Mt Tully cottage is perfect for romantic couples, two couples or friends. A special feature is its total privacy: unlike most other cottages in the area, it is the only building on the property, is screened by bush and is well away from the road with a gated drive. You will see other people only if you want to!
With two private bedrooms and and an extra fold-out bed in the lounge, it is also a great place for a small group of friends to enjoy a weekend retreat, or as a base for a longer holiday exploring the national parks, wineries and other attractions of the Granite Belt. Many people just enjoy snuggling on the cozy sofas by the fireplace and relaxing in the peaceful environment.
For keen naturalists, it is a fabulous place in itself and a good base for viewing some unique wildlife nearby. Girraween National Park with its great wildflowers, walking tracks and creeks is an easy 20 minute drive away.
The cottage is only ten minutes on a sealed road from Stanthorpe with shops, cafes and galleries. Wineries and restaurants are even closer.
You can drive right to the door and the cottage is on one level, so those with limited mobility will find it convenient and comfortable.
Linen, crockery, tea and coffee and basic breakfast supplies are supplied.
Autumn to Winter has become the most popular time for visitors to the Granite Belt, as people relish the chance to feel cold and snuggle in front of a fire. Special events combining wine, food and music are the focus for many visitors. Mt Tully Cottage is ideal for winter visits and you will need to book well ahead for long weekends and special events over this time.
However, Springtime (September to November) is also a wonderful time here. The wildflowers are colourful, birds are active, the nights are still quite cold, and the days are pleasant and a bit longer. It is a great time for sitting on the veranda (this Spring we watched blue wrens feeding their young) or walking in the national parks by day and snuggling up at night.
We have really enjoyed our visits over Summer too. The days are warm but much cooler than Brisbane, and inside the cottage seems like a cool retreat. The bonus is the long, cool evenings sitting outside with wine and a barbecue dinner, watching stars or the moonlight, or sometimes the thrill of a summer storm. While the coast is hot, busy and crowded, Mt Tully is quiet, relaxed and cool, and some great swimming holes are not far away.
The cottage
Everything in the cottage is of high quality for discerning guests. Both bedrooms are welcoming havens for romance, rest and reading, with deliciously comfortable queen beds, luxurious linens and good individual reading lamps. Open the curtains and you can see trees, birds and sky from your bed
The cottage is warm in cool weather, with the wood-fired combustion heater making it really cosy. However, in summer it is a cool retreat and is always a pleasant temperature.
The roomy lounge has two comfortable sofas, one of which folds out to a double bed. A CD player, TV with video and DVD, books and games are provided for your entertainment. In the cupboards you will also find a bridge table and fans.
The kitchen is equipped with a fridge, hotplates and a convection-microwave oven which cooks excellent roasts, so gourmet cooks will enjoy themselves. There is plenty of fabulous local produce available nearby.
The dining table can be beautifully set for candle-lit dinners for two or six, and there is a plentiful supply of glasses for wine-tasting!
A hooded barbeque on the verandah is a great alternative for summer nights, big breakfasts and long winter lunches. Table and chairs on the verandah, (or find some tucked away in the bush) are ideal for morning coffee and bird-watching, relaxed meals and sipping beer or champagne at sunset. An elegant and spacious bathroom is equipped with heating for cool evenings.
Out and about
Sixteen hectares (thirty-seven acres) of natural bushland and granite outcrops surround the cottage. The bush is protected as a nature refuge, as it is part of an important nature corridor and contains rare ecosystems.
Short walking trails lead through the bush and, especially in spring and summer, show a profusion of wildflowers. At other times, look more carefully for hidden orchids and tiny bush flowers
You might also enjoy just sitting on a granite boulder on a sunny afternoon.D Remember your binoculars! Birds commonly seen and heard from the veranda or nearby include wrens, finches, thornbills, cuckoo-shrikes, whistlers, fantails, tree-creepers, lorikeets, spinebills and other honeyeaters, warblers and black cockatoos.
Wallabies and wallaroos, marsupial mice, ringtail and brushtail possums and sugar gliders have all been seen not far from the cottage.
When you are ready for an outing, Mt Tully Cottage is the perfect starting point for exploring the Granite Belt. You could easily spend a week in the arean if you like walking,eating and drinking (or all of these) . See for details of the many tourist attractions and special events in the area, including music and wine events.
For overseas visitors, you can see lots of the real Australia in easy day trips – including sheep and cattle country, national parks, fruit and wine growing areas and characteristic country towns.
Wineries within ten minutes drive from the cottage include Whisky Gully, Hidden Valley and Symphony Hill.
If you are driving, you’re not far from several spectacular and easily accessible national parks in Queensland and over the border in New South Wales. Girraween (20 minutes drive) is the closest park. There you can picnic, go on short walks or longer hikes or put your feet in the cold water! These nearby parks all have spectacular landforms with huge granite bounders (Bald Rock is the largest granite rock in Australia), clear flowing creeks and fragrant eucalypt forests. Wildflowers are a special feature of Girraween, Boonoo-Boonoo and Bald Rock National Parks, especially from August to December. Sundown National Park is also within reach for a longer day trip.
If you like cycling, bring a pushbike and enjoy some great riding on quiet, scenic sealed or unsealed roads. On a mountain bike, a bit of effort will get you to Girraween, or a shorter circuit will take you on an invigorating ride around the Eukey road past Storm King Dam and back.
