Stanthorpe, Queensland

Infobox Australian Place | type = town
name = Stanthorpe
state = qld

---

caption = Stanthorpe township (north-west aspect) taken from Mt Marlay lookout
lga = Southern Downs Regional Council
postcode = 4380
est =
pop = 10,575 (est)
elevation= 873
maxtemp =
mintemp =
rainfall =
stategov = Southern Downs
fedgov = Maranoa
dist1 = 218
dir1 = SW
location1= Brisbane
dist2 = 143
dir2 = S
location2= Toowoomba
dist3 = 237
dir3 = W
location3= Gold Coast

Stanthorpe is a town situated in south east Queensland, Australia. The town lies on the New England Highway near the New South Wales border 223 km from Brisbane via Warwick, 56 km north of Tenterfield and 811 m above sea level. [cite web| title =Stanthorpe | publisher =The Age
url =http://www.theage.com.au/news/Queensland/Stanthorpe/2005/02/17/1108500203734.html
format =Web article | accessdate =2008-02-17 ] The area surrounding the town is known as the Granite Belt.

History

Stanthorpe was founded by tin miners. People came from many countries to mine tin from 1872. Stanthorpe literally means 'tintown', as Stannum is Latin for 'tin' and thorpe is Middle English for 'town'.

The railway reached Stanthorpe in May, 1881 ["The Centenary of the Southern Line" Kerr, J.D. Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, December, 1970 pp261-291] .

Geography & Climate

At an altitude of 873 metres (with some areas as high as 950 metres), Stanthorpe holds the record for the lowest temperature recorded in Queensland at -11.0 °C in July 1895. In winter Stanthorpe is frequently the coldest town in the state. Sleet and light snowfalls are rare, but have been recorded numerous times. It can be very hot in the summer, above 30 °C.

The Granite Belt national parks are Girraween, Bald Rock, Sundown, Boonoo Boonoo.

Farming

The main industry today is agriculture, the main crops being apples and grapes. Wine and stone fruit are also produced in the area, and sheep and cattle grazing is also prevalent.

Stanthorpe and the surrounding Granite Belt and Granite Highlands area of South East Queensland and Northern New South Wales are the centre of a booming winery and national parks tourist destination. There are more than 50 wineries in the Granite Belt winery area, with a wide range of restaurants.

Culture

Annual events

There are local events, including the Spring Wine Festival (September), the Australian Small Winemakers Show (October/November), the Apple & Grape Harvest Festival (February/March - biennial) and the Australian Country Shows and Rodeos.

Tourism

Wine and tourism are a very important part of the town's economy. A world-standard College of Wine Tourism has recently been opened in the town to enable students to study these vocations, and Stanthorpe State High School owns and operates its own winery.Backpacking conditions here are excellent, and there is large demand for fruit and vegetable pickers from November until May each year.

Storm King Dam offers some good angling opportunities for Murray Cod, Yellowbelly & Silver Perch.

;Shire Statistics
*Population - 10,575
**Stanthorpe 5,500(est)
**Wallangarra 550(est)
*Area: 2,669 square kilometres
*Total Valuation: $206 million
*Length of roads: 584 km sealed (approx)
**736 km unsealed (approx)
*Federal Electorate: Maranoa
*Federal Member: Bruce Scott MP
*State Electorate: Southern Downs
*State Member: Lawrence Springborg MP

Famous people from Stanthorpe

* Ben Dark - television presenter, Getaway, Nine Network

ee also

*Wallangarra
*Warwick

References