I’m not sure whether it’s the bookstores, the photo gallery, the cafe’s, the fabulous cheese range at Maleny Food Co, or the organic-y, new age-y places, but Maleny is probably my favourite town to visit in the Hinterland. Perhaps it’s just the general vibe of the place.
I’ll let the photos tell the story.
Located between Mooloolaba and Maroochydore, Alex (as the locals call it) is a long sweeping stretch of sand with great surf and fabulous views up to Old Woman Island of Mudjimba and, further up, Mount Coolum.
Popular with surfers – especially around the Headland at at the northern end of the beach – there’s also good swimming for families in the patrolled section near the surf club.
Alex lies at the midway point on the Mooloolaba to Cotton Tree coastal path, and is a great spot to grab a coffee and get some Vitamin Sea.
Anyways, no more words, just check out the pics…
Hear the serenity, check out the view. This is Witta.
Located just nine kilometres outside of Maleny on the Hinterland road to Kenilworth, Witta is well worth a stop.
Check out the General Store – which also happens to be the only store – and stay for a cuppa or a meal…the view is fab.
Better yet, time your visit for the Witta Farmer’s Market – or the Blackall Range Grower’s Market – held on the third Saturday of every month. You can follow them on Facebook here.
This is arguably Maleny’s most photographed paddock – it’s also probably it’s most generous.
One Tree Hill, with its iconic single tree and magic views over the Glasshouse Mountains, is a favourite with wedding photographers. Before you go tearing up there though, this is private property and a working farm. I took the pic above from outside the fence on a weekday when the traffic was sparse.
The Woods family first came to this gorgeous spot in 1917 and have been generously sharing the view with others for the last 20 or so years – but you must request permission before entering the property.
Between 308 & 349 Mountain View Road, Maleny. If visiting Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve drive further down Mountain View Road southwards. You’ll see One Tree Hill on your left. Note: you can’t park on that side of the road.
If you want to use the spot for photography, you need to make a booking ahead of time and make a small donation of $50. Every single cent goes to local community charities such as The Men’s Shed, the Maleny Historical Society, Busy Needles, Maleny Senior Citizens, the Naval Cadets and the Maleny Show Society.
Mrs Woods – 07 5494 2115 (One Tree Hill) – Mountain View Road, Maleny
Apparently Captain Cook, on his trip up the coast way back when, thought these mountains looked like the glass furnaces from back home in Yorkshire. Aye.
Now, I’ve never seen one of these glass furnaces for myself – although I have been to Yorkshire – so I’m just going to have to take Captain Jim’s word for that. The mountains, rising straight up from the ground, are, however, magnificent – and the best place to see them (without climbing one) is from Glasshouse Mountains Lookout on the Glasshouse – Woodford Rd. Here’s a link to the map.
Aside from being a great place to view the mountains from, there’s also a bushwalking track, picnic areas, gas barbecues, and (long drop) toilet facilities.
Anyways, I’ll let the pics say the rest.
Most mornings – and at least a couple of afternoons a week – I walk around to the end of the rock wall at Mooloolaba. It’s a great walk – with one teeny weeny issue: you don’t really see the sunrise from here. Pt Cartwright is the place for that. I’ve heard it said that it’s the best place for the sunrise on the coast…I’ll test that theory some day.
It’s also the place for some incredible views. From up here, you can see in all directions. Straight down the coast to Caloundra…
in the other direction, up the coast across to Mooloolaba and as far as Mt Coolum. That little lump on the horizon in the pic below is Mt Coolum.
This headland point is also a good spot to watch the whales as they migrate north (and south) each year. Whale migration season is between June – October each year.
Of course, there’s a lighthouse – which I didn’t take a picture of because it’s one of those modern lighthouses that really is nothing to look at.
The story of it is interesting though – if you’re into lighthouse history, that is. From the late 1800s, the Caloundra Lighthouse was the beacon that guided sailors safely down the coast. By the time they got to Caloundra, they knew that the port of Brisbane wasn’t that far away. The problem was that as Caloundra grew from a fishing town into a tourist town and high rises started to be built, the light from the Caloundra Lighthouse was competing with a lot of other lights for prominence. In 1978 a new lighthouse was built at Point Cartwright. An automated light, it’s never been manned.
Another thing to check out up here is the mural on the water reservoir.
It features the type of sea life that migrates through here – or that can be seen in the skies above and the waters below. From the rock wall at Mooloolaba it looks like a blue blob, but up close, it’s fabulous.
Getting there
We parked at La Balsa Park, Buddina, and walked around to the Headland, climbing the short track to the lighthouse. This path follows the Mooloolah River and looks across to fisheries at Mooloolaba and then the rock wall. In the shallows we watched an eagle (or was it a kite? I’ve never been great at the technicalities) washing, his partner flying back and forward to check on him.
From here you round the point to the Headland Beach. Again the views are fabulous, but it also feels as though you have the whole place to yourself – especially on a Friday afternoon in June.
From the beach, you head through the pandanus, past the picnic area, to a fork in the path. One way is paved, the other is little bush track. Both lead you (after a short climb – about 100m or so) to the Lighthouse.
If you don’t feel like walking, there’s a carpark at the end of Pacific Boulevard.
Dog-friendly?
Yes. Check out the signs for when (and where) you can have your pooch off the leash…and don’t forget to take a plastic bag with you to pick up after them.
Difficulty and accessibility?
Easy. This little walk is flat and paved the whole way – with exception of the last 100m or so to the Lighthouse – it’s paved, but not flat.
There are plenty of places to sit and check out the view – both along the path and up at the Lighthouse.
I’ve been bookmarking pictures of Buderim Falls (or “Serenity Falls”) since before we moved to the Coast. The pictures on Instagram showed a lush rainforest with a relatively short (hello, I’ve seen the size of those falls in New Zealand…just saying) waterfall into a beautifully lit turquoise swimming hole. Of course, I was keen to go!
There are two entry points to Buderim Forest Park – and two ways to get to the falls:
The lower entry is at Lindsay Road near Harry’s Restaurant. The track from here takes approximately an hour return – longer with stops. It’s boardwalk for approx 600m and then bush track. Apparently, the track gets a tad “rugged” and the website says it’s not great for those with “walking difficulties or a low level of fitness.” I’ll try that way next time. There’s apparently barbecues and picnic facilities here.
I went with the entry closest to our house – the one at the base of Quorn Place. There ’s a good amount of parking here and well-maintained barbecues and picnic tables for when you’ve finished the circuit.
The circuit track itself is quite short – less than a kilometre return. It begins with a relatively steep downward bush trail. My knees aren’t great – and I’m petrified of being the big fat lady falling down the hill, so I took it quite slowly and it was absolutely fine.
About 100m down there’s a fork in the park. I took the option of heading through the open forest so went to the right, crossing a short bridge and walking through the edge of the forest. With the sound of the trees, the birds and the tinkling of the water below, it’s just beautiful in here. It’s also hard to believe that we’re pretty much in the middle of Buderim.
From here there’s another short and steep-ish downhill scramble to the bridge above the falls. The bridge was built offsite and lowered into place by a hovering helicopter. #funfact
You can walk down into the swimming hole and around behind the waterfall, but when I was there, there was a proper photographer with a proper kit set up down there – and ruining my photo (see the main shot below).
The falls themselves weren’t at full flow today – we haven’t had rain in a long time – but it’s still beautifully serene down there…get it? Serenity falls? Oh, never mind…
After a short piece of boardwalk, it’s all uphill from here to get back to the carpark. But it’s do-able, it’s only 300m (or so), and there’s a viewing platform part of the way up that you can catch your breath at.
Accessibility
The path from Quorn Close is not accessible for prams or wheelchairs.
Dog-friendly?
Sorry, no, not this one. There are no dogs allowed in the forest park.
Toilets
Yes, at the entrance.
How hard is it?
It is quite steep downhill to start – which means it’s quite steep to come back up. You step down from rock to rock – so it can be very slippery after rain. The path itself is in pretty good condition. The steep parts are over and done with quickly and the distance is short so anyone with moderate fitness can do this one. Just take care after storms when there can be debris over the path as well. Don’t try this in thongs/ jandals/ flip-flops
Can you swim in the swimming hole?
People do – I’ve seen the evidence on Instagram. The creek passes through suburbia and some stormwater drains to reach the falls, so…well, I’ll leave that to you.
Want to know more?
Check out this page.
Sunshine Coasting 