Boonah Things to Do

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This is a really delightful place to visit. David (the owner) is a wonderful host and has provided picnic tables dotted around the estate for visitors to use. The views here are beautiful, the climate nice, the wine tastings fantastic, and the wine is also for sale.

The estate dog (a giant alaskan malamute) is friendly as well.

There is ample parking

There are numerous little vinyards in the Boonah area. These botique vinyards are generally small, managed by 1 person or family. The predominent grape type is red.

I had a great time this year picking the Shiraz harvest at the "Bunjurgen Estate" out on the Boonah Rathdowney rd.

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Mt French National Park
The Boonah Shire has a number of places to indulge in a favourite Aussie pastime, bushwalking. There is Mount French National Park not far from the town. The climb to the top of Mount French is rewarded by excellent panoramic views over the Fassifern Valley. It is part of the 676-hectare Moogerah Peaks National Park which includes a number of volcanic peaks and rocky cliffs to the west of the town. Mt Moon, Mt Edwards and Mt Greville are the more isolated areas of the park and are suitable for experienced bushwalkers.
Main Range National Park
To the west of Boonah, back in the direction of Brisbane, lies the Main Range National Park with its famous Cunningham's Gap, named after one of Australia's better known early European explorers whose Christian name was Allan. This happened in 1827. He foresaw that this would be the access route joining the rich rural area to the coast and made the journey to prove his point.

There's not a lot to get excited about on the architectural front here but it does have its moments. Some of the streets are unusually narrow by rural standards which gives a comfortable community air to the town.
The larger Boonah Shire covers an area of 1904 square kilometres and has a total population exceeding 9,000.
Originally known, rather unromantically, as the Goolman Division Board, it suffered a name change in 1937. Boonah, an Anglicised version of the Aboriginal word 'buna', supposedly means bloodwood tree.

In early gold rush towns, the significance of the place was often gauged by the number of pubs that sprung up to satisfy thirsty miners. In rural towns the numbers were significantly less. Perhaps there's a moral there somewhere though momentarily it escapes me.
In many towns there are three or four names that regularly crop up, "Royal, Railway and Commercial" are three that spring readily to mind.
This is and example of the latter though obviously the licensee has a sense of humour as evidenced by the sight of these store dummies decked out on the balcony of this two storey establishment.

I loved it. Walking down the main street of rural Boonah, well over an hour west of Brisbane, I came across a familiar sight - chooks. Or, as the rest of the world may call them, chickens or such.
It brought back memories of my upbringing and our yard that always had chooks and we always had fresh meat if we needed it.
Yes, it was obvious I was in a country town and you can't help but get that nice relaxed feeling, especially after we had just enjoyed an al fresco cup of tea in the shop across the road.

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Go for a walk along the main street, and drive around the town. You will find it a well kept town, with lots of nice older style wooden 'Queenslander Homes.' Beautiful!