Wine Not Celebrate: Small Group Celebrations

Queensland’s Wine Country is a top destination for celebrating special occasions with friends or family.

Planning a celebration for a small group on the Granite Belt? Here’s a few tips to get you inspired…

 

 

Alfresco Lunch on a Winery

Book a table under the trees at Hidden Creek Winery & Cafe for a relaxed lunch overlooking the dam and the vineyards.  The whole family, including kids and dogs will enjoy this spot, with freedom to walk and run around.

 

 

Meet you in the Middle!

If you’re celebrating with guests from NSW and Queensland, the Wallangarra Railway Cafe is the choice spot to meet up in the middle!  Book a long dining table in the historic railway dining room (or even on the station platform) – at the spot where you can stand with one foot in NSW and one in Qld!  It’s only a short drive up the road to wineries of Ballandean, or the walking trails of Girraween National Park.

P.S. The photo above shows even the architecture of the railway station is split between the two states, with the bullnose verandah typical of Queensland stations on the left and the skillion roof typical of NSW stations to the right.

Dining Room, Wallangarra Railway Station

 

 

A Meal at the Brewery

The Granite Belt Brewery’s dining area is huge and a ‘go to’ favourite for locals celebrating.   You can you be sure your whole group will be happy with the choice when it’s a brewery in wine country – best of both worlds!  The menu is full of crowd pleasers and the ales and apple cider are served at the bar, mere metres from where the brewer, Geoff Davenport crafts them.

With 19 cabins tucked away amongst the valley on the outskirts of Stanthorpe. it’s also a good option for group accommodation.

 

Sunset Pizzas in the Vineyard

Picture perfect backdrop: valley views with giant boulders balanced against the skyline, a dam and vineyard views and the trendy new-look Balancing Heart Vineyard cellar door.  Book your group to gather here for a sunset pizza session here on Friday to Sundays.  P.S. This spot is open 7 days for lunch too.

 

 

A Very Special Degustation Dinner with Live Music

The dining room of the historic Beverley Homestead promises a memorable setting for celebrating with groups of couples or a family gathering.  This is the home of Whiskey Gully Wines near Stanthorpe, where six course degustation meals are available for bookings on Saturday evenings.

Live music is played following the meal, adding to the atmosphere of a very special evening.  The menu is impressive and there is also a wine tasting option, which includes six half-glasses matched to each course by the chef.  Bookings are essential and it’s best to book well in advance.

 

 

Your Own Group Wine Tour

This pic is a ladies group on a 40th birthday celebration weekend, where the very happy group coupled a day of wine tasting with Filippo’s Tours with a stay in the group of cosy cottages at Stanthorpe’s Honeysuckle Cottages.  Granite Highlands Maxi Tours and Stanthorpe Tours also offer group tours and tailor to meet your needs.

 

The Specialist in Group Dining…

Blue Pot Pantry are a dining spot that cater specifically for group gatherings, so when you book here you can be sure they’ll be ready with menu, prices and seating ready to cater for your group’s needs.  It’s a 10 minute country drive west of Stanthorpe to find this little gem and when you walk in to the dining space you’ll know just where you are, as the beautiful valley views look back down towards Stanthorpe township.

Book at Table in the Iconic Barrelroom

Even if it’s 90th, your birthday guest will feel young dining in the shadows of the 150 year-old barrels in
Ballandean Estate‘s iconic Barrelroom Restaurant.  Atmosphere is oozing in this space, where great wine and matching foods can be enjoyed at Queensland’s oldest operating winery.

 

 

Brunch or Lunch it at Jamworks

A casual brunch or lunch meet up spot you can’t go past is Jamworks Gourmet Foods Cafe & Larder.  Request a long table for your group and your whole gang can catch up over the saucy savoury tastes or the sweet jam-laden tastes on the menu.

This spot is the real deal – using produce grown on Granite Belt farms to create the almost 100 products in their larder… plus featuring as the heroes of each menu item.  Yum!

 

 

A Fun & Free Meet Up Afterwards

When you’re done with the formal celebrating, meet up afterwards to gather where Christmas cheer exists all year round… The Granite Belt Christmas Farm.  Sit together at the outdoor seating dotted around the lawns, which overlook the thousands of Christmas trees and cute farmyard animals.

Feed the animals, browse the Mistletoe Christas Store, sip on a Belgian hot chocolate and stroll through the pine-smelling avenues off trees… this is a spot for easy conversation and memory making.  It’s an easy spot to gather as a group with free admission.

NOTE: The Granite Belt Christmas Farm closed temporarily for an exciting renovation and re-opening bigger and better in April 2021!

 

 

Dine on a Genuine Queensland Historical Treasure!

The large table pictured above is available for group dining and what a privilege to have access to this treasure from Queensland’s history.  There is room to seat up to 20 and the reason it’s so large – it once seated the Queensland Cabinet in Parliament House, Brisbane!

The table dates back to 1859 and is beautifully inlaid with leather.  Seated here you can even see the hidden holes underneath which once held ‘buzzers’ for members of Parliament to press.  Heritage Estate Wines near Stanthorpe welcome you to book this table for a group function.

 

 

You’ll also love…

Essen Restaurant for intimate dining and authentic tastes made with passion.

St Jude’s Cellar Door & Bistro for a stylish setting in a quaint wine village and a menu to rival any Melbourne bistro.

Varias Restaurant for fine dining and exemplary service in elegant style.

The Aussie Beef Steakhouse for locally butchered quality steaks and fresh seafoods, dining inside or on the large deck.

VIEW MORE DINING

 

Ridgemill Estate’s work with small groups to customise celebrations, with venues around the estate including outdoor spaces, BBQ huts, the cellar door, vineyard and the cabins amongst the locations that can cater for small groups or events.

Ridgemill Estate

 

Discover more for your Celebration…

View more Accommodation in Granite Belt Wine Country

View more Cellar Doors

 

 

 

Staying with a Group in Granite Belt With Country

 

The Girls do Stanthorpe: Group Trip Ideas