This stunning new winery with helicopter arrivals is your excuse to visit Queensland’s only cool-climate region.
Tucked amid the mountainous terrain of southern Queensland’s Great Dividing Range, the Granite Belt is one of Australia’s highest-altitude wine regions – and one of its most underrecognised. But that status may soon change, thanks to a landmark new culinary destination that has opened in Ballandean today, 2 July 2026.
Meteora Vineyard is a luxury new restaurant, winery and cellar door featuring Queensland’s first wine cave – an underground barrel storage carved deep into the hillside – as well as scenic helicopter flights, bespoke private dining and innovative architecture. Slated to add its own accommodation to the property in October, the property provides a compelling reason to explore Queensland’s only cool-climate wine region, which produces some of the country’s best alternative varieties.
Opt to add on a memorable scenic helicopter charter.
The vineyard is the lovechild of founders Andrew and Karen Catsoulis, who co-founded National Storage (then Stowaway Self-Storage) together back in 1997. The couple fell in love with the Granite Belt after a chance visit and have since come to appreciate its dramatic granite landscapes, distinctive seasons and local community.
Influenced by the family’s Greek heritage, Meteora Vineyard respects the region’s soul while taking cues from Mediterranean culture, architecture and cuisine, along with practices of generosity and togetherness.
The estate features unique architecture that blends with the surrounding nature.
Gaze out onto undulating countryside.
Stroll the vineyards with loved ones.
The winery centres on alternative varietals.
As far as the vino experiences go, guests can expect estate-grown single-vineyard wines and alternative varietals framed by picturesque sun-dappled vistas over the countryside. Take a guided tasting in the cellar door to discover what gives the Granite Belt its distinctive character, learning from the passionate Meteora team.
Or perhaps head underground to the wine cave, where you’ll feel whisked straight to the vineyards of Europe. A true feat of engineering, the climate-controlled cave required extensive excavation and expert craftsmanship.
Queensland’s first wine cave is found onsite.
Guided by chief winemaker Andy Williams, the wine program focuses on the potential of varietals including montepulciano, fiano, aglianico and tempranillo, as well as regional classics shiraz and chardonnay.
The restaurant is as much a draw as the wine, however. Executive head chef Simon Treller has spun comforting Mediterranean traditions together with regional Queensland provenance, whipping up a menu bound to please all palates.
There’s saganaki with toasted sesame and local honey, slow-braised lamb pappardelle, lemon potatoes and tender chicken paired with pumpkin purée and crispy kale, among other savoury delights. And don’t skip out on dessert – chocolate and olive oil ganache with pistachios is hard to beat.
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AI Prompt
The restaurant's menu blends Mediterranean and local influence.
Meteora Vineyard can curate fireside dining experiences.
Enjoy private meals in the Glass Dining Room.
But perhaps what gives this winery an extra lashing of appeal is the unique experiences it offers guests. Most notably, the vineyard offers a 45-minute scenic helicopter charter from Brisbane, lending guests a magnificent bird’s-eye view over the vibrant escarpments and gold-green grazing plains of the UNESCO-listed Scenic Rim. But there are also private fireside dinners to enjoy and intimate long lunches in the Glass Dining Room, all extending a warm invitation to become acquainted with the Granite Belt’s beautifully unconventional spirit.
Meteora Vineyard ticks a lot of boxes, but there is one thing it doesn’t (yet) have: a place to stay overnight onsite. Fortunately, the venue is expecting to open luxury vineyard accommodation in October 2026, completing the recipe for a relaxing culinary weekend away with friends or family.
The details
Meteora Vineyard offers single-estate wines, along with a wine cave and bespoke experiences.
Location: 87 Rees Road, Ballandean, Qld
How to get there: Drive three hours inland from either Byron Bay or Brisbane, or take a 45-minute scenic helicopter flight from Brisbane.
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Eleanor Edström is Australian Traveller’s Associate Editor. Previously a staff writer at Signature Luxury Travel & Style and Vacations & Travel magazines, she's a curious wordsmith with a penchant for conservation, adventure, the arts and design. She discovered her knack for storytelling much earlier, however – penning mermaid sagas in glitter ink at age seven. Proof that her spelling has since improved, she holds an honours degree in English and philosophy, and a French diploma from the University of Sydney. Off duty, you’ll find her pirouetting between Pilates and ballet classes, or hunting down Sydney's cosiest cafes.
Cruise Whitsundays’ famous Reefworld has undergone a complete transformation – here’s why it has become one of Australia’s most extraordinary places to spend the night.
Imagine sleeping under the stars or beneath the sea, snorkelling vibrant coral gardens, and enjoying a dining experience that wouldn’t feel out of place at a top restaurant – all from a pontoon moored on the Great Barrier Reef. In a country that excels at extraordinary, immersive travel experiences, the reimagined Reefworld in Queensland’s Whitsundays has joined the upper echelons.
Cruise Whitsundays has unveiled an extensive transformation of Reefworld, its pontoon permanently moored at Hardy Reef on the outer Great Barrier Reef.
First opened in 2019, Reefworld is home to the famous underwater Reefsuites – Australia’s first underwater hotel – and was originally designed as a dual-purpose pontoon for both day visitors and overnight guests.
Now, it has been transformed into an overnight-only experience, giving guests exclusive access to the pontoon and the reef, with more space, greater comfort and a more immersive way to experience this unique environment.
The transformation forms part of Journey Beyond’s $40 million investment in responsible reef tourism in the region.
Your journey to Reefworld begins with a scenic cruise through the Whitsundays: dark-green islands daubed on an endless expanse of blue. Welcome to Ngaro Sea Country.
Departing Port of Airlie, Daydream Island or Hamilton Island, a high-speed catamaran with priority boarding for Reefworld guests will whisk you across the Coral Sea to the outer reef.
From next year, a new 35-metre catamaran will join the Cruise Whitsundays fleet, featuring an exclusive-use lounge area reserved for Reefworld guests. Snacks and refreshments are available onboard.
Depending on the time of year, migrating humpback whales may pass you on your journey.
2. A sense of arrival
Watch as your home on the reef rolls into view.
Around two hours after leaving Hamilton Island, the Reefworld pontoon shimmers into view on the horizon.
As you sail closer towards Hardy Reef – where the pontoon is permanently moored – your home for the next 27 hours comes into focus, including the plush new beds where Reefsleep guests will spend the night. Anticipation builds for the unique experience to come.
The everyday world slips away as you alight the catamaran and step onto the pontoon. Now exclusively reserved for up to 36 overnight guests at a time, it has undergone an extensive transformation.
The sense of space, peace and quiet is palpable as you’re welcomed with a cold non-alcoholic drink. Dab your brow with a refreshing cold towel and take in the stillness – interrupted only by the sound of flying fish slapping the water’s surface.
From the moment you arrive in the late morning, the whole place is yours to enjoy. Reefworld has been redeveloped with considered spaces designed to help you make the most of your downtime.
On the lower deck, you’ll find a bar serving tea, coffee, soft drinks and alcoholic beverages, alongside comfy lounge areas where you can sit back and take in mesmerising reef views.
Spend the rest of the day at leisure, relaxed in the knowledge that you don’t have to leave again until tomorrow afternoon.
3. Elevated food and beverage (including quality coffee!)
Indulge in an elevated food and beverage offering onboard.
Elevated food and drink is central to the new Reefworld experience. The all-inclusive offering focuses on high-quality regional dining.
A seafood buffet lunch might include Hervey Bay scallops grilled in shell with garlic and herb butter or line-caught reef fish baked with lemon thyme oil.
A signature three-course dinner paired with premium Australian wines might dish up an entrée of Whitsunday blue swimmer crab wontons with smoked salmon caviar in a butter sauce, a main of Queensland grass-fed beef-eye fillet, and a tropical coconut and pineapple confection for dessert. Dietary requirements are catered for (notify team at time of booking).
A hot breakfast buffet offers a selection of cooked favourites, smoked salmon, cheeses, and yoghurts, fresh fruit, toast and cereals.
All-inclusive beverages include bottled beer and cider, soft drinks and Australian wine including sparkling. Or choose from a range of premium spirits and cocktails such as the 74 Islands Limoncello Spritz, made with a liqueur crafted right here in the Whitsundays.
Perhaps the biggest boon of all? Barista-made coffee, available from 6.30 am. Only in Australia could you order an oat flat white in the middle of a coral reef.
4. Snorkel one of the GBR’s most diverse reefs
Dive into the Great Barrier Reef.
Reefworld sits above Hardy Reef, one of the most biologically diverse outer reef systems in the Great Barrier Reef. Exploring it is a simple matter of popping on a mask, snorkel and flippers and slipping into the water straight from the pontoon.
Being in the outer reef means the water is clear, and marine life is abundant: here you could spot giant trevally, Māori wrasse, clownfish, parrotfish, nudibranch and giant clams, as well as vibrant coral gardens.
Snorkel at your leisure over two days. Prefer to stay above the water level? Head to the underwater observatory or join an optional semi-submersible guided tour, and you might still spot the resident two-metre-long Queensland grouper, George, doing the rounds. Or Crush, one of 12 resident green sea turtles.
5. A luxurious sleep under the stars
Spend the night in one of 16 spacious, four-poster beds.
At the heart of the reimagined Reefworld is its elevated Reefsleep experience. On the upper deck are 16 spacious, four-poster beds, replacing the earlier swag-inspired accommodation and giving up to 32 guests the chance to sleep under the stars with increased privacy and added comfort.
With names like Parrot Fish and Spotted Ray, each Reefbed is of its place and has everything you need: not least a queen-size bed with premium linens, decked out in coastal shades befitting the location. USB charging ports, reading lights and fans provide extra convenience and comfort. The beds are set up as daybeds in the afternoon, then turned down in time for sleep.
Double-layer canvas and mesh flaps allow you to customise your experience and exposure to the elements: zip up for maximum privacy and shelter or leave wide open to stargaze as you drift off to sleep.
Come morning, enjoy the luxury of watching the sun rise over the reef from the comfort of the covers (if facing east).
6. Refreshed underwater Reefsuites
Let the locals form your bedroom view.
Reefsuites is Australia’s first underwater hotel and remains among the most unique stays in the country – if not the world. Its two suites have had a glow-up as part of Reefworld’s transformation, but the floor-to-ceiling underwater views of the Great Barrier Reef remain unchanged.
Choose between king double or twin single sleeping configurations, with premium bedding and a glass-walled en suite in each suite. This is your front-row seat to the marine life of the reef in all its nocturnal glory.
7. A sensational sunset and canapés session
Wait for sunset at Australia’s best bar.
There’s even a designated new spot for sunset canapés. Could this be Australia’s best bar? That’s what you will be asking come evening, as you gather on the upper deck for a Sunset Canapés session.
Reefworld’s refreshed design includes a designated space for this very ritual. Grab a drink at the bar – bubbles, perhaps, or a G&T with locally produced gin – and pull up a stool to settle in for one of the most spectacular sunsets you’ll ever see.
Nibble on a chef’s selection of light bites as the sun puddles into the molten Coral Sea, bathing the entire pontoon in a glorious glow. It doesn’t get more golden hour than this.
8. Extras: the adventure continues
Choose from a range of extra activities to help you keep exploring.
And that’s not where the adventure ends. Your Reefworld stay also includes access to the underwater observatory and a guided semi-submarine tour, plus a complimentary guided snorkel safari led by expert reef guides. For those looking to do even more, add-ons include scuba diving and scenic flights over Heart Reef, available at an additional cost.
As part of Cruise Whitsundays’ investment in reef tourism, nearby permanent Heart Pontoon has also undergone a significant refurbishment, further enhancing the visitor experience.
The details
Reefworld is open now as an overnight‑only pontoon, exclusively for Reefsleep and Reefsuite guests. Stays start from $895 per person for Reefsleep and $1495 per person for a Reefsuite, based on double occupancy.
