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Stanthorpe
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Sixty kilometres south of Warwick along the New England Highway,
STANTHORPE
is a small town full of retiree bungalows, known for the
fruit stalls
and small-scale
wineries
that throng the region. Heritage Wines (tel 07/4685 2197), 15km north on the New England Highway - worth a visit alone for its huge, antique-laden reception room - and Ballandean Estate, the region's oldest vineyard, 20km southwest of town (tel 07/4684 1226); both produce excellent wines and are open daily. If you need to
stay
in Stanthorpe,
Top of Town Accommodation
, on the highway 2km north of town (tel 07/4681 4888; tents or dorms under $20, cabins $50-70) is a campsite-style operation with huge grounds and good
work connections
for fruit pickers;
Stannum Lodge Motor Inn
(tel 07/4681 2000; $70-90) on Wallangarra Road is a central motel; while
Acacia Cottages
(tel 07/4696 4557; five-person cottage $250 per weekend only) is a countryside retreat 15km east of town.
The surrounding hills are granite, exposed as fantastic monoliths at Girraween National Park , 30km south down the New England Highway. There's an NPWS campsite and rangers office here (tel 07/4684 5157) with showers and toilets - and the chance of seeing small, shy, active sugar gliders just after dark. Listen for claws clattering over bark and then shine your torch overhead to catch a glowing set of eyes in the spotlight.
With more energy than skill, you can climb several of the giant hills with little risk, as long as rain hasn't made them dangerously slippery.
Castle Rock
(2hr return) is entertaining: initially a gentle incline past lichen-covered boulders in the forest, the track follows a dotted white line into a fissure - look up and you'll see loose rocks balanced above you - before emerging onto a thin ledge above the campsite. Follow this around to the north side and clamber to the very top for superb views of the Pyramids, Sphinx and Mount Norman poking rudely out of the woods.
The Sphinx
and
Turtle Rock
are another thirty minutes from the base of Castle. Sphinx is a broad pillar topped by a boulder, while Turtle's more conventional shape means a scramble, with no handholds on the final stretch. But pat yourself on the back if you make it to the top of the completely bald
South Pyramid
(2hr return) without resorting to hands and knees. Take a well-earned rest at the top and look across to the unscaleable North Pyramid from below
Balancing Rock
, an oval boulder teetering so precariously on its narrow end that you can see underneath to where the support is surely only a few years away from collapse.
Mount Norman
, the park's 1267-metre apex, lies an hour beyond Castle Rock and should only be attempted by experienced climbers; check details with the ranger at Girraween. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Australia,
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