The Sailor only had one request for his birthday. We’d just finished a long and seamless hike I planned for the day near Brisbane and he said he wanted exactly that. Nothing fancy in the city, no pretentious dinners, just a lovely hike somewhere. So I paired the day with his other favourite thing, wine.
The Scenic Rim always came up when I searched for hikes near Brissie- and it has endless (thanks to several mountainous National Parks), but as it’s a little farther I was waiting for the chance to stay overnight. We don’t usually make a habit of stopping at wineries before and after a hike, however, The Rim makes it hard not to! At the foothills of its mountains are a number of idyllic vineyards- it’s one of Queensland’s rare grape-growing regions, so when in Rome. We’ve wanted to check out some wineries in the Sunshine State for years since being introduced to them by a quirky Sommelier based in Cairns, and they were surprisingly delicious.
The Rim does exactly what it says on the tin
True to its name, the mountainous landscape on the Scenic Rim is stunning. I think it’s because this area holds the tallest peaks in all of Southeast Queensland, which is one of the reasons why it made such an impression on me. Me do like a good maintain.
Initially, I planned the trip around an amazing 12k waterfall hike I saw, however, there wouldn’t have been time for much else! This region is huge and one of those places that you can keep on singing back to for hikes, waterfalls and wineries, so that’ll be for next time.
At the bottom of The Rim are a couple of national parks which kiss the New South Whales border- Lamington NP, which is popular with Gold Coast locals because it’s closer. Then the further west you go the peaks progressively get taller, which is where you’ll find quieter Mount Barney NP – the second-highest mountain in SE Queensland (marginally missing 1st place) and it’s just breathtaking.
I spotted accommodation on Google Maps at the foothills of Mt. Barney and it looked blissfully bucolic and peaceful, so I booked our trip around that stay. And, it’s also a winery, so the Sailor was in for a treat.
I don’t often call things perfect, but those were the Sailor’s words, and he doesn’t use them lightly! Our weekend was too good not to share with you, we honestly had such a wonderful time and didn’t want to leave. While the trip can be done in a day, it’s better as a weekender and the accommodation was an experience all on its own.
The best time of year to visit is the cooler months as it’s nice to light a log in the winter, temperatures are easier for hiking and the accom/winery only does tastings from April to August, however, you can still buy a bottle at any time of year.
[The Sailor Approved] Weekend Trip from Brisbane to The Scenic Rim
The day starts off with a trip to the Scenic Rim Farm Shop & Cafe, followed by a scenic winery visit, then a hike and finishes off at the accommodation/winery.
We left Brissie by 9:30am-ish which gave us enough time to see everything on this list, however I’d recommend a little earlier if you want to make brekkie at the cafe (last orders before 10:15).
The drive time from Brisbane to Mount Barney is approximately 2 – 2 1/2 hours.
Stop 1: Scenic Rim Farm Shop
Drive: 80kms / 1 hour
I bookmarked this place online when I first moved to Brissie. This region is a major food bowl in Queensland and the Scenic Rim Farm Shop is a multi-faceted goodie hub that has an organic produce shed, a quaint country cafe come small goods store, a garden shop and a clothing boutique. It’s a highly popular stop for folks from Brisbane because it’s so damn cute.
We first stopped inside their produce shed which sells delicious locally grown fruit and veggies from Fith Acre Farm. It was busting some big Diddly Squat vibes (if you’ve had the pleasure of watching Clarkson’s Farm) and the selection of goods is lovingly presented, and delicious. Big crunchy radishes, the sweetest corn, enormous melons – Coles doesn’t come close.
We stocked up on a few bits as the cabin we were staying at is self-catering (although they offer food baskets too). Fifth Acre also sells eggs from the farm and freshly baked bread*, although you’ve gotta get in early (we missed out!).
Scenic Rim Cafe serves brekkie, lunch and homemade scones inside a gorgeous Queenslander. The outside seating area is very idyllic and I’d recommend reserving a table in advance as they fill out! We were going to eat something here but they have a break between breakfast and lunch service (brekkie last orders at 10:15, lunch from 11) so we went to the local bakery in Boonah for a pie. But if you come more prepared, then this would be a lovely stop to refuel.
Also on the property is a cute little garden shop run by Elderflower Farm. The offerings are beautifully laid out and have some great bits and bobs for the green-fingered.
Stop 2: Kooroomba Vineyards & Lavender Farm
Drive: 30kms / 30 mins
Kooroomba Vineyards may just be the most scenic winery on the Scenic Rim. I’ve been to many wineries in Margaret River (WA) and Clare Valley (SA) and whilst they are undoubtedly A-Class grape-growing regions, Queensland’s wineries are perhaps the best-kept secret in the Aussie wine world. They don’t produce the same quantities of liquid grapes as other states (in fact, it’s just 1% of wine grown in Australia) but there are some diamonds in there – AND, the winery locations are probably the most scenic in the country.
Kooroomba is positioned in front of a gorgeous mountain backdrop and they have a well-established lavender farm around the building which adds to the beauty. I could see why they have a number of weekends blocked out for weddings (they also have a chapel).
A lot of people come here for lunch and the set menu sounded delicious (2 courses of modern Australian for $70, 3 for $85 – see here). They have a lovely outside seating area overlooking Mt. Alford and the Fassifern Valley, and an acoustic guitarist was playing that day, it was a very romantic setup.
But we were just here to sample the wines. As soon as you enter there’s the cellar door for you to pitch up a chair. Like most wineries, you pay to do the tasting (3 wines $5 pp, or all wines $10) but that fee is waived if you buy any bottle, which retails for around the $30 mark. We did only 3 each as we still had a hike to do!
Karoomba produces my good friends called Chardonnay, Shiraz, Cabernet, Sauvignon Blanc and a Sparkling Chardonnay Pinot Noir. Only a few grape varieties are grown on this property, and they have another site in Southeast Queensland where they produce the others. Our lovely server was knowledgeable and we enjoyed a few of the wines on offer here- if I recall correctly, we bought a bottle of Cab Sav and Alba which were delicious.
For more info and to book a table, check out their website.
A solid 1%
Stop 3: Yellow Pinch Lookout Hike (Mount Barney)
Drive: 51kms / 50 mins
In order to squeeze in Karoomba, I had to downsize the hike length somewhat. However, it certainly didn’t affect the hiker’s reward.
If you’re going to choose a short and very sweet hike near Mount Barney, then this is it. It’s only an hour out-and-back, and strenuous enough that it feels like you’ve done a decent workout, yet not overdoing it. It’s peaceful (we were the only ones who ventured up to the lookout) and the view of Mount Barney is spectacular. This is probably the best spot to see it.
There is one steep and rocky section though (hence the name, yellow pinch) so if you’re less stable on your feet, you may want to consider another hike around the mountain, and there are a number of them. There’s also a waterfall here along the Paddy Falls Track if you’d prefer to do that instead, it looks gorgeous when the water is flowing — 4.7k out-and-back/ Moderate/3 hours.
Yellow Pinch Lookout Hike
2k return / 1-hour / Moderate (with one steep section)
Drive to Yellow Pinch Carpark at the end of Upper Logan Road. It is a bit of a gravel track leading in for about 3k with some potholes, but achievable in a 2WD if you go carefully.
There are a few trails that start from here and plenty of parking. To start, head over to the info board and then pass the pathogen control station for your shoes (never seen one of these on a hike before!). Then you’ll begin the trail into the forest.
The route is very easy to navigate. Basically continue along the path until you reach the metal gate (about 500m). Before the gate is a path going uphill to the lookout, it’s not signed but it’s the right way! (we weren’t sure at the start either). It progressively gets steeper and rockier, so use your hands and grab onto the trees if needed (it’s easier up than down). Then at the top, you’ll reach the lookout with breathtaking views of Mount Barney.
As you watch this approximately 24 million-year-old grandiose mountain and hear the gushing waterfall below, you too may be thinking what I did, which was. Man, I’d love to climb it!
But that will have to be for another trip. Peaking at 1359 metres, it’s a strenuous undertaking that takes about 8-10 hours through Gondwandan rainforest. And hikers should come prepared, there have been rescue missions and fatalities over the years, and the weekend we were there one man was rescued after he fell trying to summit the mountain.
Barney Creek Vineyard Cottages (the accommodation coming next), had a lovely photo book in our cabin made by a local called Gary Maloney. He summited the mountain 25 times over decades, starting at age 13 and took pictures from ’65 to ’87 on his old manual camera. The Mount Barney Collection documents his climbs (which sounded even harder back then) and his connection to the mountain. What an epic place to grow up hey.
Stop 4: Barney Creek Vineyard Cottages
Drive: 7kms / 15 mins
You know you visit some places that inspire you and show you a different way of life, this was that place for me. I honestly didn’t want to leave, and when I did, I wanted to go home, pack my bags and move down. It was just so idyllic.
Barney Creek Vineyard Cottages is a peaceful and romantic retreat nestled at the base of Mount Barney. They have a number of gorgeous and quaint country-style cottages and bungalows, all with a log burner and BBQ. And of course, a delightful vineyard, which is a real treat.
This property is run by the loveliest couple, Aspen and Brendan. When we arrived, Aspen- a former teacher turned winemaker and proprietor, gave us a wine tasting, and we saved the best vineyard stop until last – we thoroughly enjoyed them all. It was our favourite tasting of the day and even nicer to have the winemaker talk us through the varieties.
What makes it even more special is that they’re a small-scale boutique operation so you won’t find them on the shelves at the Bottle-O, and their yield was even more limited the past couple of years due to La Nina. We particularly enjoyed their punchy Shiraz (Alfie, named after their cute lapdog Kelpie) and bubbles which we bought to take back.
Our cabin was perched beside Logan River with resident platypus, and towering gum trees were on the other side of us with resident koalas. It felt like we were on our own deep in the middle of nowhere, and it was very private and secluded. This is where you come to get away from it all.
I skimped out a little and booked the Pecan’s Camping Cabin which is their most rustic “camping, but not camping” option for $150 a night and gives you all the thrills of the wilderness but with more creature comforts. It was the best budget cabin I’ve stayed in before and it was just what we needed. Pretty much everything is provided, including firewood and ice for the esky that Aspen brought down when she showed us around, the only things we needed to bring were bedding and linen.
So, our local wine is pouring, made from grapevines behind the cabin, the Sailor started making a fire in the log burner (his happy place), and I got the sausages sizzling on the BBQ whilst looking for platypus. There’s zero phone reception here which was awesome for a change. We bought the Boombox but couldn’t access Soundcloud- we forget how much we use technology these days, it was refreshing to listen to the sounds of nature and not have distractions. We all need it in this day and age.
Our night was like back in the olden days – sat cosy outside with the art of conversation, tackling a puzzle, watching the stars and trying to make out which animals we could hear. Aspen also surprised us by popping by with some more bubbles, which was almost a full bottle left over from the tasting, what a sweetheart!
The next day we didn’t want to leave. As we drove out we got a bigger look around the grounds, which also had a huge lake that was lovingly rewilded, and their cute doggos came to say hi. At that moment I thought how amazing it would be to own somewhere like this – what a special place.
To read reviews and book head to Booking.com, or see their website.
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Ah, I can’t wait to go back. This is a special part of Australia and I’m pretty sure we’ll be booking a return holiday here when we’re in Vietnam, and hopefully climb Mt. Barney.
If you follow this itinerary, I hope you have a blast guys and please, don’t forget to let me know how it went. I love to write these guides for you and it’s always appreciated when you drop a line to share your experiences. If there’s anywhere else you visited and would recommend, share the love and let me know that too! x
