Festive spirit
The lead-up to Christmas is a family Granite Belt celebration
Wine is usually a key attraction for visitors to the Granite Belt but now Santa Claus has come to the bush and brought b Christmas in a big way. From picking your own Christmas tree and seasonal stone fruit to staying in a festively themed bed and breakfast, the region has it all in the lead-up to the big day.
Stanthorpe – and its surrounds – is also becoming b a foodie powerhouse, with seasonal produce served fresh to complement the region’s wines.
With our two children aged under five, we w arrive at Sabo’s on Severn to find our hosts have gone above and beyond. In our room we find local produce to enjoy before our kids are met with surprise after surprise at the picturesque getaway. The beautiful flower-filled gardens are decked out with Christmas lights and fittings.
Christmas trees are littered through the bed b and breakfast (I lost count at 12) and there is even a miniature Christmas wonderland that can be viewed through a window in the guest house.
Joe and Lizzie Sabo are the ultimate hosts despite being relatively new to the industry. Joe, an IT whiz, and Lizzie, a nurse, met in Saudi Arabia in 2000 and after moving back to city life in Australia decided it wasn’t for them.
They bought the 13ha property bordering b the Severn River at Glen Aplin in 2017 and refurbished it.
As Covid-19 Covid ravaged the country, the first guests they welcomed about 18 months ago were police who were working the Nsw-queensland border.
They’re now regularly booking out their eight-room bed and breakfast.
Lizzie can cook so well that she does catering and holds cooking classes, with some lessons teaching the art of preserving local produce. She also cooks dinners. Joe doubles as Santa when he’s not busy feeding the nine alpacas on the property or doing other maintenance work. Every guest to Sabo’s receives local produce.
During one stop on our trip we head to the Granite Belt Christmas Farm at nearby Applethorpe, where people can walk the fields and pick their own tree to be cut. Our kids feed the farm animals – sheep, goats, donkeys, chickens and reindeer – before running through rows and rows of radiata pines, or Christmas trees. Inside the massive Christmas store the kids cool off with ice cream and explore while my wife drinks the famous hot chocolate.
Katrina and Brad Fraser bought the farm in 2014, and decided to grow the trees.
We finish the visit by taking a platter of local produce from the farm’s cafe and have a picnic in the Christmas tree fields. The farm will hold a Christmas family day on December 11 with jumping castles, facepainting and a visit from Santa. People can also get a tree.
Another stop is Nicoletti Orchards, where people can pick their own fruit. Over the Christmas period, they will hold PYO (pick your own) days for cherries and plums.
The orchard is owned by Toni and Daniel Nicoletti, who are third-generation apple growers, after Daniel’s grandparents moved from Italy and started the farm in 1950. The orchard also has 40ha of apple trees, with nine varieties.
Another business worth a stop is Jamworks Gourmet Foods, with its cafe incorporating their locally made products into their menu, from relishes to jams.
And it wouldn’t be fair to visit the region without going to at least one winery. A quick trip to Summit Estate Wines lasts a few hours as we take in the sunset over a cheese platter paired with local produce.
We sit back and relax as our kids lie on beanbags and take in the views. As the sun sets, a bonfire is lit.
By the end of our trip our kids name Sabo’s on Severn their “new home”. One last run through the gardens before we head back to our other home.