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Have you ever imagined yourself sitting on a terrace, overlooking wine vineyards and sipping a glass of wine? If you have, this is the book for you.

The Granite Belt of southern Queensland is renowned for Australian wildflowers.

The Granite Belt has four wilderness National Parks, featuring granite monoliths.

The high altitude wines of the Granite Belt are rapidly becoming famous as the wine vineyards attract many visitors.

The book – Wildflowers, wilderness and wine – is more than just a description of an idyllic tourism destination. When reading Fay’s words you will experience the horror of the devastating fire that roared across these wilderness hills, taking a life, destroying homes and scorching vineyards. It is about the droughts, storms and floods, the frost and snow, the festivals and conferences throughout a year in a district known for a remarkably turbulent climate.

It is about the people who have moved to the Granite Belt in the past twenty years to establish wine vineyards. Fay observes their struggles and successes. The book has an adventure story feel as the reader expects a dramatic turn as each new day dawns. Fay possesses a wry Australian humour which brings a smile to her readers as they imagine her laughing at her predicaments like the time she found herself herding a flock of geese along a busy road while carrying half a glass of wine.

Fay recounts the history of this district telling how the town of Stanthorpe began as mining settlement – one of the richest tin mines in Australia and later changed direction with the establishment apple and stone fruit orchards. Fay notes its continuing metamorphous into a thriving tourism district focused on the wine vineyards.

Fay introduces you to guests from all over the world who come to stay at Das Helwig Haus as it becomes the most famous B&B within Australia. Sometimes the book reads like a list of well known names as TV presenters arrive to film the garden or Eberhard preparing a German style roast goose Christmas feast.

Each month Fay welcomes young International backpackers, known as wwoofers – Willing Workers on Organic Farms to assist her in the garden and kitchen, where she teaches them how to prepare healthy food recipes. Many fresh recipes are shared with readers.

Fay’s enjoyment of her garden becomes a shared delight as she reveals her vision. She captures the red tourism market with her creation of Red November, a month when visitors come to see the Remembrance Field of red Flanders poppies, taste the red wines and enjoy fresh red cherries and strawberries. When Fay planted her field of Flanders poppies to raise money for Legacy which cares for the dependants of veterans she encountered opposition from the local farming community who feared the poppies would spread to become a weed. Fay persevered in the face of adversity and her creation of unique Remembrance ceremonies led to the Federal Minister for Veterans’ Affairs launching ‘Poppies for Remembrance’ and sending poppy seed to every school in Australia.

If in past years you have enjoyed reading books like A Year in Provence or Under the Tuscan Sun you will enjoy this book about life in an Australian wine vineyard district.