Just an hour and a half west of Brisbane is Queensland’s high country. Set in the scenic mountains of the Great Dividing Range, the region is a diverse playground of towering peaks, ancient rainforests and creative communities – everything you’re looking for in a weekender. If you’re escaping the city for the mountains, here are a few recommendations to get you started.

Find: Boonah Country Markets

If you want to get a true sense of a community, head for its weekend market. On the second and fourth Saturday of the month, the town of Boonah turns out for its Country Markets, with stalls piled high with locally grown produce, freshly baked bread and homemade preserves.

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Beside the edibles, you can snag a souvenir of your high country sojourn, thanks to the handiwork of local potters, wood-carvers and weavers.

Stay: Spicers Peak Lodge

Perched 1100 metres up in the Great Dividing Range, Spicers Peak Lodge is truly the top of the high country. The winding drive up to the lodge passes herds of shaggy highland cattle, before you emerge amid the rainforest of Main Range National Park.

The accommodation’s surroundings are great for little adventures (mountain biking, helicopter flights and four-wheel driving, for starters) but if you’d prefer to focus on relaxing, head for the infinity pool with mountain views.

Do: Mount Barney National Park

Within the Gondwana Rainforests World Heritage Area is Mount Barney National Park, the craggy remnants of a 24-million-year-old volcanic eruption. The ecosystems of the mountainous park vary between subtropical rainforests and heath shrublands. The park is also home to rare plant species including the bell-fruited mallee and Hillgrove gum.

Bushwalkers will find plenty of creek crossings and clifftop lookouts to keep them busy, while the park is dotted with remote bush camps for those really looking to get off the beaten track.

Eat: The Peak Restaurant

If you’re going to set your culinary standards high, the restaurant may as well be on top of a mountain. The Peak at Spicers Peak Lodge features a changing menu of contemporary Australian food from Executive Chef Karl Reyes, who weaves his Filipino heritage together with Italian, French and high country influences.

Being on the site of a former potato farm has inspired the chef to lean on local producers, but the menu isn’t exactly rustic – rather, dishes such as the mushroom medley with shiitake jelly and porcini cream are delicate and luxurious.

Drink: Granite Belt Brewery

The town of Stanthorpe is in the heart of the Granite Belt, a region pockmarked with the volcanic rock that gives it its name. Here you’ll find the Granite Belt Brewery, which has been quietly supplying locals with small batches of craft beer since 2012.

From its 1000-litre system the brewery runs a regular pale ale, IPA, Irish red ale and a cider, as well as seasonal brews like a chocolate hazelnut porter and a chai-spiced wheat beer.

Do: Spa Anise

If you’re more into the restorative properties of the high country (or if you end up going a little hard on those mountain bikes), Spa Anise at Spicers Peak Lodge might be your thing.

There’s a plunge pool on the deck, a stone fireplace in the lounge for the cooler seasons and private rooms for aromatherapy, hot stone massage and facial treatments. You’ll forget the city even exists.

This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Spicers Retreats.