Maleny Accommodation

It can be a challenge to find that elusive “getaway” in the Sunshine Coast’s hinterland.  Every weekend tourists invade the townships of Maleny, Montville and Mapleton.

The line of traffic winds its way slowly up the Blackall Ranges in the pursuit of some fresh air, and open countryside.

But there are opportunities to find some solitude and peace off the beaten track.

The area around Mapleton is a good place to start, particularly Mapleton Falls National Park.

The parks entrance is about 11 kilometres west of Mapleton so is not in the way of the main tourist route to Montville.

As the name suggests the highlight is the Mapleton Falls.  There is a viewing platform near the waterfall, and walking tracks that take visitors through some of the best open eucalypt forest in the area.

Walking through this part of the region and you get a fair idea of what the area was like before the tourists, before the farmers, and before the area was stripped for its timber.

On the ridges is open forest while in the valley below, where the waterfall empties, is the thick canopy of rainforest trees.

The walking tracks are easy to access and are opened all year round.  So next time you are near Mapleton turn off the tourist road and look what the forest has to offer.