Queensland Country attractions and places to visit

To chat face-to-face to a local about all the best things to see and do in Queensland Country, step into a Visitor Information Centre. 

From national parks as renowned as Girraween and Carnarvon Gorge to the boutique wineries, vineyards and breweries that have made Toowoomba and Stanthorpe such fave destinations among vinophiles and zythophiles, Queensland Country will fuel your soul as much as your taste buds. As one of Australia’s premier food and wine tour destinations where you can experience not only some of the country’s best of both but also its most exquisite scenery, this region is full of passionate local producers who create exceptional gourmet produce to share the full farm-to-table experience. 

Renowned for the abundance and diversity of its cellar doors and farm gates, Queensland Country presents ample opportunities to reconnect with where the food and wine that tantalises your taste buds comes from and support the local farmers and producers who keep traditions alive and make these gastronomic experiences happen. 

In celebration of their amazing food offerings and dedication to the careful planning and preparation that makes produce of this quality possible, taste your way around the region and check out its food and wine festivals, like the Apple and Grape Festival held each March in Stanthorpe or the Festival of Food & Wine as part of Toowoomba’s Flower Festival. 

At any time of the year, visit the boutique wineries dotted throughout the scenic Granite Belt region where you’ll meet passionate winemakers, all eager to share their best drops and the stories behind them. The Vine and Shine Trail is a must-do for wine lovers, with many of its best wineries and cellar doors located in Queensland Country, spread across the Granite Belt, Darling Downs and South Burnett regions. The grape-friendly climate makes for an enticing retreat at all times of the year, but especially in summer when it’s degrees cooler than anywhere else. And if you find yourself never wanting to leave after another sublime cellar door tasting, there’s a host of wineries you can stay at. 

While you’ll experience no shortage of exceptional scenery as you travel through Queensland Country sampling its abundant farm-fresh delights, the diverse landscapes and natural habitats it boasts in equal supply are best experienced up close and personal. And with four distinct seasons, you’ll find the region’s mix of stunning natural landscapes combined with its myriad accommodation options – from boutique bed and breakfast stays to under-the-stars camping in its national parks – provide ample opportunities for different natural experiences and interactions across the year. 

Whether you camp in the national park or stay in or near town and experience its diverse landscapes on a day trip, lace up your walking shoes and take in the stunning scenery of Girraween National Park. Walk beside Bald Rock Creek to experience a sample of the park’s finest features and see the famed Granite Arch, where balancing boulders have created a natural stone archway. 

For an experience equal parts strenuous and rewarding, challenge yourself as you climb the Pyramid to see ‘Balancing Rock’ and witness the unbeatable views and shifting colours of the national park as the sun sets behind the giant boulders.

Closer to Brisbane near Killarney, take a stroll to Queen Mary Falls through the forest of Main Range National Park and cool off in the misty spray of the waterfall as Spring Creek tumbles 40 metres to the valley below. Renowned for its Gondwana Rainforests and impressive mountain peaks and ridges, Main Range National Park covers more than 300 square kilometres and provides the opportunity to camp underneath a sea of stars at Goomburra and Crows Nest National Park where you can cool off Cascades Pool, Kauyoo Pool or Bottlebrush Pool before visiting the historic town en route to more natural wonders like Ravensbourne National Park. 

A little further north-west lies a nature escape you’ll remember forever, Carnarvon National Park – Queensland’s  ‘Green Canyon’. An outback oasis that’s equal parts culturally and ecologically significant with an impressive terrain punctuated by towering sandstone cliffs with prehistoric cycads and over 2,000 examples of Aboriginal rock art, Carnarvon Gorge is one of Queensland’s biggest natural and cultural drawcards. It’s also home to a Great Walk – the Carnarvon Great Walk – along with a host of day walks and hikes that offer both passionate hikers and those looking for a less strenuous stroll in breathtaking natural surroundings the chance to explore a variety of different walking tracks. 

Near the town of Monto, Cania Gorge National Park offers gentle walks among fern-covered pools and sandstone cliffs and landscapes where rock wallabies, rainbow skinks, peregrine falcons and wedge-tailed eagles are common sights. A culturally significant place, the national park offers visitors the chance to witness the freehand art on the sandstone walls of the First Nations people who’ve lived in Cania Gorge for at least 19,000 years.

Step back in history and take the 160-kilometre scenic route stretching from the vineyards of Stanthorpe to Toowoomba via towns like Drayton, Nobby, Allora and Warwick. As the biggest town in Queensland Country with a rich history and blessed with a cool and temperate climate, Toowoomba is bursting with colour and life, particularly in spring when the whole city comes alive for the annual Carnival of Flowers Festival. It’s also played host to a diverse array of festivals, like the First Coat Street Art Festival which saw local and world-class artists put paint to walls across the town and blessed the town with an outdoor art gallery that continues to draw art lovers to its historic streets.