After the Sunshine Coast Marathon: Maleny and the Hinterland
The Route: Alexandra Headland → Montville → Maleny → Sunshine Coast Airport Logistics: Hire car. Inland and uphill from the coast onto the Blackall Range, two nights, then back down to the airport. Marathon Month: August Duration: 2 nights
Alexandra Headland ──(about 45 mins by car, inland)──> Montville ──(short drive along the range)──> Maleny
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Sunshine Coast Airport (MCY) ◄──(about 1 hr by car)──────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
The Sunshine Coast Marathon is a flat race along the coast from Alexandra Headland to Mudjimba. The hinterland behind it is the opposite: a ridge of small towns, farms and rainforest on the Blackall Range, where the air is cooler and the only thing to do is sit on a veranda and look at the view.
August in the hinterland: winter. Days are mild, but nights on the range are noticeably cooler than on the coast, so pack a warm layer and choose accommodation with heating or a fireplace.
A hire car is needed: public transport to the range is limited. The drive from the coast climbs inland onto the Blackall Range in about 45 minutes. Montville and Maleny sit a short drive apart along the ridge.
Nights One and Two: Montville and Maleny
The Blackall Range rises behind the coast, and its towns sit along the top of it. Montville is the smaller of the two, a village of shops, galleries and cafés along a single main street. Maleny, a little further west, is a larger country town with its own cafés and shops.
The primary recovery walk is at Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve, 148 Mountain View Road, Maleny: 55 hectares of subtropical rainforest, a remnant of the rainforest that once covered the Blackall Range. Walking tracks lead through the rainforest from the reserve's discovery centre, and the edge of the reserve looks out across the Glass House Mountains, the volcanic peaks that rise from the plain to the south. Keep to the shorter tracks in the first days after the race; the reserve provides disabled access, and staff can advise on the easiest routes. The café on site is the natural place to sit afterwards.
A slow drive along the range road between Montville and Maleny, stopping at lookouts, is the other recovery activity: views over the coast on one side and the hinterland on the other, with no walking beyond the car park.
Where to stay: Montville Country Cabins offers self-contained cabins in the hills near Montville, suited to a quiet two nights. Maleny Montville Cottages has cottages with views towards the ocean, between the two towns.
Where to eat: The café at Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve is the obvious lunch stop. For dinner, the cafés and restaurants on Montville's and Maleny's main streets cover most tastes; opening hours in the hinterland are shorter in the evenings, especially early in the week, so check before driving out.
Getting to Sunshine Coast Airport
Sunshine Coast Airport (MCY) at Marcoola lies back down on the coast, roughly an hour from Maleny by car. Brisbane Airport (BNE) is the main international airport; from the southern end of the range the drive south takes around an hour and a half, but allow extra time for traffic approaching Brisbane.