Discover Southern Downs Regional

Southern Downs Regional combines striking natural scenery with art, historic trails and various ways to spend time outdoors. In Girraween National Park, large granite boulders rise above open forests; the park has almost 30 kilometres of walking trails. In Sundown National Park, steep-sided gorges, tree-lined ridges and peaks shape the landscape. These two national parks alone offer contrasting settings for days in nature: granite and open forests here, gorges, ridges and peaks there.

Enjoy nature and water

The surroundings and waters of Storm King Dam are ideal for picnics, water sports and fishing. This adds another way to enjoy the outdoors alongside the walking trails. As you plan your holiday, you can consider whether you’d prefer to focus on walking trails, water activities or a mix of different experiences.

The routes also offer different ways to explore. The historic Settlers’ Route is a 72-kilometre driving route from Warwick via Swan Creek, Yangan, the Swanfels Valley, Tannymorel and Killarney. The Southern Downs Stone Sculpture Trail is also designed as a scenic driving route, but takes you through larger towns and smaller settlements. The Settlers’ Route is described with a specific length and its stops, while the Sculpture Trail focuses on connecting different places.

History on trails and in galleries

If you prefer to explore on foot, there are several self-guided heritage trails. The Yangan-to-Mount Colliery Heritage Trail passes through Yangan, Emu Vale, Swanfels, Tannymorel and Mount Colliery. The Stanthorpe Heritage Trail is a self-guided walking tour, mapped and described in the official Southern Downs & Granite Belt Visitor App. In Warwick, the Warwick Heritage Trail passes some of the city’s most significant historic buildings. Each trail has a different focus: one takes in five communities, another highlights Warwick’s historic buildings, and another is a walking tour through Stanthorpe.

Galleries also bring art into your travel plans. The collection at Stanthorpe Regional Art Gallery has grown to almost 900 works. It includes fibre and textile art, paintings, ceramics, works on paper and sculptures. Warwick Art Gallery brings touring exhibitions to Warwick. This lets you combine experiences in nature and culture during your holiday, rather than limiting yourself to just one way of exploring.

Food and wine in the wider travel region

The Granite Belt has more than 40 wineries with tasting rooms. The food and wine experiences across the wider Southern Downs and Granite Belt travel region also include seasonal produce, cheese tastings and immersive wine experiences. This adds food, wine and regional produce to the range of possible holiday themes.

When looking for a holiday rental, it helps to first decide what kind of holiday you want: would you like to focus on walking trails and self-guided tours, are you interested in driving routes with named stops, or would you like to include nature and water activities? The art offerings and food and wine scene add even more interests to choose from. If you’re planning for people with different preferences, these themes can help you narrow your search to the kind of stay you’re looking for.

Discover more destinations: The Summit, Dalveen, Mareeba Shire, Cairns Regional, Cloncurry Shire, Livingstone Shire, Fraser Coast Regional, Moreton Bay Regional.

View the wider travel guide: Queensland.