Top camp outs under the stars
Southern Queensland Country is just the place to slow down and immerse yourself in nature and marvel at big starry skies.
Sitting at the foothills of the Great Dividing Range, you’ll find the Lockyer Valley. The region is a short one hour’s drive from Brisbane and Toowoomba respectively and is undoubtedly the produce-bowl of south-east Queensland.
Warm your body and soul with the only packing essential required for the Lockyer Valley, (besides your Winter woollies) being your appetite, as you taste your way through the South – East Queensland food trail, winding its way across the valley. Bring a slice of the Lockyer Valley home with a collection of fresh produce from the many roadside stalls and honesty boxes across the region.
[APPROX. 165 KM / 2 HRS]
Begin enroute by taking the M2 and onto A2 from the Gold Coast to head towards Plainland. First stop on this taste adventure is a slight detour off the highway at Gatton, heading to Tins and Trays Patisserie for morning tea where you can delight in their dedicant housemade pastries and sustainability-minded, Queensland-based coffee. Travel on to take the State Route 80 to Laidley, onto Whites Road, arriving in Forest Hill. Bask in the heritage as you explore the old pubs, antiques and second-hand stores. The next taste adventure begins with lunch at the Lockyer Hotel, before checking into a country cottage at either Clewleys Country Haven or Branell Homestead.
[APPROX. 142 KM / 1 HR 45 MINS]
Enjoy a morning embracing life on the farm before heading to produce rich farms to fill your esky with food grown right in Queensland’s “Salad Bowl”. Must visit: Awassi Cheesery – an artisanal producer of bespoke farmstead sheep cheeses; Mulgowie Farmers Markets (held on the first Saturday of each month) for stalls full of seasonal farm grown produce and goods; UB’s Farm for their famous heirloom tomatoes and other delicious vegetables as well as pre-cut salads; Schulte’s Meat Tavern for the highest quality fresh red meat, pork and lamb products; and 9Dorf Farms for pasture raised chicken and eggs, beef, pork and aquaculture. Esky full? Now return home to the coast with all your handpicked treasures.
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Southern Queensland Country Tourism acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the lands and waterways that run through these regions. We pay our respects to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders past, present and emerging.
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