Blackall Range
This is the Blackall Range -
creative heart of the Sunshine Coast and a cool highland retreat for travellers seeking relief from the dazzle of the beaches. Mountain townships - Maleny, Witta, Montville, Flaxton and Mapleton - are perched along the range. The road that strings them together follows the razorback spine of the escarpment, offering stunning views of the coastal lowlands, the Mary Valley and, in the south, the crags of the Glass House Mountains.
Maleny
People flock to this friendly country town to escape the ordinary - hether for a weekend, a week or the rest of their lives. Maleny’s traditional country charms are now complemented by attractions such as art and craft galleries, award-winning restaurants, organic produce stores, a winery, markets, getaway cottages, rural resorts, a health retreat and equestrian centre. While you’re there, treat yourself to some award-winning ice-cream and Maple Street’s other culinary delights, or stay a night or two in one of the many charming Bed & Breakfast or hosted accommodation houses. Wine buffs can intrigue their tastebuds at Maleny Mountain Wines at the Big Barrel on the way up from Landsborough. Wonder at ancient rainforests at nearby Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve. The 52ha park has 2km of walking track, with 1.2km wheelchair accessible, and a wealth of rainforest flora, including staghorns, orchids, strangler figs and among Australia’s best remaining stands of red cedar. Watch for pademelons crossing your path, and see if you can spot the shy whipbirds and catbirds that break the forest hush with their strange cries. Nearby lookouts include McCarthy’s Lookout, for breathtaking views of the
Glass House Mountains, and Howell’s Knob, Balmoral, Gerards and Dulong lookouts, all with great views of the Sunshine Coast. Peaceful Gardners Falls is a mountain eden, with a popular swimming hole.
Tucked away in the valley below is Lake Baroon, where you can go swimming, canoeing or sailing, and cast or troll a lure for a prized Australian bass. Picnic and BBQ facilities are also available for a relaxing lunch. Explore the surrounding countryside and you will come across some master artisans, who work according to age-old traditions or with a novel flair. Nearby Witta, on the Maleny-Kenilworth Road, is home to B&B accommodation, farmstays, cabins and cafés overlooking the Conondale Valley.
Montville
Montville’s spectacular ridgetop location earned it the dramatic name of Razorback when timber-getters and citrus-growers first settled here in the 1880s. It has been a mountain resort since the early 1900s, when people began to come here for the cool mountain air and the crystal-clear vistas of the rolling coastal plain and the sparkling Pacific Ocean.
Today Montville is a blend of historic sites, specialist shops and chic cafés and galleries, many with a touch of whimsy. Take a stroll along the main street and you’ll see Tudor, Irish and English cottages, Alpine chalets, a village green and an old mill water-wheel. Discriminating shoppers are bound to find something different at this ‘creative heart of the Sunshine Coast’ - whether it’s an innovatively designed fashion item, a rare antique or a piece of pottery of striking originality. If shopping is not your scene why not pay a visit to Settler’s Rise vineyard and Winery where you can relax on the verandah of a lovely restored Queensland homestead and enjoy the panoramic views of rolling hills and the Sunshine Coast whilst you sample a selection of award-winning wines created exclusively by Master Winemaker, Peter Scudamore-Smith.
There is nowhere better than the Montville eateries for food, whether you fancy traditional or European - it’s all wholesome and delicious.
A Heritage Trail is signposted through the village, and a Senses Trail designed for the visually impaired leads from the Village Hall out around the Razorback Lookout. If you visit at Christmas, you will find the main street is festooned with lights, enhancing the intimacy of the village nights. Montville is the perfect base for exploring this scenic mountain country and the nearby townships of Eudlo, Palmwoods, and Woombye. Choose from well-appointed motel suites, cosy guest-houses and luxury private cabins. Above Eudlo, there is even a meditation retreat, Chenrezig, with a resident Tibetan lama for the spiritually minded.
Flaxton
This tranquil hamlet, spectacularly sited high on the escarpment, has many fine examples of early Queenslanders - finely crafted timber houses with iron roofs, tongueand-groove walls, spacious verandahs and decorative timberwork. There is also a winery and wedding centre, with extensive coastal views, a French restaurant and delicatessen, a resident potter and a café. No trip to the area would be complete without a short detour to Kondalilla National Park. Here you can picnic at the entrance and take a rainforest walk to the spectacular waterfalls. The rock pool at the head of the falls is a great place to cool off on a summer day.
Mapleton
At the northernmost point of the Blackall Range, Mapleton has sweeping views of the rich farmland of the coastal plain with the ocean beyond, and is renowned for its scenic beauty. This village, which was settled in 1888, is backed by forest. It is a setting-off point for Mapleton Falls National Park and Mapleton Forest Reserve, both of which are home to a range of interesting and in some cases rare flora and fauna. Look for the mighty bunya pines rising above the canopy.
Mapleton’s famous Lilyponds Park, which opened in 1988, has picnic facilities, a caravan park, a children’s playground and an abundance of waterbirds. Connoisseurs of the venerable Australian art of yarn-spinning are drawn to the famous Mapleton Yarn Festival at the Mapleton Tavern. The tavern provides cool refreshment, and has retained many of the features of its original Federation architecture. Its wide verandahs offer spectacular views to the coast. If Mapleton’s charms make you long to stay, there’s accommodation available that will suit you. ?
for more
information contact:
Maleny Hinterland VIC
787 Landsborough-Maleny Rd, Maleny
P (07) 5499 9788
E tourist.info@caloundratourism.com.au
W www.caloundratourism.com.au
Maleny Information Centre
Maple St, Maleny
P (07) 5499 9033
W www.tourmaleny.com.au
Montville Information Centre
Main St, Montville
P (07) 5478 5544 or 1800 882 032
E admin@maroochytourism.com
W www.montvillevillage.com.au
