Montville and Maleny sit on the Blackall Range, the volcanic escarpment that forms the Sunshine Coast's green western skyline. They're only about 15 kilometres apart by road, but each has its own character — Montville is the polished, tourist-oriented village with heritage-style architecture and a concentrated run of fudge shops, galleries, and verandah cafés. Maleny is its more community-minded cousin, with a strong dairy-cooperative heritage and a food scene built around organic and farm-direct producers. Together they form the culinary and cultural heart of the Sunshine Coast Hinterland.
Overview
The Blackall Range is the product of ancient volcanic extrusion, reaching a maximum elevation of about 450 metres above sea level. It was named in 1874 after Sir Samuel Blackall, Governor of Queensland from 1864 to 1871. Both villages were settled in the late 1880s as timber-getting communities, then shifted to dairy farming as the cedar and bunya pine forests were cleared. Today the wider range encompasses four main settlements — Maleny, Mapleton, Montville, and Flaxton — connected by the scenic Blackall Range Tourist Drive.
Both Montville and Maleny are standard stops on three of our guided Cooee Tours day trips. Your guide handles the driving (the range road is narrow, steep, and winding — not somewhere you want to navigate from a phone map) and gives you free time at each village to explore the shops, cafés, and producers at your own pace.
Montville
Montville's main street is a compact, walkable strip of about 300 metres. The buildings are a deliberate mix of heritage timber and European-cottage style — an aesthetic that was developed during the village's early tourism boom in the 1980s and 90s. Today the strip is a concentrated run of food shops, galleries, and craft stores.
The Story Behind the Name
Montville was originally called "Razorback" because of the steep ridge it sits on. When Henry Smith opened the village's first shop and Post Office in 1893, he applied to establish a Receiving Office for mail — but his initial name suggestions of "Razorback" and "Vermont" were both rejected as already in use elsewhere. He proposed a third option: Montville, after his hometown in Connecticut, USA. That one was accepted. Montville's population today is 1,092 (2021 census) — small enough to walk end-to-end in 20 minutes, big enough to host more galleries than most regional cities.
What to Do
Fudge and chocolate. Montville's most popular stops are its handmade fudge shops, where you can watch fudge being made in copper kettles and sample a dozen or more flavours. A handful of artisan chocolatiers also operate on the range, some incorporating native Australian ingredients like wattleseed, Davidson plum, and finger lime.
Galleries and studios. The village has an unusually high concentration of art galleries, potters' studios, glassblowing workshops, and independent jewellery makers — more than you'd expect for a town of barely 1,000 people. Most welcome browsers and many feature works for sale that you genuinely won't find anywhere else.
Cafés. Multiple cafés line the main street, many with verandah seating and views east over the hinterland to the Sunshine Coast. Coffee quality is uniformly high; the cooler climate encourages longer sit-down meals. Expect modern Australian menus with hinterland produce — pumpkin soup, ploughman's platters, Devonshire teas in winter.
Kondalilla Falls. The Kondalilla National Park entrance is just a few minutes' drive from the Montville village centre. The 4.7km Kondalilla Falls Circuit descends to the base of the 90-metre falls cascading over Skene Creek (300+ stairs on the return); the easier 1.7km Picnic Creek Circuit stays at the top of the falls. Both are included on our Hinterland & Waterfalls Adventure tour.
Montville feels like a hinterland version of a Cotswolds village — compact, pretty, and designed for slow browsing with a fudge in one hand and a flat white in the other.
Maleny
Maleny has a different feel to Montville — less polished, more lived-in, more community-oriented. The town has a strong cooperative tradition dating back to the dairy industry of the early 1900s (Maleny's first butter factory opened in 1904), and that ethos carries through to today's local food scene. The main street is lined with independent shops, organic cafés, a co-op bookshop, and a few farm-gate producers within easy reach. Population sits at 3,959 (2021 census) — by hinterland standards, this is a proper town.
The Story Behind the Name
The name "Maleny" derives from the village of Malleny in Scotland and was officially adopted in 1890. The first selector took up land here in 1878. Look at the street names — Maple, Myrtle, Bunya, Cedar — and you can read the village's timber-getting heritage. The Bunya pine, in particular, is significant: the Blackall Range is one of only two natural habitats for this ancient tree species. Maleny's wide main street was deliberately built broad enough for ox teams pulling timber wagons to turn around in.
What to Do
Artisan cheese. Maleny's cool-climate dairies produce a range of cheeses from local milk — creamy brie, aged cheddar, washed-rind varieties, and fresh ricotta. Several tasting rooms let you try before you buy, and the producers are happy to explain their methods. This is the region's standout food stop and the headline reason most visitors come up the range.
Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve. A 55-hectare pocket of National Estate-listed subtropical rainforest on the range edge, with a 1.7km boardwalk loop (wheelchair-accessible), a Discovery Centre, and one of the best Glass House Mountains viewpoints on the entire Sunshine Coast. Entry is free. Some of the tree specimens are 400–500 years old. The reserve marks the site of the first European settler's house on the Blackall Range. Your guide typically includes Mary Cairncross on hinterland tours — the combination of ancient rainforest and volcanic peaks is genuinely dramatic.
Local markets. Maleny hosts regular community markets at the showgrounds, smaller and more local than Eumundi and focused on seasonal produce, baked goods, and community stalls. Not included on guided tours, but worth knowing about if you're visiting independently. The Maleny Show Society also runs the Sunshine Coast Hinterland's premier annual Agricultural Show.
Farm gates. Several small farms on the roads around Maleny sell produce at the gate — honey, avocados, macadamias, and seasonal fruit. Your guide can point these out on the drive.
Food & Drink Highlights
Artisan Cheese
Maleny's cool-climate dairies produce rich, complex cheeses from local milk. Brie, aged cheddar, washed-rind, and fresh ricotta — tasting rooms open daily, producers happy to explain their methods.
Handmade Fudge & Chocolate
Montville's fudge shops make it fresh in copper kettles — watch the process, sample freely, pick up gifts. Native-ingredient chocolatiers (wattleseed, Davidson plum) along the strip too.
Hinterland Cafés
Both villages have strong café cultures. Good coffee, seasonal menus, and verandah seating with views east across the range. The cool climate makes lingering easy in any season.
Farm-Gate Produce
Honey, macadamias, avocados, preserves, and seasonal fruit. Maleny's cooperative tradition means many producers sell direct from roadside stalls and farm gates.
Where to Eat — Guide's Picks
Lunch on tour days is at your own expense, which means you can choose based on taste and budget. Your guide recommends the best options, but here's a general overview of how the two villages differ.
| Village | Style | Budget | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montville | Polished cafés, Devonshire teas, ploughman's platters, gallery cafés, native-ingredient menus | $15–$35 | Browsing + a sit-down lunch with hinterland views |
| Maleny | Organic cafés, co-op food, sourdough bakeries, farm-to-table menus, vegan and plant-based options | $12–$30 | Relaxed, local-focused meals with community atmosphere |
Getting There
Montville and Maleny are about 30–40 minutes from the Sunshine Coast by car, or roughly 90 minutes from Brisbane via the Bruce Highway and the Blackall Range Tourist Drive — a scenic road that winds up the volcanic escarpment through rainforest and dairy country. The drive itself is a highlight, but the road is narrow with some tight corners and steep gradients, which is why many visitors prefer a guided tour.
On a Cooee Tours day trip: Your guide collects you from your accommodation (Brisbane or Sunshine Coast, depending on the tour), drives the range road, manages the itinerary, and drops you back at the end of the day. No parking worries, no winding-road stress, and you can have a cheese tasting (or three) without thinking about the drive home.
Self-driving: Allow a full day. The Blackall Range Tourist Drive connects Maleny, Montville, Flaxton, and Mapleton in a scenic loop. Parking in both villages can be tight on weekends — arrive before 10am for the best spots. The drive is sealed but narrow and winding; not recommended for caravans.
Tours That Visit Montville & Maleny
Three of our guided day tours include dedicated village time at Montville and/or Maleny.
Hinterland & Waterfalls Adventure
Maleny, Montville, Kondalilla Falls (90m), Mary Cairncross Reserve, Gardners Falls — the full hinterland experience with village time for cheese, fudge, and cafés.
View tour
Hinterland Waterfalls
Montville and Maleny village stops between waterfall walks — cheese, fudge, and a café break in the hinterland between Kondalilla and Mapleton Falls.
View tour
Sunshine Coast Paradise Tour
Maleny and Montville in the morning, then Noosa Main Beach and Hastings Street in the afternoon — villages and coast in one premium day.
View tourWhat Guests Say
The cheese in Maleny was the best we've had in Australia — our guide knew exactly which producers to visit and which cheeses were seasonal. We bought a whole bag of cheese and fudge to take back to Brisbane.
Sarah & David — Brisbane, QLD
Montville was gorgeous — the main street felt like being in a European village, except with kookaburras. We spent ages in the fudge shops and galleries. The café lunch with views was perfect.
Tom — London, UK
The drive up the range was spectacular. We would never have done it ourselves — the road is narrow and winding — so having a guide who knew it well was ideal. Mary Cairncross with the Glass House Mountains view was unforgettable.
Jenny & Paul — Melbourne, VIC
Frequently Asked Questions
Typically 45–90 minutes in each village, depending on the tour. Your guide gives you free time to explore shops, cafés, and producers at your own pace. If cheese or fudge is a priority, let your guide know at the start and they can adjust.
Lunch is at your own expense on day tours, giving you the freedom to choose from your guide's recommended cafés. Budget $15–$35 per person. Both villages cater well to vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and allergen-aware diets.
Yes — buying is encouraged. Your guide allows time for shopping. Most shops accept card, but smaller farm-gate stalls may be cash-only. Hard cheeses, fudge, honey, macadamias, and preserves all travel well.
Different rather than better. Montville is more polished and tourist-oriented — fudge shops, galleries, heritage architecture, verandah cafés. Maleny is more community-focused with stronger food-producer connections, the Maleny Co-op, and organic cafés. All three of our hinterland tours visit both, so you don't need to choose.
Montville sits at about 400m above sea level. Maleny is slightly higher at 425–436m on the southern edge of the Blackall Range. The Blackall Range itself reaches a maximum elevation of 450m and is the product of volcanic extrusion, named in 1874 after Sir Samuel Blackall, Governor of Queensland (1864–1871).
Yes — typically 5–8°C cooler than the coast. The long-term annual average is 24°C maximum and 14°C minimum. On winter mornings it can drop below 10°C. Bring a light jacket or jumper even in summer, and wear closed-toe shoes for waterfall walks.
Yes. Both villages are open to independent visitors. Allow a full day for the self-drive Blackall Range Tourist Drive, which loops Maleny, Montville, Flaxton and Mapleton. Parking can be tight on weekends — arrive before 10am. The winding range road is a key reason many visitors prefer a guided tour.
Montville was originally called "Razorback" because of the steep ridge it sits on. When Henry Smith opened the first Post Office in 1893, his suggestions of "Razorback" and "Vermont" were rejected as already in use. He proposed "Montville" — the name of his hometown in Connecticut, USA — and it was accepted. Maleny's name derives from the Scottish village of Malleny and was officially adopted in 1890.