Apple & Grape Festival is a biannual festival (held once in two years) at Stanthorpe, Queensland. This festival is one of Australia’s iconic events and a must-do-thing for travellers.
A month ago in January 2020, Stanthorpe and Applethorpe, small townships in Queensland/New South Wales were affected by bush-fire (forest fire) and were running out of water and delivering water by carts. Now, summer rains have blessed the region with abundant water and everything looks as green as a typical Queensland summer. The trees affected by bush-fire in December 2019, are seen sprouting fresh, young leaves.
In Australia, such small towns rely on tourists to visit to support local economy. So, we look after each other by touring such regions which are in need.
We visited an organic Apple farm, Gran Elly orchard where the local farmer, Dennis Angelino grows apple, peaches and pears without irrigated water, chemical fertilisers or pesticides. This is the first time we saw apples in the trees, so we were excited. These organic-grown, bio-dynamic apples tasted heavenly.
Around Stanthorpe, there are plenty of vineyards and wineries. If you are a wine-lover, you can visit wineries and taste different types of wines before you buy.
Stanthorpe and Applethorpe are only three-hour drive from Brisbane City. Even on the non-festival times, there are enough places to see. There are few water falls including Queen Mary Falls with a 400 metre drop, lavender farms, fruit orchards, wineries and farms where you can buy fresh, seasonal produce (vegetables/fruits). This region is home to the Main Range National Park which houses the spectacular Girraween National Park.
Photos from my phone.