Mount Alford: Vineyards, Heritage Town and Moogerah Peaks Views

Mount Alford is a small rural town in the Scenic Rim, about 100 km south-west of Brisbane, known for Kooroomba Vineyard and Lavender Farm, its heritage buildings and views of the Moogerah Peaks. It is a country drive rather than a big day out, which is the appeal.

Plan on a long lunch, a wine tasting or a stroll past the old buildings, then add a lookout walk at Mount French or a swim at Lake Moogerah on the way home.

Kooroomba Vineyard and Lavender Farm

Kooroomba, at 168 FM Bells Road, is the main reason people visit Mount Alford. It has a cellar door, a restaurant, a terrace for morning and afternoon tea, and a gift shop selling lavender products.

Lavender is in bloom from June to October, depending on the weather. Wine tastings cost $10 for three wines or $15 for the whole range, and no booking is needed. The terrace welcomes walk-in guests and their dogs. Morning and afternoon tea is served on the terrace until 2 pm on weekdays and 3 pm on weekends, while the full lunch menu is served only in the indoor restaurant, which Kooroomba recommends booking well ahead. The farm closes to the public on some dates for weddings, so check before you drive out. The full guide is at Kooroomba Vineyard and Lavender Farm, and the farm’s own site is kooroomba.com.au.

Heritage buildings in town

Mount Alford was once called Reckumpilla and was renamed after Thomas Alford, who managed Coochin Coochin station from 1868. A short walk around the town takes in a few listed and historic buildings.

• Mount Alford School of Arts, established in 1906, is heritage listed.
• The old general store, which opened around 1888 and was rebuilt in 1913, is also heritage listed. It was home to Scenic Rim Brewery, which is now closed to the public.
• Bowman Park is on the site of the former St Peter’s Anglican Church and has a plaque and a memorial to Gertrude Augusta Bell.

The setting

Teviot Brook runs just east of the town, and the land rises towards Mount Moon to the south-west. Lake Moogerah, behind Moogerah Dam, and Lake Maroon are both a short drive away, which makes Mount Alford an easy stop on a Scenic Rim loop that also takes in Boonah.

A little history

Mount Alford Provisional School opened in 1888 and became a state school in 1901. A World War I memorial at the state school, unveiled in 1918, is described as the smallest digger statue on a war memorial in Queensland. The Methodist church opened in December 1921, and St Peter’s Anglican Church was dedicated in 1919. About 294 people lived in the town at the 2021 census.

A day around Mount Alford

A simple loop from Brisbane is a morning walk at Mount French, lunch at Kooroomba, a look around the heritage buildings and an afternoon swim or picnic at Lake Moogerah. The drive between Mount French and Mount Alford is about 30 minutes.

Views of the Moogerah Peaks

Moogerah Dam and the Moogerah Peaks lie directly north and west of the town, and the land rises to Mount Moon in the south-west. You do not need to climb anything to see them: the peaks show above the paddocks and vineyards from the road.

For a walk, Mount French has two short lookout walks about 30 minutes away by car. Mount Greville is another peak in the same national park.

Planning your visit

• How long: a long lunch or tasting at Kooroomba takes a few hours; add an hour to look around town.
• Best time: June to October for the lavender. The mountain views are there all year.
• Before you go: check Kooroomba’s opening hours page, because the farm closes for some weddings.
• Driving home: it is a long drive back to Brisbane, so share the driving if you plan to taste wine.

Getting to Mount Alford

Mount Alford is about 103 km from the Brisbane CBD and takes about 90 minutes by car. It is about 14 km south-west of Boonah, about a 20 minute drive.

Bring your own food and fuel if you plan to explore the area, and use Boonah for supplies.

Nearby

• Kooroomba Vineyard and Lavender Farm – lunch, tasting and lavender.
• Mount French – short lookout walks and a climbing cliff.
• Lake Moogerah – swimming, picnics and camping.
• Lake Maroon – boating, fishing and picnics.
• Boonah – the nearest big town.
• More in Wineries and the Scenic Rim.

You might also like

• Sirromet Winery (Mount Cotton)
• Albert River Wines (Tamborine)
• Witches Falls Winery (North Tamborine)

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