Granite Belt
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The Granite Belt is an area of the Great Dividing Range in the
Darling Downs The Darling Downs is a farming region on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range in southern Queensland, Australia. The Downs are to the west of South East Queensland and are one of the major regions of Queensland. The name was general ...
region of
Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...
and the
New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the Can ...
region of New South Wales, Australia. The Granite Belt is centred on the town of
Stanthorpe Stanthorpe is a rural town and locality in the Southern Downs Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Stanthorpe had a population of 5,406 people. The area surrounding the town is known as the Granite Belt. Geography Stanthorpe lies on the New ...
. The cool, high country of the granite belt is located on Queensland's southern border. It is the northernmost part of the New England Tablelands. The area gains its name from the predominantly
granite Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies under ...
rocks that distinguish it from other areas that make up much of South East Queensland. The Granite Belt is known for its spectacular flowers, and produces virtually all of Queensland's $40 million
apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor, ' ...
crop from one million trees grown by 55 orchardists. The area also lies within the Southern Downs region. Including the town of
Warwick Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined with Leamington Spa and Whi ...
, the region has a population of 32,600 people. And is part of the
Southern Downs Region The Southern Downs Region is a local government area in the Darling Downs region of Queensland, Australia, along the state's boundary with New South Wales. It was created in 2008 from a merger of the Shire of Warwick and the Shire of Stanthor ...
local government area. The major river in the region is the
Condamine River The Condamine River, part of the Balonne River, Balonne catchment that is part of the Murray-Darling Basin, drains the northern portion of the Darling Downs, an area of sub-coastal southern Queensland, Australia. The river is approximately 500 k ...
, a tributary of the
Murray River The Murray River (in South Australia: River Murray) (Ngarrindjeri: ''Millewa'', Yorta Yorta: ''Tongala'') is a river in Southeastern Australia. It is Australia's longest river at extent. Its tributaries include five of the next six longest ...
.


Climate

The Granite Belt has a
subtropical highland climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ...
that shares similarities to a typical oceanic climate. Under the
Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
system this would be called a Cfb climate. It is distinguished by its
elevation The elevation of a geographic location is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface (see Geodetic datum § Ver ...
, which makes it the coldest part of Queensland. Being amongst the highest altitude viticultural regions in Australia, it is an ideal climate for grapes, apples, stone fruit and many other fruits and vegetables with the exception of a tendency for hail. Winter months can be very cold on the Granite Belt, and night-time frost is very common. Bleak, overcast conditions on rare occasions bring hail, sleet, and snow. The area has received significant snowfalls in 1984, 2007 and 2015. Situated at between to over above sea level, the altitude is the main controlling factor for the climate. The elevation creates a climate of four distinct seasons on the Granite Belt. The area is a popular tourist destination, particularly for the short-break drive market from
South East Queensland South East Queensland (SEQ) is a bio-geographical, metropolitan, political and administrative region of the state of Queensland in Australia, with a population of approximately 3.8 million people out of the state's population of 5.1 million. Th ...
and northern New South Wales. The boom in
wine tourism Enotourism, oenotourism, wine tourism, or vinitourism refers to tourism whose purpose is or includes the tasting, consumption or purchase of wine, often at or near the source. Where other types of tourism are often passive in nature, enotourism ca ...
has been a key driver, and while winter is popular, the region benefits from being a cool contrast to coastal humidity in the summer. Despite spring frosts and variable soils Granite Belt grapes and wines are considered high quality.


Soils

The regions soils are derived from the parent rocks of Ruby Creek
Granite Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies under ...
and Stanthorpe Adamellite that form the northern section of the New England Batholith. They are typically sandy loam to clay loam surface soils with clay or parent rock at depth.


Towns

The town of Dalveen is in the north of the Granite Belt. Other villages include Applethorpe,
Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France. In 2021, the population of ...
,
Ballandean Ballandean is a rural town and locality in the Southern Downs Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Ballandean had a population of 338 people. Ballandean is in the Granite Belt Region of the Southern Downs. It is on the Quee ...
, Glen Aplin, Passchendaele, Thulimbah, Pozieres, and
Wallangarra Wallangarra is a rural town and locality in the Southern Downs Region, Queensland, Australia on the border with New South Wales. In the , the locality of Wallangarra had a population of 468 people. It is the third-most southerly town in Queens ...
, in the south at the border with New South Wales. Liston is a small village in New South Wales that is considered part of the Granite Belt.


Attractions

Stanthorpe and the surrounding Granite Belt and Granite Highlands area of
South East Queensland South East Queensland (SEQ) is a bio-geographical, metropolitan, political and administrative region of the state of Queensland in Australia, with a population of approximately 3.8 million people out of the state's population of 5.1 million. Th ...
and Northern
New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...
are the centre of a booming winery and national parks
tourist Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...
destination. There are more than 50
wineries A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, b ...
in the Granite Belt area. The Granite Belt national parks are Girraween, Bald Rock, Sundown, and Boonoo Boonoo. The region operates its own wine and tourism marketing body named Granite Belt Wine Country. There is a wide range of
restaurants A restaurant is a business that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in appearan ...
, accommodation places and other tourist venues.
Backpacking Backpacking may refer to: * Backpacking (travel), low-cost, independent, international travel * Backpacking (hiking), trekking and camping overnight in the wilderness * Ultralight backpacking, a style of wilderness backpacking with an emphasis on ...
is popular and there is large demand for fruit and vegetable pickers from November until May each year. The area is Queensland's premier
wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...
region and home to the Queensland College of Wine Tourism. Many of the fifty-plus
wineries A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, b ...
in the region have enjoyed significant success with
Shiraz Shiraz (; fa, شیراز, Širâz ) is the fifth-most-populous city of Iran and the capital of Fars Province, which has been historically known as Pars () and Persis. As of the 2016 national census, the population of the city was 1,565,572 p ...
, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay for some years. Recently Verdelho has performed very well and many wineries are experimenting with alternative
grape varieties This list of grape varieties includes cultivated grapes, whether used for wine, or eating as a table grape, fresh or dried (raisin, currant, sultana). For a complete list of all grape species including those unimportant to agriculture, see Viti ...
, including
Nebbiolo Nebbiolo (, ; pms, nebieul ) is an Italian red wine grape variety predominantly associated with its native Piedmont region, where it makes the '' Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita'' (DOCG) wines of Barolo, Barbaresco, Roero ...
,
Sangiovese Sangiovese (, also , , ) is a red Italian wine grape variety that derives its name from the Latin ''sanguis Jovis'', "the blood of Jupiter". Though it is the grape of most of central Italy from Romagna down to Lazio (the most widespread grape ...
and
Petit verdot Petit Verdot is a variety of red wine grape, principally used in classic Bordeaux blends. It ripens much later than the other varieties in Bordeaux, often too late, so it fell out of favour in its home region. When it does ripen it adds tannin, ...
. Part of the Granite Belt is reserved as Girraween National Park, which features granite outcroppings such as the Pyramids, and an abundance of fauna and flora. 'Girraween' can be translated as "place of flowers" in the Aboriginal language from which it is taken. The latter are particularly in evidence in spring, when wildflowers explode into evidence. The area is home to at least 800 species of flowering plants. The botanical group known as the Stanthorpe Rare Flower Consortium has been established as a result of the region's significant floral heritage. Some of these plants include ground
orchids Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...
, rock roses, pea-flowers and native bluebells. Further east towards the coast is the
Bald Rock National Park Bald Rock National Park is a national park in northern New South Wales, Australia, just north of Tenterfield on the Queensland border. The border passes over the rock on the Western side. On the other side of the border national park continues ...
and Boonoo Boonoo National Park. Towards the west of the district is the Sundown National Park. The
granite Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies under ...
boulders of the region attract rock-climbers, and bush-walkers like to explore the little-known Underground River. The possibility of experiencing snow on the ground in Queensland is another tourist attraction for the region.


History

The district was first inhabited by the Githabul and Kambuwal peoples. These Indigenous people groups inhabited the land for ten's of thousands of years prior to European exploration and settlement. European settlement began when the land was first explored by Allan Cunningham in 1827. Cunninghams Gap and the Cunningham Highway were named after him. A number of large pastoral stations were established in the region: * 1840: Ballandean Run () by Robert Ramsay Mackenzie * 1842: Maryland Run () with a capacity of 24,000 sheep by
Matthew Henry Marsh Matthew Henry Marsh (1810—1881) was a politician in Great Britain and New South Wales and a Queensland pioneer pastoralist. Early life Matthew Henry Marsh was born on 10 September 1810 in Salisbury, England, the son of the Rev Matthew Marsh, ...
* 1843: Pikedale Run () with a capacity of 24,000 sheep by Captain Pike * 1844: Glen Lyon Run () by Alexander McLeod * 1860: Folkestone Run () by Matthew Henry Marsh * Nundubbermere Run * Pike's Creek Run * Terrica Run * Waroo Run During the following decade, mining of gold, copper and tin brought permanent European settlement to the district. In 1881, the railway to Warwick was extended to Stanthorpe and then to the border in 1887, when Wallangarra was established. The countryside around the Granite Belt, after
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, was given to some returning soldiers as gifts or payment for their services in the war. As such, many of the rural districts are named after battles that took place in France, such as
Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France. In 2021, the population of ...
and Pozieres. These places were, at one point, rather busy and well-populated, but as Stanthorpe grew and returned soldiers grew frustrated with farming, the districts eventually died as many families left. In some places, where there were once Blue Nurse outposts and many stores, all that remain are small primary schools, while in other districts the post-war past remains only in the name. The region's first wine grapes were planted in 1965.


See also

*
Stanthorpe, Queensland Stanthorpe is a rural town and locality in the Southern Downs Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Stanthorpe had a population of 5,406 people. The area surrounding the town is known as the Granite Belt. Geography Stanthorpe lies on the ...
* Darling Downs, Queensland *
New England, New South Wales New England is a vaguely defined region in the north of the state of New South Wales, Australia, about 60 km inland from the Tasman Sea. The area includes the Northern Tablelands (or New England Tablelands) and the North West Slopes regions. ...
*
Regions of Queensland The Regions of Queensland refer to the geographic areas of the Australian state of Queensland. Due to its large size and decentralised population, the state is often divided into regions for statistical and administrative purposes. Each region ...
*
Tourism in Australia Tourism in Australia is an important part of the Australian economy, and comprises domestic and international visitors. In the financial year 2018/19, tourism was Australia's fourth-largest export and over the previous decade was growing fa ...


References


External links


Granite Net web page

Southern Downs Regional Council

Granite Belt Wine & Tourism
a not-for-profit organisation that promotes the regions wine and tourism industry.
The Localist - Granite Belt
Website and blog hub with practical tips from locals. Your go-to guide to visiting the Granite Belt. {{coord, 28, 39, 20, S, 151, 55, 57, E, type:landmark_region:AU, display=title Regions of Queensland Darling Downs Wine regions of Australia Tourist attractions in Queensland Belt regions