The Sunshine Coast hinterland is located less than a 90-minute drive from Brisbane and is a perfect spot for those who wish to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
Maleny and Montville both make a perfect retreat where you can spend an intimate weekend exploring local towns, visiting close-by natural wonders and wining and dining yourselves silly on local produce.
We were recently lucky enough to spend 3 nights in Montville and had an absolutely wonderful time. Here is what we got up to:
Day One
Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve
Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve comprises 55 hectares of subtropical rainforest overlooking the Glass House Mountains. The reserve is a remnant rainforest. This means it has never been completely logged. Although trees such as red cedar, white beech and bunya pine were selectively harvested in the late 19th century, many of the trees you will see are hundreds of years old.
There is a fantastic visitors centre on-site, with friendly volunteers who are happy to tell you about all the great things you can get up to, plus a cafe, a playground and plenty of beautiful spots to enjoy a picnic. There are a couple of different walks through the rainforest that you can do and all are fairly flat, on wide paths with minimal steps, so almost everyone will be able to enjoy it. If you are lucky, you will spot the resident Pademelons - they are super cute!
Please remember to make a gold coin donation when you visit, as this money goes towards maintaining the facilities, flora and fauna conservation efforts and making sure this place continues to exist for future generations to enjoy.
Check out the Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve here: https://mary-cairncross.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au/
Brouhaha Brewery & Restaurant
Brouhaha Brewery was established in June 2016 by four Sunshine Coast locals. What started off as a small regional brewpub has grown into a must-visit spot when you are in Maleny. We came here for lunch and thoroughly enjoyed everything we had. All of the food is sourced locally, so you know that you are supporting local farmers when you are eating here. We are not really into beers, so didn't try the tasting paddles on offer but the people who did looked like they were enjoying them.
It was a Friday lunchtime when we visited and the place was absolutely packed, and people without bookings were being turned away. You will need to book ahead to make sure you can visit when you want, but it is absolutely worth the effort!
Check out Brouhaha Brewery here: http://brouhahabrewery.com.au/
Maleny Chocolate Company Factory Outlet
Just around the corner from Brouhaha, you will find the Maleny Chocolate Company Factory Outlet store. All of their chocolate is made fresh on-site using Belgian chocolate couverture and definitely does not have any fake compound chocolate, preservatives or artificial flavours in it.
There is a huge variety of chocolates for sale and we thoroughly enjoyed everything we tried! My favourite was the milk chocolate freckles and Noel's favourite was the dark coconut rough. We enjoyed them so much, we made a second stop here before we went home.
Pro tip: They sometimes run chocolate making workshops, so If you want to get your hands messy and see for yourself how chocolate should be made check out the website for dates and times. Don't forget to make me some if you do take the class!
Check out Maleny Chocolate Factory here: https://malenychocolate.co/
Maleny Cheese
The Maleny cheese factory is an absolute institution and a must-visit spot while you are in the region (unless you are lactose intolerant I guess). I got a bit excited to be back here and forgot to take photos!
Maleny Cheese offers award-winning, handcrafted cheese and yoghurt from the pure local milk of the Sunshine Coast hinterland and is a genuine farm to plate experience. This is pure dairy with no artificial additives, made by honouring slow food principles and the traditions of artisan cheesemaking. You can definitely taste the difference in their cheeses and I am absolutely hooked on it!
All of the cheeses are delicious, but my favourites are the Vintage and The Smokey cheddars (hint hint).
check out Maleny Cheese here: https://www.malenycheese.com.au/
Narrows Escape Rainforest Retreat
Our accommodation for the weekend was at the Narrows Escape Rainforest Retreat. This place has recently recently been voted the number 1 most romantic hotel in the world on TripAdvisor, so we had some pretty high expectations and we weren't disappointed at all!
The retreat is a boutique hotel, with only 6 adults-only pavillions on-site run by husband and wife team Ali & Xochi. Both Ali & Xochi were in the reception area when we arrived and warmly welcomed us to their little slice of paradise. After a seamless check-in, Ali showed us up to our Pavillion and told us everything we needed to know to enjoy a great stay.
Even though I had seen several pictures of the rooms online, it was still better than I had imagined it would be. The hotel provided us with a delicious breakfast hamper, including fresh eggs from their chickens and yoghurt from Maleny Dairies. They also deliver freshly baked croissants to you each morning. They were so delicious!
Ali & Xochi have thought of every little detail you need to enjoy a romantic and luxurious weekend away, so if you have a special occasion coming up and are looking for a great place to stay, then I can't recommend this place any more highly to you.
It got pretty chilly but between the air conditioning, the fireplace and our matching Oodies, we managed to stay toasty warm. Honestly, do yourself a favour and stay here when you are visiting this region - you won't be disappointed!
Check out Narrows Escape Rainforest Retreat here: https://www.narrowsescape.com.au/
Day Two
Eumundi Markets
No pics oops!
A lot of places seem to claim that their market is the best and a lot of them turn out to be quite disappointing, but not the Eumundi markets! These markets really lived up to their reputation of being Australia's premier artisan market. I had a great time here and forgot to take pictures, so you'll just have to trust me and come and check them out for yourself.
Eumundi is located about a 40-minute drive North of where we were staying in Montville. The markets are only open on Wednesdays and Saturdays, so you will need to plan your stay around these times if you are keen to visit.
I bought seven pairs of the most adorable earrings from a local girl and have been wearing them proudly since. We also bought lots of fresh, local food and drinks.
Pro tip: Find the fudge stand and try their Coconut Ice
Check out Eumundi Markets here: http://www.eumundimarkets.com.au/
The Ginger Factory
On our way back from the markets, we popped into The Ginger Factory at Yandina, as we had a 2 for 1 voucher for a pass that included both a boat and train ride for a grand total of $20. We didn't really know what to expect but thought it would be worth a look as we were passing through.
The Ginger Factory, as you might imagine, is based around the Buderim Ginger Factory and you can join a tour to explore it if that is your kind of thing. They also run a beekeeping show/tour. The other attractions here are the steam train ride that takes you around the grounds and the boat tour, which is a shoestring budget, gingerbread man themed version of the "It's a Small World" ride at Disneyland and an absolute hoot - I haven't laughed so hard in a long, long time. We got some lunch here, it was a bit better than standard theme park food, but not by much. If you are going to be leaving or coming here around lunchtime, I would suggest you eat at Ricks Diner in Palmwoods, as their food is great and it's not too far away.
The Ginger Factory is open 7 days a week and entry to the grounds if free (you only pay for the rides/tours). It was a fun place to spend a couple of hours, but if you have other things you want to do I would suggest you prioritise these, as you won't miss too much by not visiting this place.
Check out The Ginger Factory here: https://www.gingerfactory.com.au/
Nutworks
Just across the road from the Ginger factory, you will find Nutworks. These guys make a wide variety of flavoured nuts. We tried a few and the honey macadamias were the clear standout. Make sure you take time to pop in if you are in the area. The Macadamia ice cream was also delicious!
check out Nutworks here: http://www.nutworks.com.au/
Flame Hill Vineyard
On our way back to our hotel, we popped into the Flame Hill Vineyard. This place has a fantastic view, and a terrace and a restaurant that looks out over it. They don't do sweet wine, so I wasn't a fan but Noel really enjoyed their barrel port and bought himself a 2-litre bottle of it.
There are a bunch of wineries in the region, so you could easily make a day of exploring them all or even better, join a tour group so you get a designated driver and a friendly local to pick out all the best ones for you.
Check out Flame Hill Vineyard here: http://www.flamehill.com.au/
BBQ Hamper
Dinner tonight was a BBQ hamper, that was included as part of our package at the Narrows Escape. We got marinated chicken, sausages, freshly-baked Turkish bread, baked potatoes, salad and a delicious dessert. The Narrows Escape offers a menu of lunches and dinners that can be pre-ordered and delivered to your Pavillion, so you don't need to leave all weekend if you would prefer!
Day Three
Maleny Botanic Gardens & Bird World
The Maleny Botanic Gardens and Bird World is a great place to visit and somewhere you should definitely aim to see while you are in the region. We managed to get absolutely perfect weather for our visit and the views out across the Glasshouse Mountains were stunning.
The gardens are located on a very hilly cliffside, so unless you are super fit and/or enjoy hauling your ass up steep hills, then I would recommend hiring one of their golf buggies to get around to all the different gardens and really enjoy your visit. Noel loved driving the golf buggy around so much, he has decided that he needs to find an excuse to buy one at some time in the not too distant future.
After we had explored the gardens, we booked in for the aviary tour. There are so many beautiful and friendly birds that call this aviary home and the tour is very interactive. There is a very good chance that at some point during your tour a friendly birdy will fly down and take up residence on your shoulder. I made friends with a one-legged black cockatoo that chilled out on my shoulder for about 20 minutes.
Make sure you remember to look where you are walking so you don't injure a little feathered friend. If you have little kids, make a judgement call about how well they can follow these instructions and not freak out if a big bird lands on them. It might be something that needs to wait until they are a bit older. There were definitely some kids on our tour that did not enjoy it and shouldn't have been there.
Pro tip: This place gets pretty busy, especially on weekends and public holidays, so plan to arrive when it opens.
Check out Maleny Botanic Gardens & Bird World here: https://www.malenybotanicgardens.com.au/
Lunch @ Maleny Lane
Maleny Lane is the Sunshine Coast Hinterlands answer to Eat Street and another must-do while you are here. There were a number of food outlets selling different kinds of cuisine and a small stage with a musician. It was really chilled out and lovely and we enjoyed some delicious Momos and Malaysian chicken sticks.
Pro tip: The food outlets sell out, so plan on having an early lunch/dinner here to make sure you get the full selection of what's available.
Check out Maleny Lane here; https://www.facebook.com/MalenyLane/
Dinner @ Wild Rocket
After a chilled out afternoon back at our villa, we headed into Montville for dinner at Wild Rocket. Everything here was delicious and the service was very friendly. I really enjoyed the Beetroot risotto and Noel enjoyed his Vindaloo (it wasn't too spicy).
Check out Wild Rocket here: https://wildrocketfood.com.au/index.php
Day Four
After a leisurely sleep in, we headed home to our little furry friends Bettie & George. We are already planning a return visit to the Narrows Escape we enjoyed it so much.
Winter is the perfect time to enjoy a weekend escape to the Sunshine Coast Hinterland. If you decide to check it out, please let me know what you get up to so we can add it to our list for our next visit.
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