This stunning new winery with helicopter arrivals is your excuse to visit Queensland’s only cool-climate region.
Tucked amid the mountainous terrain of southern Queensland’s Great Dividing Range, the Granite Belt is one of Australia’s highest-altitude wine regions – and one of its most underrecognised. But that status may soon change, thanks to a landmark new culinary destination that has opened in Ballandean today, 2 July 2026.
Meteora Vineyard is a luxury new restaurant, winery and cellar door featuring Queensland’s first wine cave – an underground barrel storage carved deep into the hillside – as well as scenic helicopter flights, bespoke private dining and innovative architecture. Slated to add its own accommodation to the property in October, the property provides a compelling reason to explore Queensland’s only cool-climate wine region, which produces some of the country’s best alternative varieties.
Opt to add on a memorable scenic helicopter charter.
The vineyard is the lovechild of founders Andrew and Karen Catsoulis, who co-founded National Storage (then Stowaway Self-Storage) together back in 1997. The couple fell in love with the Granite Belt after a chance visit and have since come to appreciate its dramatic granite landscapes, distinctive seasons and local community.
Influenced by the family’s Greek heritage, Meteora Vineyard respects the region’s soul while taking cues from Mediterranean culture, architecture and cuisine, along with practices of generosity and togetherness.
The estate features unique architecture that blends with the surrounding nature.
Gaze out onto undulating countryside.
Stroll the vineyards with loved ones.
The winery centres on alternative varietals.
As far as the vino experiences go, guests can expect estate-grown single-vineyard wines and alternative varietals framed by picturesque sun-dappled vistas over the countryside. Take a guided tasting in the cellar door to discover what gives the Granite Belt its distinctive character, learning from the passionate Meteora team.
Or perhaps head underground to the wine cave, where you’ll feel whisked straight to the vineyards of Europe. A true feat of engineering, the climate-controlled cave required extensive excavation and expert craftsmanship.
Queensland’s first wine cave is found onsite.
Guided by chief winemaker Andy Williams, the wine program focuses on the potential of varietals including montepulciano, fiano, aglianico and tempranillo, as well as regional classics shiraz and chardonnay.
The restaurant is as much a draw as the wine, however. Executive head chef Simon Treller has spun comforting Mediterranean traditions together with regional Queensland provenance, whipping up a menu bound to please all palates.
There’s saganaki with toasted sesame and local honey, slow-braised lamb pappardelle, lemon potatoes and tender chicken paired with pumpkin purée and crispy kale, among other savoury delights. And don’t skip out on dessert – chocolate and olive oil ganache with pistachios is hard to beat.
Need tips, more detail or itinerary ideas tailored to you? Ask AT.
AI Prompt
The restaurant's menu blends Mediterranean and local influence.
Meteora Vineyard can curate fireside dining experiences.
Enjoy private meals in the Glass Dining Room.
But perhaps what gives this winery an extra lashing of appeal is the unique experiences it offers guests. Most notably, the vineyard offers a 45-minute scenic helicopter charter from Brisbane, lending guests a magnificent bird’s-eye view over the vibrant escarpments and gold-green grazing plains of the UNESCO-listed Scenic Rim. But there are also private fireside dinners to enjoy and intimate long lunches in the Glass Dining Room, all extending a warm invitation to become acquainted with the Granite Belt’s beautifully unconventional spirit.
Meteora Vineyard ticks a lot of boxes, but there is one thing it doesn’t (yet) have: a place to stay overnight onsite. Fortunately, the venue is expecting to open luxury vineyard accommodation in October 2026, completing the recipe for a relaxing culinary weekend away with friends or family.
The details
Meteora Vineyard offers single-estate wines, along with a wine cave and bespoke experiences.
Location: 87 Rees Road, Ballandean, Qld
How to get there: Drive three hours inland from either Byron Bay or Brisbane, or take a 45-minute scenic helicopter flight from Brisbane.
Tick the box next to "Australian Traveller". That's it.
Eleanor Edström is Australian Traveller’s Associate Editor. Previously a staff writer at Signature Luxury Travel & Style and Vacations & Travel magazines, she's a curious wordsmith with a penchant for conservation, adventure, the arts and design. She discovered her knack for storytelling much earlier, however – penning mermaid sagas in glitter ink at age seven. Proof that her spelling has since improved, she holds an honours degree in English and philosophy, and a French diploma from the University of Sydney. Off duty, you’ll find her pirouetting between Pilates and ballet classes, or testing her friends’ patience with increasingly obscure vocabulary.
Under wide-open outback skies, discover a fossicking gem that’s managed to slip under the radar.
While the name Clermont may feel new to even the most intrepid traveller, its gilded history stretches back centuries. You’ll find it just off the highway, humming quietly under the hazy veil of Queensland’s outback sun. It’s here, hemmed in by mountains and perched atop soil heavy with the earth’s treasures, that one of Australia’s most accessible outback adventures awaits.
Thanks to deposits of gold, copper and gemstones – souvenirs left by exploding supernovas and the heave of tectonic plates – Clermont became a centre point of Queensland’s Gold Rush. And now? Australia’s fossicking capital is yours to discover.
Getting there
Take a drive through Queensland’s Mackay Isaac region. (Image: Sean Scott/ TEQ)
You’ll find Clermont in Queensland’s Mackay Isaac region. To get here, it’s an easy three-hour drive over sealed roads from Mackay. Or, if you’re heading from the Sapphire Fields of Emerald, the drive will carve out just over an hour from your day.
Whether you’re road-tripping through outback Queensland or just tracing your way through all that Australia has to offer, Clermont is remote but easily accessible.
Best accommodation in Clermont
Camp by Theresa Creek Dam. (Image: Riptide Creative/ TEQ)
All accommodation comes with a generous helping of country hospitality here. The choice is yours between modern hotels, parking up the camper or pitching a tent.
Theresa Creek Dam lies just outside town. Begin each day with crisp country air and bright outback sunrises. Spend the night under the sparkling country stars and your days out on the dam fishing or kayaking. Even if you aren’t camping, be sure to save space in your itinerary for an afternoon on the red dirt shore.
One does not visit Clermont without trying their hand at fossicking. There are strict rules when it comes to fossicking, so stick to areas dedicated for general permission and make sure you obtain your license beforehand. Try your luck at McMasters, Four Mile, Town Desert, McDonald Flat and Flat Diggings. To increase your odds, sign on for a tour with the expert team at Golden Prospecting. They’ll give you access to exclusive plots and expert advice along the way.
Once you’ve tried your luck on the gold fields, head to the Clermont Township and Historical Museum. Each exhibit works like an archaeologist’s brush to dust away the layers of Clermont’s history. Like the steam engine that painstakingly relocated the entire town inch by inch to higher ground after it was decimated by flooding in 1916. See the tools that helped build the Blair Athol mine, historic fire engines, shearing sheds and all sorts of relics that make up Clermont’s story.
The historic Copperfield Chimney offers a change of pace. Legend has it that fossickers found a solid wall of copper here, over three metres high, kick-starting Queensland’s first-ever copper mine.
See Clermont from above with Bush Heli Services. (Image: Riptide Creative/ TEQ)
For hiking, nearby Dysart is the best place to access Peak Range National Park. Here, mountainous horizons stretch across the outback as if plucked from another world. Set off for a scenic drive along the Peak Downs Highway for access to countless geological wonders. Like the slanting rockface of Wolfang Peak. Summit it, and you’ll find yourself looking out across a scene surely conjured up by Banjo Paterson. Dry scrub dancing in the warm breeze, grazing cattle, eucalypts and the gentle creak of windmills. Don’t miss visiting Gemini Peaks, either, for one of the park’s best vistas, and a blanket of wild flowers after rain.
Then, take to the skies with a scenic helicopter tour with Bush Heli-Services. Shift your perspective and cruise above all the sights from your trip. Spots like Lords Table Mountain and Campbell’s Peak are best viewed from the skies.
Before you head home, be sure to explore the neighbouring townships. Spend a lazy afternoon in the shade of Nebo Hotel’s wrap-around verandahs. The hotel’s 1900s dance hall has since been replaced with one of the area’s biggest rodeo arenas, so consider timing your trip to line up with a boot scootin’ rodeo. Or, stop by a ghost town. Mount Britton was once a thriving town during the 1880s Gold Rush. It’s been totally abandoned and now lies untouched, a perfect relic of the Gold Rush.
Best restaurants and cafes in Clermont
Stop into the Commercial Hotel Clermont.
Days spent fossicking, bushwalking and cramming on history call for excellent coffee and hearty country meals. Luckily, Clermont delivers in spades.
Lotta Lattes Cafe is beloved by locals for a reason. Start your days here for the best caffeine fix in town and an impeccable brunch menu.
For a real country meal, an icy cold beer and that famed country hospitality, head straight to the town’s iconic hotel: the Commercial Hotel (known endearingly to locals as ‘The Commie’). It’s been a staple in Clermont since 1877. The hotel even survived the flood of 1916 when it was sawn in two and moved to higher ground.
Naturally, time spent in the outback must include calling into the local bakery. For delicious pies and a tantalising array of sweet treats, make Bluemac Bakehouse your go-to while in town.
