Sunshine Coast hinterland day trip: Montville and Maleny

A Sunshine Coast hinterland day trip can link Maleny, Montville and Mapleton in one loop along the Blackall Range. From Landsborough, climb to Maleny on the road signed as Blackall Range Tourist Drive 23. Then cross to Montville, follow Flaxton Drive north to Mapleton, and follow the signs to the Bruce Highway. Plan a full day.

Visit Sunshine Coast's hinterland page puts Brisbane Airport at just over an hour's drive and Sunshine Coast Airport at 45 minutes. Settlement in all three towns goes back well over a century. Maleny's first land was selected in 1878, Montville was first settled in 1887, and Mapleton, then called Luton, got a postal receiving office in 1892.

Sources for this section: Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, Kondalilla National Park; Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve, How to find us and history; Hinterland Tourism, day trip; Visit Sunshine Coast, hinterland travel and Montville; Queensland Places, Mapleton.

Mary Cairncross and Maleny

Start with Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve, a 55 hectare patch of rainforest at 148 Mountain View Road. The main track is open from 7 am to 6 pm every day, and the reserve appreciates a gold coin donation. A 2014 walks page on the Maleny, Queensland website puts the turn onto Mountain View Road about 5 km east of Maleny. It lists 30 to 60 minutes for a 1.7 km loop. The reserve looks out over the Glass House Mountains.

Building work has started. The reserve's website says the cafe is closed, so bring a picnic. A mobile coffee van will serve drinks at the front of the reserve during construction. The walks, the viewing area, the picnic areas and the toilets stay open, with any changes to access shown by signs.

Maleny is dairy country with views of the Glass House Mountains, and life centres on Maple Street. The Maleny art, craft and collectables market runs every Sunday from 8 am to 2 pm in the RSL Hall on Bunya Street, opposite the Maleny Hotel. It is undercover. The Maleny Information Centre, in the community centre on Maple Street, is open 10 am to 3 pm.

Sources for this section: Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve, home page, trail map, cafe and How to find us; Maleny, Queensland, Walks; Hinterland Tourism, upgrade begins and information centres; Maleny Markets, home page; Visit Sunshine Coast, Maleny.

Montville

Montville is a shopping village of galleries, cafes and gift shops along a shady street, with views down to the coast. From Maleny, stay on the Landsborough-Maleny Road, then turn left onto the Maleny-Montville Road.

The Hinterland Tourism map puts Russell Family Park in the middle of the village. It lists spring-fed lagoons, walking paths, gas barbecues, picnic shelters and a playground. It says to enter by the main street public car park behind the information kiosk.

The Montville Village Association's market page, posted in 2013, says the Growers and Makers Market began in July 2009. It says the market runs on the second Saturday morning of each month in and around the Village Hall.

Sources for this section: Visit Sunshine Coast, Montville; Hinterland Tourism, day trip and Blackall Range map; Montville Village Association, markets.

Kondalilla, Mapleton and Mapleton Falls

Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) lists short walks in several national parks on this stretch, including Kondalilla and Mapleton Falls. Kondalilla Falls Road turns off Flaxton Drive about 2.6 km north of Montville, and the car park is 700 m down it. A 50 m downhill walk with stairs leads to the picnic area. Allow 45 minutes to 1 hour for the 1.7 km Picnic Creek circuit. Allow 2 to 3 hours for the 4.7 km Kondalilla Falls circuit, which has over 100 stairs. The park has no drinking water, so bring your own.

Mapleton is a small village with ocean views on one side and rainforest on the other. It is about 6.3 km north of the Kondalilla turn, or about 9 km from Montville by our sum. From Mapleton, take Obi Obi Road for 3 km to the signposted turn to Mapleton Falls National Park. The lookout beside the car park is a 50 m return walk, and its paths suit wheelchairs and strollers. Allow 45 minutes for the Wompoo circuit, which is 1.3 km return.

A Hinterland Tourism article said the Mapleton Falls lookout had been closed for about a year. It blamed damage from heavy rain during ex-Tropical Cyclone Marcia in February 2015, and said repairs were due to start in early March. QPWS listed the lookout as closed in March 2016 and showed no alerts for the park on 25 October 2016.

Sources for this section: QPWS, Kondalilla, Mapleton Falls in October and Mapleton Falls in March; Visit Sunshine Coast, Mapleton; Hinterland Tourism, waterfall repairs.

Glass House Mountains lookouts

If you drive up from Brisbane, QPWS and the Mary Cairncross reserve both send you along the Steve Irwin Way (Tourist Drive 24) to Landsborough. QPWS lists several lookouts in the Glass House Mountains area. The Glass House Mountains lookout, in Beerburrum West State Forest, is about 10 km from the Glass House Mountains township. It has views over all the mountains. The track is 800 m return, and QPWS says to allow 45 minutes. At Mount Tibrogargan, an 800 m walk one way reaches the Mountain View lookout in about 10 minutes. The Glass House Mountains Visitor and Interpretive Centre is open daily 9 am to 4 pm.

Sources for this section: QPWS, Beerburrum and Beerwah State Forests, Glass House Mountains and Kondalilla; Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve, How to find us.

Timing and parking tips

• Start early. QPWS says to walk in daylight only. By our sum, the Mary Cairncross loop, Picnic Creek circuit, Mapleton Falls lookout and Wompoo circuit add up to 2 to 3 hours of walking.
• Check park alerts first. QPWS says some tracks flood and close in severe wet weather, mostly in spring and summer.
• Markets: Maleny's is every Sunday. The Montville Village Association says Montville's is on the second Saturday morning of the month, so you cannot do both in one day.
• Mary Cairncross: building works bring minor changes to parking and vehicle movement, shown by signs.
• Montville: the main street public car park behind the information kiosk leads into Russell Family Park.
• Mapleton Falls: the lookout and toilets are beside the car park.
• Valuables: the Hinterland Tourism map asks you to take them out of the car, to reduce the risk of theft.

Sources for this section: QPWS, Kondalilla and Mapleton Falls; Maleny, Queensland, Walks; Sunshine Coast Council, building renewal; Hinterland Tourism, upgrade begins and Blackall Range map; Montville Village Association, markets; Maleny Markets, home page.