Ideally located only two to three hours drive from Brisbane and the Coasts, Queensland’s Southern Downs and Granite Belt can be reached by car, bus or plane. The most popular method of getting to the Southern Downs is to self-drive, however there are regular bus services that run to both Warwick and Stanthorpe or you can charter a bus for larger groups. An air service also operates from Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast.
Getting Here
DRIVE
It’s easy to get out and about in the region on the well-connected highways and road systems.
From Brisbane: take the Ipswich Motorway west out of Brisbane, exiting onto the Cunningham Highway (15) and entering the Southern Downs via Cunningham’s Gap. For a spectacular scenic drive, exit earlier at Boonah-Rathdowney Road and follow the
Falls Drive into Killarney, via Queen Mary Falls.
From the Gold Coast: take the Pacific Motorway (M1) towards Brisbane, taking the Logan Motorway (toll road) until you reach the Ipswich Motorway heading west out of Brisbane. Exit onto the Cunningham Highway (15) and enter the Southern Downs via Cunningham’s Gap. For a more scenic route, head out via Nerang and Canungra bringing you through the country towns of Beaudesert and Boonah. You will meet up with the Cunningham Highway at Aratula and enter the Southern Downs via Cunningham’s Gap.
From the Sunshine Coast: follow the Bruce Highway (M1) south to Brisbane where you will get onto the Ipswich Motorway heading west out of Brisbane. Exit onto the Cunningham Highway (15) and enter the Southern Downs via Cunningham’s Gap. For a more scenic route, head out via Woodford and Kilcoy where you will meet up with the New England Highway (A3) at Crows Nest and follow this south to the Southern Downs via Toowoomba.
From the Southern States: two major highways feed into the region. From New South Wales, take ‘Australia's Country Way’, the New England Highway (A3), and from Victoria and South Australia, travel the Newell Highway (39).
COACH
Coach travel is another relaxing way to arrive at your country holiday destination. Regular bus services run to Warwick and Stanthorpe from the Brisbane Transit Centre located at Roma Street Station in the centre of Brisbane. Crisps Coaches run daily services from Brisbane as far south as Moree. Greyhound also run regular services from Brisbane to Sydney via the New England Highway.
AIR
Sunshine Aviation operates an air service that offers tour packages to the Granite Belt from Archerfield Airport, Brisbane and Sunshine Airport, Maroochydore.
DISTANCE CHART
| Town |
Brisbane |
Gold Coast |
Toowoomba |
Lismore |
| Clifton |
176km |
240km |
53km |
322km |
| Warwick |
160km |
186km |
83km |
275km |
Stanthorpe
|
220km |
246km |
192km |
221km |
| Inglewood |
260km |
286km |
192km |
350km |
| Texas |
315km |
343km |
246km |
294km |
Getting Around
Once you are here, there are a variety of accessible transportation services including a regular local bus service in Warwick, taxis and car hire. Coaches and mini buses can also be chartered for group travel. If you’ve seen enough of the highways, why not take one of our
scenic tourist drives to see the beautiful Southern Downs countryside.
Click here to see the interactive Southern Downs & Granite Belt map