Although it is the last month of winter, it is not unusual for August to be the coldest month of the year on the Granite Belt. This year, 2008, is not proving to be the exception to the rule.
Due to the altitude the Granite Belt is the coldest district in Queensland. Visitors come to Das Helwig Haus in August hoping for starry night skies and frosty mornings when the ice will crunch under their feet. They are seldom disappointed.

Although the frosts are still with us throughout much of August I always think of it as a golden month with golden daffodils and golden wattle. There is no better view of the wattle than from the deck of Claudia’s Country Café at the Thunderbolt Farm and cellar door. Set high on the hills of the Granite Belt the view from this lookout is magnificent. Set on the eastern side of the range of hills above the valley through which flows the Severn River, the deck of this charming restaurant is protected from winter winds. In the warm glow of an afternoon’s sun, guests linger over yet another glass of wine, reluctant to stir from the tranquility of the setting.
Keith and Claudia chose to call their farm after the famous bushranger who roamed the New England Tableland as far north as the Granite Belt. In honour of Fred Ward, otherwise known as Captain Thunderbolt, because he appeared suddenly usually from behind huge granite rocks, they named two of their wines Stagecoach White and Bushranger Red.

Keith says they wanted a crisp clean wine to balance between their drier Semillon and the fruity wines and thus the Stagecoach White was created. The Bushranger Red is light in colour, smooth to the palette and fruity to the taste. It is a particularly good wine to drink with pasta.
My favourite wine is their Rose. It is not too dry and has just the right amount of flavour to make it a classic. I have spent many a pleasant Sunday afternoon sitting on the deck, looking down the slope to the town of Stanthorpe in the distance, listening to classical music and quaffing this wine.
Friday and Saturday nights Claudia’s Café draws a great crowd of happy tourists looking for something special, and they are never disappointed. During these cooler nights of winter Keith throws extra logs on the fire and pours the wine, while Claudia serves up steaming hot dishes from her kitchen.
Claudia has a background of German, French and Italian cooking and has created a restaurant in the true European sense. It is located a few kilometres south of Stanthorpe and only 5 kilometres away from Das Helwig Haus B&B. It is set on a large farm where guests have a view down a long slope, where geese float on ponds and sheep wander through hectares of grape vines.

Take it from me. This café and cellar door is well worth a visit, and only five minutes drive away from your bed at Das Helwig Haus B&B.

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