6 surprising things to do in St George

If wine tasting in Queensland’s most western vineyard isn’t reason enough, at Riversands Winery you’re guaranteed a “bush story in every glass”.

Affable owners David and Alison Blacket have taken great care to craft their vino with a local identity on each label. And you’ll love these labels as much as the wine itself. On a hot, summer day try the Sparkling Sisters bubbles for its rose petal aromas and strawberry and guava flavours, save the rich Black Magic vintage port for a crisp winter evening and the rest of its delicious drops for those days in between.

2. Shop local

You’re in cattle and cotton country out here, so check out CC’s Trendz for the locally-made cotton garments such as women’s t-shirts and tailored blouses. Nearby, Handmade St George boasts the likes of baby clothes with tractor prints and a lovely local cookbook with homemade ingredients to raise money for the primary school.

The adjacent Tina-Maree Jewellery sells cool cow-hide hip flasks. The art-deco style Shea Beauty across the road stocks organic vegan, dairy and gluten-free Loco Love chocolate, and provides a large menu of beauty treatments. A few doors down, check out The Farmhouse for its pretty café, décor and gifts, and around the corner, head to the popular St George Bakery for tasty treats such as its custard cream and apple turnovers and chocolate hedgehog slices.

Locals swear by Stevie Jeans Coffee Shop for the best caffeine fix. Next door, check out the colourful emu eggs at the Unique Egg, said to be the only display of its kind in the world.

3. Drive the Cotton Trail

You’ve bought the t.shirt, now check out its origin. One of the loveliest trails, particularly around April and May when the cotton is on the bud, is the Cotton Self-Drive. This 94km journey, on well-signed, bitumen roads, begins at the Balonne Shire Visitor Information Centre (buy some cotton oil lotion and soap here while picking up your map) and has five major sights.

You’ll amble along the riverfront and St George’s terrace to the Jack Taylor Weir-Andrew Nixon Bridge. Make sure you drive over the bridge to check out the calm river on one side, and the gushing weir on the other. From here you’ll head to Beardmore Dam, 22km north of town, home to a lush picnic spot and viewing platforms overlooking this vital waterway.

Continue on to the St George Irrigation Area where you’ll start to enter cotton country and on towards the Buckinbah Weir, another peaceful place to pause. Drive to St George Cotton Gin past fields of cotton, before you finish this 1.5-2 hr loop back in town.

4. Enjoy historic pubs

Did someone say Queensland’s oldest pub? Established in 1864, the Nindigully Pub, 42km northwest of St George, has held the longest continuing licence in the state. This old-style one-storey hotel has plenty of salacious stories (there’s even talk of a ghost or two from those who’ve stayed the night and lived to tell the tale). Come here to try a local Gully Gold or Moonie Mud straight off the beer tap, or, if you’re game, the 5.5kg Road Train Burger with its 1.2kg Beef Burger. There’s also a 1.5kg Gully Aussie Sandwich.

Our tip? Drive the extra 33km south to Thallon first, and check out is pretty-painted gargantuan grain silo and work up an appetite that way. Fans of Australian actors Hugh Jackman and Claudia Karvan will delight in the trivia that Paperback Hero was filmed at the pub in 1999. Back in St George town, locals reckon nothing quite beats a coldie on the veranda of The Australian Hotel overlooking the Balonne River, the leafy courtyard of the Cobb & Co Hotel, or the deck of the St George Hotel, also overlooking the river.

5. Explore the river

The mighty Balonne River, which stretches some 479km long, is the lifeblood and focal point of St George. And there are so many ways in which to explore this wonderful waterway, which is also part of the Murray-Darlin Basin system.

One of the easiest is a cool wander along its paved walkway, which runs for around 2km. Residents worship the river with their canoes, kayaks, jetskis, waterskis and boats.

For those without any water craft, join Brett Schweikert on a Sandytown River Cruise. A typical tour takes two hours where you’ll explore both upstream and downstream while Brett points out various wildlife such as the resident whistling kites, upmarket riverfront homes, and other areas of interest. As Brett says “Give me the river any day”. And it’s hard to argue with that, particularly while sipping the BYO bubbles you are encouraged to bring aboard.

6. Attend an event

So many events, so little time. A highlight of the St George event calendar is arguably Easter in the Vines at Riversands winery where the kids can jump on a bouncy castle and have their faces painted while you drink and dance the afternoon away in the shade.

Other highlights include the St George Show, Yellowbelly Country Music Festival, St George Campdraft, St George Polocrosse, St George Fishing Competition and the Australia Day Long Lunch. 

Staying there

St George caters for everyone with rustic campsites, pub rooms with shared bathrooms, and ensuited motel rooms with pools.

Hot tip

Bring your bathers and check out the St George Baths, a recently-opened thermal pool with artesian spring water heated to 34 degrees. You’ll find this at the St George pool in Victoria Street.

Getting there

There’s numerous ways to get to St George from Brisbane but one of the most pleasant is to head west of Brisbane to Dalby before turning south-west to St George. On this journey, which takes about 6 hours, make sure you pause at Moonie Crossroads where its Melon Hole Bar is home to Australia’s largest feral pig head display. We told you this trip would be quirky.

Featured image: @jacksimmons3