A heritage village on the Blackall Range, five hundred metres above the Sunshine Coast — Tudor-style architecture from the early nineteen hundreds, thirty boutique shops and galleries along one storied high street, the Glass House Mountains spread out below Howard's Lookout, and the smell of hand-made fudge in the air. Cooee runs three packages: half-day Main Street and lookout from the Sunshine Coast ($79pp), full-day Montville plus Mary Cairncross and Maleny ($129pp), or full-day from Brisbane CBD with a complete hinterland circuit ($169pp). Operated under our Cooee Shopping thread in partnership with Sunshine Coast Bus Lines (SCBL).
Montville is one of those places that feels older than its years. Settled in the late 1880s by selectors who came up the Blackall Range from the coast, the village still wears its Tudor-style heritage architecture from the early 1900s — beam-and-render facades, leaded glass, mock-Tudor frontages standing side by side along a single storied high street. At five hundred metres above sea level, the air is cooler, the views southward to the Glass House Mountains are immense, and the working economy is the kind that's almost vanished elsewhere in Queensland: independent artists, fudge-makers, antique dealers, gallerists, and bakers running businesses they own outright.
Around thirty shops line Main Street. Some are working since the 1970s — the original Montville Bakery is essential, the Montville Clock Company is its own museum, the half-dozen art galleries between them stock the work of around eighty hinterland artists at any one time. Howard's Lookout, at the southern end of the village, offers the postcard view: the volcanic peaks of Mt Beerwah, Mt Tibrogargan, and Mt Coonowrin rising from the coastal plain twenty kilometres south, with the Sunshine Coast strip of beach and ocean stretching to the horizon. Three kilometres west, the Kondalilla Falls drop ninety metres through subtropical rainforest. Ten minutes south, the sister village of Maleny.
Cooee Tours' Montville Day Tour comes in three flavours. The half-day from a Sunshine Coast pickup is built around Main Street browsing and Howard's Lookout — enough time to wander the galleries, buy fudge, photograph the panorama, and grab a coffee or pastry from the bakery. The full-day from Sunshine Coast adds Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve (a fifty-five hectare rainforest reserve with a wheelchair-accessible boardwalk) and Maleny village's Maple Street. The full-day from Brisbane CBD extends to a complete hinterland day: Glass House Mountains lookout, Maleny cheese factory, Mary Cairncross, then Montville as the panoramic finale.
An honest framing. Montville sits 45 minutes west of Mooloolaba and 90 minutes north of Brisbane via the Bruce Highway and the Blackall Range Tourist Drive. Cooee Tours is Brisbane-based since 1974; our partner brand Sunshine Coast Bus Lines (SCBL) is based at Kunda Park — a 30-minute drive from Montville. For this tour SCBL provides the coaches and drivers; Cooee designs the tour content, the guide commentary, and is your single point of contact for booking and customer service. Both brands operate to professional safety standards under Waggie Group governance. Family-owned. Montville sits on Jinibara Country, with views from Howard's Lookout extending to Kabi Kabi (Gubbi Gubbi) coastal country.
Mock-Tudor architecture from the early 1900s lines a single storied high street. Around 30 boutique shops, galleries, antique stores, the original Montville Bakery, and the Montville Clock Company museum. Flat, paved, easily walkable.
Panoramic Glass House Mountains and Sunshine Coast coastline view from the south end of the village. The volcanic peaks of Mt Beerwah (556m), Mt Tibrogargan, and Mt Coonowrin rise from the plain. Wheelchair-accessible from the upper carpark.
Montville's six main galleries between them stock the work of around 80 hinterland artists — original paintings, pottery, glasswork, textile art, jewellery, and sculpture. Australian-made, locally-sold, no commissioned tourist art.
Two fudge specialists on Main Street — both making the product on-site, both happy for you to watch the slabs being cut. Plus a chocolate maker, a lolly shop with traditional confectionery, and the Montville Bakery for fresh sourdough, pies, and Devonshire teas.
At 500m above sea level, Montville is consistently 4-6°C cooler than the Sunshine Coast. Crisp in winter (May-September; bring a light jacket), pleasantly mild in summer (December-February). Excellent escape from the coastal heat.
Main Street is flat and paved. Howard's Lookout has accessible viewing from the upper carpark. Mary Cairncross Reserve has a 240m wheelchair-accessible boardwalk. Cooee/SCBL coaches available with wheelchair access on request.
Three packages, three timelines. Pick the one that suits your base and your pace — focused Main Street half-day from the Sunshine Coast, hinterland-extended full day from the Sunshine Coast, or complete hinterland circuit from Brisbane CBD.
All packages available daily (subject to coach availability). Max 12 guests per coach. Child pricing applies for ages 3-15; under 3 free on a parent's lap. Family discounts available — email for a quote.
Private group tours and corporate bookings available — email for tailored quote. 13-49 seater coach options. Custom hinterland itineraries combining Montville with Eumundi Markets (Wed/Sat), winery visits, or special-occasion dining available on request.
A few of the shops and galleries our guides quietly recommend on Montville's Main Street — fresh as of 2026, subject to changes. Bring cash AND card; most take card but a few smaller artisans are cash-only.
Two competing fudge shops on Main Street, both making product on-site daily. Watch the slabs being cut on the marble slab. Salted caramel and Belgian chocolate are the perennial winners; the rum-and-raisin and white-chocolate-macadamia are local favourites. Budget $15-30 for a sampler box.
Six main galleries between them stock around 80 hinterland artists' work — oil paintings of the Glass House Mountains, ceramics from local potters, glass art, photography of the Blackall Range. Original work in the $80-$2,500 range. Ask for an artist's card if you want to commission later.
The Montville Clock Company is half-shop, half-museum — wall and mantle clocks from across two centuries, all functional and for sale. Adjacent antique stores stock vintage Australiana, glassware, art deco lighting, and the occasional rare book. Eclectic, unhurried, browse-friendly.
The Montville Bakery (since the 1970s) does sourdough loaves, gourmet pies, Devonshire teas with house-made scones, and excellent coffee. Several other Main Street cafes offer light lunches with views over the village. The Edge restaurant (book ahead for full-day packages) does fine dining with hinterland produce.
"The half-day Montville package was exactly what we wanted — pickup at our Mooloolaba accommodation at 9, on Main Street by 10, walking the village at our own pace till lunch. The guide knew the gallery owners by name and made introductions. Came home with a small painting and a tin of salted caramel fudge."
"We did the full-day Montville-Mary Cairncross-Maleny combo with my elderly parents and it was perfect. Wheelchair-accessible coach, easy lookouts, gentle walking pace at Mary Cairncross. The cheese factory in Maleny was a hit. We saw the whole hinterland without anyone getting tired or rushed."
"Brisbane-based and wanted a hinterland day without the drive. Cooee picked us up at 7, had us at the Glass House Mountains lookout for the early light, Maleny for morning tea, Mary Cairncross before lunch, and Montville for an afternoon at Howard's Lookout. Ten hours felt like five. Best regional day trip we've done."
Our fortnightly Cooee Local column publishes insider tips on the best galleries opening in Montville, hidden hinterland walking trails, the latest fudge flavours, seasonal events at Maleny and Mary Cairncross, and the smaller local stories worth catching. Written by our Sunshine Coast guides, for travellers who want the inside line.
Read Cooee Local →Our guides pick the six Main Street galleries currently showing the most rewarding work — plus what's new at the Clock Company museum.
Read article →Montville (population ~1,000) sits on the Blackall Range — a 50-kilometre subtropical rainforest ridge running parallel to the Sunshine Coast, rising from the coastal plain to a peak elevation of around 500 metres. The range was selected by European settlers from the late 1880s onwards, primarily for timber and dairy, and the village of Montville was officially gazetted in 1887. The Tudor-style architecture along Main Street dates from the early 1900s tourism boom.
The range is the heart of the Sunshine Coast Hinterland and home to four interconnected attractions: Montville (heritage village + Howard's Lookout), Maleny (10 min south, cheese, gardens, Maple Street), Mary Cairncross Reserve (10 min south, 55ha rainforest), and Kondalilla Falls (3km west, 90m waterfall in National Park). The whole range falls within Jinibara Country, with views from Montville extending to Kabi Kabi (Gubbi Gubbi) coastal country and the Glass House Mountains.
Acknowledgement of Country. Cooee Tours acknowledges the Jinibara people as the traditional custodians of the Blackall Range hinterland and the Glass House Mountains region, and the Kabi Kabi (Gubbi Gubbi) people of the neighbouring coastal country. We pay our respects to Elders past, present, and emerging, and acknowledge their continuing connection to country, waters, and culture. We acknowledge the Tibrogargan Dreaming as a living cultural narrative held by the Jinibara and reference it with respect.
