7 cafes and restaurants in Southern Queensland Country worth driving for
There’s no shortage of fresh, local and seasonal produce filtering through the kitchens of our local cafes and restaurants.
Our region is packed with artwork to explore outdoors – from the side of buildings in our town’s main streets to water tanks and disused silos and water towers standing over 30-metres-tall.
If you thought artwork was reserved for galleries and museums in Southern Queensland Country, we’ve got news for you – everything is a canvas in our country.
Our region is packed with artwork to explore outdoors – from the side of buildings in our town’s main streets to water tanks and disused silos and water towers standing over 30-metres-tall.
With two painted silos, three painted water tanks, and nearly 100 murals to discover, follow this guide to explore our region's best outdoor artwork.
Brisbane to Toowoomba
Put on your street art critic hat and hit the road for your first stop on the tour, 126 kilometres west of Brisbane, Toowoomba.
Not only is Toowoomba Queensland’s largest inland city, it’s also home to one of Queensland’s bustling street art scenes with over 55 murals (and counting).
Make sure you start your tour at Ruthven Street to see The Elephant by Brisbane-based artist Fintan Magee, one of the most recognised and photographed murals.
Find out more about what to see and do in Toowoomba, here.
Toowoomba to Goondiwindi
Image: Tex Acola
Once you’ve refuelled the caffeine levels and ticked off your mural-list, enter Yelarbon into your GPS via Millmerran.
Find one of the pioneering outdoor artworks, the Millmerran Water Tank Art, which was commissioned in 1998 and given a fresh lick of paint in 2013.
Located on the roadside, make sure you pull over at the designated parking area for a closer look, before continuing 100 kilometres to the town of Yelarbon whose population ticks just 364 people.
While the population may be small, its silo art is monumental, measuring 1,800 square metres.
Spread across eight Graincorp silos, this artwork by Jordon Bruce (aka The Brightsiders) took two weeks and more than one thousand litres of paint to complete.
When the Rains Come, tells the story of a young boy playing in the lagoon, highlighting the local flora and fauna of the region.
With Goondiwindi, a short thirty minutes to the west, you can plan your overnight stay in this Southern Queensland Country town.
If you’ve got a few hours left in the day, make sure you check out Goondiwindi’s local sights too.
Goondiwindi to St George (via Thallon)
Start your day in Goondiwindi with a stop along McLean Street to see the painted water tanks, titled On the MacIntyre River.
See the brushstrokes of four artists who collaborated on the piece in celebration of NAIDOC week.
Grab a barista-made coffee for the road, jump in your car, and drive 170 kilometres south to Thallon.
Before you navigate your way to the town’s pièce de résistance – the Graincorp silos – plan a lunch stop at the Francis Hotel.
Not only do they serve lunch and dinner seven-days-a-week, they also have another piece of mural magic hidden in their backyard.
Image: @australiansiloarttrail
As a gift from the silo artists, Joel Fergie and Travis Vinson (known as The Zookeeper and Drapl), the pub’s water tanks were turned into a tribute to the now critically endangered northern hairy-nosed wombats that once roamed the local region.
The GrainCorp silos are less than one kilometre from the hotel, so there’s no need to get back in the car to see the main attraction – The Watering Hole.
Image: James Gard
Taking inspiration from three local photographers, the giant mural covering four 30-metre-high silos was created from just one, A4 sized drawing.
Using over 500 litres of paint and 500 spray cans and taking three weeks to complete, the murals highlight iconic scenes from the region, including the Moonie River and native birdlife.
After appreciating these giant silos in their best possible light (did someone say sunset shots?), travel 80 kilometres to St George to overnight.
Get in the know with what to do in St George with this guide.
St George to Wandoan
Image: Marg and Russ
Continue your mural tour in Wandoan, 300 kilometres north of St George.
With painted water tanks and 33 public murals to explore along the Heritage Trail, you’ll want to make sure you’re wearing comfortable walking shoes for this day out with a difference.
Head to Henderson and Jerrad Streets to see the painted water towers dedicated to the local servicemen, dating back to the 1990s.
Step it out along the town’s Heritage Trail to learn about the local history and heritage and tick off 33 murals from painted post boxes to painted walls.
Overnight in Wandoan or explore another nearby town in the Western Downs, such as Miles or Chinchilla.
Wandoan to Brisbane
If you’re short on time, set off early to allow plenty of travel time to navigate the 400 kilometres back to Brisbane with a few stops along the way.
While you can take the Toowoomba bypass on the Warrego Highway, it’s a great opportunity to break up the journey at the halfway mark and tick off any additional murals you missed at the begining of your journey.
If you prefer a more leisurely departure time, break up the drive with an overnight in Toowoomba with this guide.
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