The Coolest Things to Do In and Around St. George in Outback Queensland

One of my best friends who I have known since primary school lives in St George, a tiny town in outback Queensland. I’ve visited her and her family twice now (once for her wedding!) and discovered that this little town has some cool things to see and do so, as usual, I decided to also write a guide telling you what there is to see and do in and around St George! If you ever happen to find yourself heading into the interior of Queensland, make sure you don’t miss it.

About St. George

St George is a small town located on the Balonne River in Queensland, about a four-hour drive from Toowoomba and around six hours from Brisbane. It’s located quite low down in Queensland near the border with New South Wales, and is sometimes called “The Gateway to the Outback.” The main industry in the region is farming, particularly cotton farming but also other crops and sheep. It’s also known as a great fishing spot since the Balonne River is apparently a good place to fish for Yellowbelly and Murray Cod. It gets very hot in summer, sometimes above 40 degrees Celsius, and can get quite cool in winter, although usually still around 20 degrees.

The Best Things to Do In (and Around) St. George

In my couple of visits to St George, I was shown the main tourist sites by my friend and discovered that there are some very cool and unique things to see and do. These are the coolest things you should also make sure to check out if you’re going to St George.

The Unique Egg

We’ll start with the most unique attraction, which even has unique in its name, The Unique Egg! This is a tiny little museum all about the carved emu egg designs created by local man Stavros, a Greek immigrant who moved here after WWII and took up carving emu eggs in his spare time. His creations are amazing and look particularly cool when lit up and this is the only museum of its kind in the world.

I’ve already written about The Unique Egg before because this is definitely (in my opinion) the number one must-do in St. George! Check out that post to see more of these incredible egg creations and make sure you stop by to see the real thing if you’re in St George.

Stevie-Jean’s Cafe

Right next door to the hunting supply shop/emu egg museum is a lovely little café that my friend’s kids call “The Milkshake Shop,” since they usually go there for milkshakes! It’s actually called Stevie-Jean’s café and is a delightful spot for a sweet treat. We had some milkshakes and cake when we went (delicious carrot cake for me and a slice of lemon tart for Dennis) but they also do Fairy Bread (an Australian delicacy) and yummy toasted sandwiches. If you’re looking for more sweet treats the St George Bakery is also diagonally opposite across the street and is well-known for also having delicious pastries, pies, and bread as well as fresh pizza on Friday and Saturday nights.

Balonne River

As I mentioned before, St George is a popular destination for fishing, it’s also called the Inland Fishing Capital, but the Balonne River provides other fun things to see and do as well. The Andrew Nixon Bridge is the only crossing over the river, and underneath is the Jack Taylor Weir, which can be pretty impressive if the waters are well up. You can go on river cruises along the Balonne as well.

Next to the bridge/weir is a little park featuring a Murray Cod sculpture, a shaded picnic table, a commemorative stone marking where Sir Thomas Mitchell crossed the river on St George’s Day (hence the name of the town) in 1846 and one of the Blue Tree Project trees for mental health. From here there’s also a lovely two-kilometre shaded stretch of walking path along the riverbank to enjoy, if it’s not too hot!

The Anchorage Homestead 

One of the coolest things I did while in St George on our most recent visit was to attend a fancy high tea with my friend at the Anchorage Homestead, a gorgeous old property from 1903 that’s been restored and now often hosts events. We got to wander around some of the rooms and the pretty garden outside before having a delicious afternoon tea of sandwiches, scones, sweet pastries, tea and bubbles. Since we were in the shade it wasn’t too hot and there were lots of birds singing or bathing in the birdbath. The Anchorage is only open to visitors on certain days but keep an eye on their Facebook if you’ll be visiting St George as most of their events coincide with school holidays.

St. George Aquatic Centre

If you’re visiting St George with kids or just want a way to cool down then a visit to the local aquatic centre is a must! There’s a 50-metre lap pool for swimming as well as a very fun splash park and waterslide for kids (you can see both in the photo above) and I loved going here to cool down on our most recent trip in January. There are changing rooms/toilets and a little shop to buy snacks or drinks, with lots of seating around the pool as well as grassy areas where you could have a picnic and even a couple of BBQs (which need to be booked). There’s also a small ‘thermal pool’ if you happen to be visiting in winter and want to warm up! Check out the website for opening times and entry fees.

Cotton Farm Tours

If you’re visiting St George between May and September then you’ll probably see fields of cotton being harvested but you can also find out more about the process by joining a tour of a cotton farm. The machines they use to harvest the cotton are massive and, while I haven’t done a tour myself (my friend’s husband has taken me for a spin in one when he was harvesting though) I’m sure it would be interesting to learn more about the whole process of cotton farming. The tour takes place every Thursday and Tuesday between May and September. It also includes a tour, wine tasting and lunch at the next entry on this list: Riversands Winery and Cafe!

Riversands Winery and Cafe

The only St George attraction I didn’t actually get to experience for myself was Riversands, which is apparently the most western vineyard in Queensland! They produce red, white and sparkling wines, with a cellar door open for tastings seven days a week along with a garden cafe if you’d like a snack, drink or meal. They also host special events like Long Table dinners amongst the vines so I’d definitely recommend stopping by if you’re looking for a meal or some wine tasting/shopping. It’s number one on my list for the next time I’m in St George!

Nindigully Pub

The next couple of places worth visiting are close to St George but not actually in the township itself, although we visited them all during a little half-day road trip.

The first is the Nindigully Pub, located in Nindigully which is about a half-hour drive from St George. Opened in 1864, this is one of the oldest pubs in Queensland and features lots of very cool and quirky knick-knacks and art within its walls/beer garden. We didn’t eat here but the menu looks delicious, with some crazy ‘mega-burgers’ to feed multiple people. They also host pig races and live music plus you can stay at the pub or camp for free in front of the pub on the banks of the Moonie River.

This pub was also used for filming in the 1999 film Paperback Hero, which stars a very young Hugh Jackman. Across from the pub there are a series of boomerang sculptures and signs commemorating this, so it’s a must-see spot for fans of this classic Aussie rom-com!

Thallon

Another 20 minutes down the road from the Nindigully Pub is the town of Thallon, where you can see some truly stunning silo art, interesting sculptures and a giant wombat! The biggest (literally) attraction in Thallon is the Watering Hole Mural; which covers four, 30-metre-high silos with artwork of the region’s icons including the Moonie River, sheep, pale-faced rosellas and a scarred tree to represent the Indigenous community. This piece was painted by Joel Fergie and Travis Vinson, AKA The Zookeeper and Drapl. It won both the “Best Rural Art” and “Best of the Best” at the 2019 Australian Street Art Awards and is a must-see.

While you’re in Thallon you’ll also notice lots of quirky sculptures and artworks that are part of the “Watering Hole” Heritage Trail and if you have kids then make sure you stop off at the playground so they can climb on William the Wombat: a two-metre high sculpture of a Northern Hairy-Nosed Wombat, which are critically endangered.

Dirranbandi

45 minutes from Thallon (and an hour from St George) is another spot we visited on our little day drive from St George: Dirranbandi, which is home to an excellent bakery, cute shops and more interesting sculptures. The Dirranbandi Rail and River Precinct features some remnants of the end of the South West rail line, which was the destination of the very last mail train to operate in Australia.

There are some cool sculptures here as well, like the one above which depicts the Charge of Beersheba which was regarded as the last great cavalry charge. The sculpture was made “In memory of all who fought in the Great War 1914 – 1918 and their horses who could not come home.” I also enjoyed the little frog on a bicycle sculpture which is hiding behind the horses (below left).

A stop at the Dirranbandi Bakery is another must, as this is run by a Russian-born baker and features some Russian specialties like the traditional honey bread, Pryanick, baklava and Turkish delight. They also have ‘regular’ Aussie bakery treats, pies, coffee and sandwiches so this was our lunch stop along the way. We didn’t get to browse any of the boutique shops here as the rain started to bucket down (and we raced home before a full-on storm arrived which flooded the area) but I’ve heard they’re good!

Where to stay in St George

Of course, every time I have visited St George I have stayed at my friend’s house but there are several motels, hotels and caravan parks to choose from if you’re visiting for yourself. There isn’t much in the way of super-luxury, this is the outback after all, but the highest-rated place on Booking.com is the Riverland Motor Inn, which has its own small pool, as does the Jacaranda Country Motel, and The Australian Hotel does excellent food, plus it’s right by the river. Otherwise, the Pelican Rest Tourist Park has cute little cabins and camping facilities, as well as a swimming pool.

Getting to St George

There are regional flights to St George from Brisbane twice a week (on Wednesdays and Sundays) with Rex Airlines. You can also fly into Roma (which has more frequent flights from Brisbane) and then hire a car to drive around two hours to get to St George. Otherwise, it’s around a six-hour drive from Brisbane (or four hours from Toowoomba). If you’re road-tripping around the area then it’s easy to get to, as it sits on the junction of four different highways. Just be aware that you shouldn’t drive between these areas between dusk and dawn unless you have a bull-bar on your vehicle as you don’t want to risk hitting a kangaroo, emu, wild pig or something which could totally wreck your car!

Pin Me!

Have you ever visited St. George or any of the other outback towns nearby? Let me know about it in the comments or pin one of these if you want to plan your own trip to St. George!