, plus the Granite Belt Maze and the new family friendly bike tracks on Mt Marley in Stanthorpe.
Public strawberry picking is open at Ashbern Farms Wednesday to Sunday, 9am to 4.30pm from October to May. Admission is free, making it an affordable day out for the family.
