This weekend Jason and I were invited by our lovely British friends to venture out to the Queensland wine country! We visited the town of Stanthorpe which is a three hour drive from Brissy (that's the nickname for Brisbane). Luckily, our friends Louise and Andrew have a car so we had no problem getting there.
Louise and Andrew have been such great friends and we are really enjoying getting to know them. They have traveled and gone on holiday together all over the world so they have such great stories to share. They have been in Australia for two years and will be going back to England to get married in July. Their plan is to move to Qatar for Louise to continue nursing and Andrew to teach. They are such kind people and it has been great to have friends our age and in the same stage of life. We're really going to miss them once they leave!
We took off Saturday morning and drove through the countryside of Queensland which is elevated over 3,000 ft in some areas. It was a really pretty drive, very hilly and green (we've been getting a lot of rain recently) with beautiful mountains and tons of cattle everywhere! And the further we got in the country the stranger and more blunt the road signs became. Here are just a few:
"Arrive Alive"
"Tired Drivers DIE"
"Pull over mate. Your eyes are shot."
Louise and Andrew told us that certain rest stops will give drivers coffee for free. Jason and I wondered if that would really be a good idea considering how people usually crash after a caffeine high. But maybe these stops are every hour on the road? Who knows.
After our three hour drive we stopped at the Information Centre of Stanthorpe. The lady who gave us directions the winery ended up confusing us all so we grabbed the maps and hoped for the best! The first winery we stopped at was the Ridgemill Estate. The four of us jumped out the car eagerly waiting for our first Australian wine tasting! We walked in and found ourselves the only customers at the vineyard so of course we got excellent service! Even though the big Irish man serving us was not very talkative we still enjoyed the wine and the puppy that was running around. Of course we wanted to steal it and run away with it! But instead Jason and I bought a bottle of Tempranillo that was delicious! Before we left we made sure to take the wine tasting sheet that described the wines and what to pair with it, in case we decided to come back and get more. So we ventured to the second winery through the dirt roads and ended up at the Lucas Estate. They had a lot more spaces and actual seating areas, an outdoor patio, and a lunch menu. There were a few customers in the winery sipping away and eating cheese and other yummy things. There was only one server so the service was a little slower but we stilled enjoyed the wine of course! We decided to hit up one more winery in hopes of finding a bottle or two that Louise and Andrew liked. The third winery was beautiful! It had a gorgeous view and was the biggest of the three wineries.
We pulled up and were immediately greeted by the sweetest dog and the owner of the winery. We had a great time sipping the wines, all of them were amazing, and the owner/server was very fun and talkative. He told us that this year they had an awful hail storm that ruined a lot of the grapes so unfortunately all the wineries were hurting a bit more than usual. He said he also has a bad wallaby problem as they get into the crop and eat or destroy them. Too bad, those things are so cute!
After enjoying the wine tastings we decided to go to the grocery store to get some food for a barbie (BBQ) and to check into the cabin we were staying at. We decided to be adventurous and we got kangaroo meat as well as lamb, beef and vegetables. We made kangaroo kabobs! We ate outside on the deck hoping that we wouldn't see a wild kangaroo hopping around. The place we stayed at has kangaroo, wallaby and bearded dragons! We didn't see any of the animals while we were there. Just the really loud birds.
But we did some walking along the property and looked at the beautiful stars. So far, every time I've looked at the sky, no matter where I am, I can see Orion and the Southern Cross and it is always so easy to see! While we were out walking Louise said, "it would be really nice to have a torch right now," and of course Jason and I busted out laughing thinking that she actually meant a torch that a cave man would use. I guess Brits call flashlights torches. We've of course had so many of these moments where we just laugh at each other because we know we'd never say that at home. For instance, I was telling Louise I really wanted a tacky fanny pack for our hike the next day and she laughed and told me not to say that ever again because it means something very naughty in England! Jason and I were also told that sneakers are a "faux pas" when worn with shorts and only Americans wear them out and about. Which, I seemed to notice early on that Jason and I have been the only people to wear sneakers who weren't running. Everyone just wears "thongs" (flip flops) here and we all know with my crazy feet that I should not be wear flip flops all the time! So needless to say, Louise and Andrew said they felt like Americans wearing their runners, as they call them.
Anyway, our dinner was absolutely delicious! I was expecting the kangaroo to be a lot more gamey-er but it really was amazing. The Kangaroo Kebob was a success!! We also ended up drinking our wonderful wine we bought from the local wineries and enjoyed the coolness of the higher altitude.
The next day Louise and I were dying to go to this chocolate shop we saw some advertisements for at the wineries. Luckily it happened to be on the way to a National Park we planned on visiting. The shop, Heavenly Chocolate, is run out of the back of someone's house and is surrounded by the most beautiful garden I have ever seen. And the garden accessories were quite entertaining as some of them looked like sock puppets from the Muppets.
We bought a few chocolates and sat outside of their shop looking at their chickens and various other animals that were wondering around. I wish I would have taken a picture of one of the animals in the chicken coop because it looked like it stuck its foot in an electrical outlet! It was so poofy! It had gray poofy feathers and a funny black poofy head. It looked like it was wearing a Russian hat. We've seen the most bizarre animals here.
After our chocolate binge we headed out to the Girraween National Park. It is a very large park that has random granite stone formations. There are various hiking trails that lead you some famous rocks. We decided to do the 4 hour round trip hiking tour to see the Sphinx!
With our four water bottles and prawn sandwiches we started our hike. Within the first few minutes we saw a wallaby! Wallabies look very similar to kangaroos but they are just smaller. I attempted to take a picture of the little guy. We also saw various lizards of course and heard many things "slithering" through the bush. Oh, and the red ants were so massive I literally jumped over them - I didn't want a big ant with chompers that I could see with my own eyes crawling on my leg! A few parts of the trail were so "buggy" and full of gnats that a bunch of them ended up sticking to our arms, legs, face and clothes! You can bet we all decided to keep our mouths shut during those few minutes. The bush is full of plants that I've never seen before. I felt like a prehistoric animal from Jurassic Park was going to jump out of the bushes at any time! We made a few stops to look at the enormous rocks along the way and ended up at our destination 50 minutes later. We took some fun pictures and trekked back down the trail which only took us 40 minutes.
On our way out we made one last stop at the chocolate place, of course! It was a great weekend and our first time to the wineries and the crazy Australian bush. We had such a wonderful time with our new friends. They are such a fun couple to hang out with. They are very witty and silly and are not afraid to tell us things that are acceptable in Australia and things that are just plain weird to people here.
Louise and Andrew have been such great friends and we are really enjoying getting to know them. They have traveled and gone on holiday together all over the world so they have such great stories to share. They have been in Australia for two years and will be going back to England to get married in July. Their plan is to move to Qatar for Louise to continue nursing and Andrew to teach. They are such kind people and it has been great to have friends our age and in the same stage of life. We're really going to miss them once they leave!
Jason, Louise and Andrew in Girraween National Park
We took off Saturday morning and drove through the countryside of Queensland which is elevated over 3,000 ft in some areas. It was a really pretty drive, very hilly and green (we've been getting a lot of rain recently) with beautiful mountains and tons of cattle everywhere! And the further we got in the country the stranger and more blunt the road signs became. Here are just a few:
"Arrive Alive"
"Tired Drivers DIE"
"Pull over mate. Your eyes are shot."
Louise and Andrew told us that certain rest stops will give drivers coffee for free. Jason and I wondered if that would really be a good idea considering how people usually crash after a caffeine high. But maybe these stops are every hour on the road? Who knows.
After our three hour drive we stopped at the Information Centre of Stanthorpe. The lady who gave us directions the winery ended up confusing us all so we grabbed the maps and hoped for the best! The first winery we stopped at was the Ridgemill Estate. The four of us jumped out the car eagerly waiting for our first Australian wine tasting! We walked in and found ourselves the only customers at the vineyard so of course we got excellent service! Even though the big Irish man serving us was not very talkative we still enjoyed the wine and the puppy that was running around. Of course we wanted to steal it and run away with it! But instead Jason and I bought a bottle of Tempranillo that was delicious! Before we left we made sure to take the wine tasting sheet that described the wines and what to pair with it, in case we decided to come back and get more. So we ventured to the second winery through the dirt roads and ended up at the Lucas Estate. They had a lot more spaces and actual seating areas, an outdoor patio, and a lunch menu. There were a few customers in the winery sipping away and eating cheese and other yummy things. There was only one server so the service was a little slower but we stilled enjoyed the wine of course! We decided to hit up one more winery in hopes of finding a bottle or two that Louise and Andrew liked. The third winery was beautiful! It had a gorgeous view and was the biggest of the three wineries.
We pulled up and were immediately greeted by the sweetest dog and the owner of the winery. We had a great time sipping the wines, all of them were amazing, and the owner/server was very fun and talkative. He told us that this year they had an awful hail storm that ruined a lot of the grapes so unfortunately all the wineries were hurting a bit more than usual. He said he also has a bad wallaby problem as they get into the crop and eat or destroy them. Too bad, those things are so cute!
After enjoying the wine tastings we decided to go to the grocery store to get some food for a barbie (BBQ) and to check into the cabin we were staying at. We decided to be adventurous and we got kangaroo meat as well as lamb, beef and vegetables. We made kangaroo kabobs! We ate outside on the deck hoping that we wouldn't see a wild kangaroo hopping around. The place we stayed at has kangaroo, wallaby and bearded dragons! We didn't see any of the animals while we were there. Just the really loud birds.
Louise, Andrew, Jason and I at Winery #3
But we did some walking along the property and looked at the beautiful stars. So far, every time I've looked at the sky, no matter where I am, I can see Orion and the Southern Cross and it is always so easy to see! While we were out walking Louise said, "it would be really nice to have a torch right now," and of course Jason and I busted out laughing thinking that she actually meant a torch that a cave man would use. I guess Brits call flashlights torches. We've of course had so many of these moments where we just laugh at each other because we know we'd never say that at home. For instance, I was telling Louise I really wanted a tacky fanny pack for our hike the next day and she laughed and told me not to say that ever again because it means something very naughty in England! Jason and I were also told that sneakers are a "faux pas" when worn with shorts and only Americans wear them out and about. Which, I seemed to notice early on that Jason and I have been the only people to wear sneakers who weren't running. Everyone just wears "thongs" (flip flops) here and we all know with my crazy feet that I should not be wear flip flops all the time! So needless to say, Louise and Andrew said they felt like Americans wearing their runners, as they call them.
Anyway, our dinner was absolutely delicious! I was expecting the kangaroo to be a lot more gamey-er but it really was amazing. The Kangaroo Kebob was a success!! We also ended up drinking our wonderful wine we bought from the local wineries and enjoyed the coolness of the higher altitude.
The Cottage
The next day Louise and I were dying to go to this chocolate shop we saw some advertisements for at the wineries. Luckily it happened to be on the way to a National Park we planned on visiting. The shop, Heavenly Chocolate, is run out of the back of someone's house and is surrounded by the most beautiful garden I have ever seen. And the garden accessories were quite entertaining as some of them looked like sock puppets from the Muppets.
Heavenly Chocolate
We bought a few chocolates and sat outside of their shop looking at their chickens and various other animals that were wondering around. I wish I would have taken a picture of one of the animals in the chicken coop because it looked like it stuck its foot in an electrical outlet! It was so poofy! It had gray poofy feathers and a funny black poofy head. It looked like it was wearing a Russian hat. We've seen the most bizarre animals here.
After our chocolate binge we headed out to the Girraween National Park. It is a very large park that has random granite stone formations. There are various hiking trails that lead you some famous rocks. We decided to do the 4 hour round trip hiking tour to see the Sphinx!
The Sphinx
With our four water bottles and prawn sandwiches we started our hike. Within the first few minutes we saw a wallaby! Wallabies look very similar to kangaroos but they are just smaller. I attempted to take a picture of the little guy. We also saw various lizards of course and heard many things "slithering" through the bush. Oh, and the red ants were so massive I literally jumped over them - I didn't want a big ant with chompers that I could see with my own eyes crawling on my leg! A few parts of the trail were so "buggy" and full of gnats that a bunch of them ended up sticking to our arms, legs, face and clothes! You can bet we all decided to keep our mouths shut during those few minutes. The bush is full of plants that I've never seen before. I felt like a prehistoric animal from Jurassic Park was going to jump out of the bushes at any time! We made a few stops to look at the enormous rocks along the way and ended up at our destination 50 minutes later. We took some fun pictures and trekked back down the trail which only took us 40 minutes.
Me being Atlas
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