Maleny Accommodation

Tour 23 is how this twisting and often awe-inspiring road is marked on a map.  And if you look closely the Blackall Range Tourist Drive starts from the historical township of Landsborough and ending in the foothills near Nambour.  Each point of interest and quaint township is marked as a single dot.

But a road map doesn’t give readers much of a guide to this spectacular drive in the Sunshine Coast hinterland even though every landmark is marked and named.  There is so much to see and do that it would take a day to travel the entire route and stop at every small shop and lookout.  

But as with any journey it is always best to start from the beginning.

From Landsborough towards Maleny the road takes the tourist past Mt Mellum.  This hill greets the tourist and markers the southern end of the Blackall Ranges.  The road continues up and passes around Bald Knob, so named because of the distinct lack of trees and steep topography.

Bald Knob is a popular launch for hand gliders and if conditions are right a tourist will be lucky enough to capture a glimpse of a few launching from the western slopes.   

The road continues to Mary Cairncross Park where people can see clear views of the Glass House Mountains and take a rainforest walk, before continuing into Maleny.

The road then double backs to Montville on the eastern edge of the Blackall Range where people can stop at one of the lookouts and view over Landsborough and Mooloolah to Caloundra in the south to Noosa in the north and onto the Pacific Ocean.  This view accompanies the tourist as they make their way through the townships of Montville, Mapleton and Flaxton.  

Each township has its own unique charm but it is Montville with the most to offer the energetic tourist looking for something to buy to remember the trip.  There are many places to get a feed from a pub meal to traditional Italian.

The road finally drops down to end at Nambour.  This road to Nambour is steep and not as well maintained as the road from Landsborough, but it’s still a worthwhile part of the Blackall Range Tourist Drive.