Hey you guys! Phoebe here from Little Grey Box with Matt behind the camera and
today we are in Australia in our beautiful home state of Queensland
because we are exploring Stanthorpe and a region known as the Granite Belt
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To help you travel well we are going to be sharing all of our experiences along the way
and if you don't already, be sure to subscribe and give us a G'day in the comments below
Stanthorpe and the Granite Belt are an area famous for producing
incredible fresh fruits and vegetables and of course amazing wine so it makes
sense that our first stop is here at Sam's Fresh Fruit and Vegetables so we
can get our hands on some of that famous Stanthorpe produce
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Our next stop is here at Ashbern Farms and they grow some incredible strawberries here!
So you can come down and do a pick your own so you go up and see the team in the shop
grab yourself a punnet, head down here to the fields they will give you all the tips
and tricks and then you can just wander along and you pay for what you pick and
look at these they are perfect you would not believe how good these smell and
Richard was just telling us there is a competition on for somebody who picks
the biggest strawberry. If you find a monster take it up to the shop it will
be weighed and you will get your name on the leaderboard and if you are the
winner, you get a free ice cream and if that is not good incentive I don't know what is
Richard: that could be your winner Phoebe: really!
We are staying here at Ridgemill Estate
it is the perfect base for all your Stanthorpe and Granite Belt adventures
and we're staying in one of these beautiful self-contained cabins looking out
over the vineyard over there there's a beautiful breeze and then we come in
here this place is a really good size you can really spread out take full
advantage of all that amazing produce like we have today you know you stop it
Sam's, you stop at Ashbern, you stock up on all your local goodies there's a
butcher in town in Stanthorpe, get everything you could possibly need come
back here and just hole up for a couple of days at the vineyard
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Ridgemill Estate is also an award-winning vineyard you guys so you can join Martin
one of the owners here on a guided tour of the vineyard and he will just talk
you through everything you need to know about how the grapes are growing about
the vines about the winemaking process and you can do all of that while
sampling some of Ridgemill's delicious wine for yourself
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So this is freshly-baked sourdough from Sams' Fruit and Veg, hummus and dukkha, this cheese is Pepper
Cheese from Stanthorpe Cheese we've got beautiful fresh local mangoes
strawberries we picked, everything is local, everything is fresh
I know where everything on this plate came from...
including me
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Good morning you guys. So we are starting our day here at the Wallangarra Cafe
now this amazing cafe is housed inside a historic railway station and it is
beautifully set up out there this is gorgeous breeze this morning it's a
perfect temperature and the menu looks fantastic now Matt... this is a boys
breakfast if I've ever seen one... Me, I've gone for their house-made corn
fritters with a side of mushrooms look at this beautiful local chutney too
So excited to dig in and give this a try
hmm yum
the chutney is amazing too
so good!
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Stanthorpe was actually initially founded as a tin mining town it was founded by
tin miners in around the 1870s but when the tin prices fell many of the people who
had settled here turned to farming and it was around about the 1860s that
grapes were introduced and they started to create these beautiful wines in the region
Now if you are planning a visit to this area there are some great regional
events to keep your eyes out for. There's the Stanthorpe Show, The Australian small
Winemakers Show, Ballandeen Estate have their Opera in the Vineyards and
some other really great opportunities to come out and experience the local culture
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For lunch, we have come to Varias Restaurant right in the heart of Stanthorpe
You can see where all the produce has come from that goes into the meals
that end up on your plate, so there's reference to Sam's who we stopped at yesterday
I've got a glass of Sutton's fresh apple juice from just down the road everything
is local everything is fresh. Matt has got a lamb terrine oh it looks so
vibrant on the plate it looks incredible, freshly baked bread and I have got
pretty much my ultimate meal I live for a good spud and this is beautiful
Dutch cream potatoes with lime guacamole, a spicy salsa, chargrilled
corn, crispy capers. It's perfectly seasoned the corn, the guacamole it all just works
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We just did a cellar door tasting here at Ridgemill Estate with winemaker Peter
and of course, owner Martin was there too now I'm a novice when it comes to drinking wine
so another benefit for somebody like me was having... you know an
expert like Peter tell me even just the best way to sample the wines the best
way to try it to really get the full benefit of the flavor and have him talk
you through every single thing that you're experiencing if you get the
the chance I absolutely recommend it, that was fantastic and in addition to Ridgemill
there are some fantastic wineries out here as well so if you love wine you are
going to be spoilt for choice
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We just finished dinner here at the Granite Belt Brewery
Now tomorrow morning we are up early we've got something great planned for
breakfast and then a really fun day of sightseeing
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Good morning you guys, so we are starting
our final day in the region here at Brinx Cafe and Deli and this place
looks incredible I mean it is beautiful to look at
Matt has gone for eggs your way sourdough, tomato, amazing
I've got this gorgeous dark toasted rye with a deconstructed smashed avo
mmmmm!
oh my gosh
So good.
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So we are doing a guided bicycle tour today with Jon and Vanessa from
Granite Belt Bicycle Tours & Hire and this is a fantastic way to see the area
you guys, you get that local connection you get to make friends with
the other people on the tour and you get to see some things that you just
wouldn't be able to find otherwise so we've got these great views we're
learning about the area we just did a great little cave walk through all the
granite boulders it's absolutely spectacular and this is just our first stop of the day
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Stanthorpe produces most of Queensland's apple crop and we are
actually fortunate enough to be on one of these beautiful apple orchards this
is a third-generation family running this it's absolutely incredible so if you
do see orchards like these don't just wander over and kind of make your
way through the fields of your own accord these are people's businesses and their
livelihood so if you do want to try some delicious Stanthorpe apples there are
plenty of great fruit shops and juiceries that you can do that dotted all around the place
So our next stop is here at Stanthorpe Cheese now they
make some amazing cheese's here there is a cheese-making master inside
Have your cheese platter, try all your little bits and pieces and then you can buy what you
loved before you go which is exactly what I have done so I've stocked up on
this beautiful local Caramelized Apple Balsamic Mix, its got...
Granite Belt Apples in there it's so nice dipped with some freshly baked bread
and olive oil we've also got this beautiful New England Ladder Onion Jam
oh my gosh you would not believe the flavour of that
Matt drank a whole litre of Sutton's Apple Juice at lunch
this is full I was going to show you the cloudy
apple juice is our all-time favourite you guys but Matt
has downed the whole lot so we will have to buy more
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So we are getting this beautiful tasting
working our way through the list of reds, this is the
Tempranillo I don't think I've ever tried one before and if it is delightful
and this vineyard outside is just stunning you guys
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So this has been the final stop on our bicycle tour and it is the final stop of our
trip too and I really hope you guys have enjoyed seeing Stanthorpe, it is such an
easy escape winter, summer, spring, autumn, any time of year just come out here
connect with the locals, eat yourself silly drink yourself silly and have an amazing time
it is the perfect spot to just rest, relax, recharge and feast
And with that, this brings our video to a close I really hope you guys have enjoyed it now
if you don't already be sure to subscribe and say g'day in the comments below
Have a great weekend and I will see you next week
love ya!
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