Montville, QLD: Things to Do and Visitor Guide

Montville is a village on the Blackall Range in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland, known for its cafes, galleries, boutique shops, cool mountain air and the waterfall walks of nearby Kondalilla National Park. It sits about 98 km from the Brisbane CBD, roughly 95 minutes by car, so it works as a full day out rather than a quick stop.

Most people spend the morning on Main Street, then add a rainforest walk or a lakeside picnic before heading home. If you are planning a Montville, QLD day trip, this covers what is in the village, where the walks start and what to check before you leave.

Things to do in Montville village

The village is built around Main Street, with a run of shops, galleries and cafes that you can cover on foot.

Galleries and shops

Montville Art Gallery is in a 1920s Queenslander and shows work by award-winning artists. Illume Creations sells glass sculptures and vases, and Secrets on the Lake is a gallery with views over Lake Baroon. The Clock Shop, in a German chalet style building near the bottom of the village, sells cuckoo clocks, grandfather clocks, music boxes and watches. Fudgyboombahs on Main Street makes fudge and sweets by hand.

The Chapel, a wedding chapel built from sandstone with red cedar carvings, can only be viewed by appointment.

Montville cafes and restaurants

Cafes and restaurants are the main reason many people come. The Edge Cafe on Main Street serves coffee with hinterland views, and the Poet’s Cafe uses water from its property’s natural spring. Montville Cafe Bar and Grill serves meals in a landscaped garden, and Secrets on the Lake serves food among the trees.

For a long lunch, The Long Apron at Spicers Clovelly Estate is a chef-hatted restaurant serving European cuisine, and Flame Hill Vineyard has a restaurant with seasonal local food matched with its own wine.

Montville Markets

Montville Markets run on the second Saturday morning of each month at the historic Montville Village Hall, 137 Memorial Close. Stalls include fresh produce, flowers and baked goods, and there is a pancake breakfast. Start times vary between listings, so check the market’s page before you go.

If you like markets, see our list of 5 of the best markets in South East Queensland and browse more markets.

Kondalilla National Park walks and waterfall

Kondalilla National Park is near Montville, and Skene Creek drops about 90 m into a rainforest valley here. There are two main walks, and both start from the Kondalilla Falls car park, where a short set of steps leads down about 100 m to a grassed picnic area with barbecues, picnic tables and toilets.

Picnic Creek circuit

This is the easy one: 1.7 km return, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. It crosses Picnic Creek, passes through tall eucalypt forest to a small waterfall and has a lookout over the valley. It reaches the rock pool at the top of the falls.

Kondalilla Falls circuit

This is a steep walk of 4.7 km return, about 2 to 3 hours, with over 300 stairs. It is graded 3 (a formed track with short steep hills and many steps) and you need to be reasonably fit. It passes the rock pool at the top of the falls and descends into the valley for the best view of the waterfall.

Swimming in the rock pools

The walks pass rock pools, but they are not patrolled. Queensland Parks says never to dive into creeks or rock pools, because of submerged rocks and logs, variable depth and slippery surfaces. It also warns that people have died or been permanently paralysed after slipping over waterfalls in this area, so supervise children closely and stay behind fences at waterfalls and lookouts.

Dogs and other domestic animals are not allowed in Kondalilla National Park.

Lake Baroon and the Hinterland Great Walk

Baroon Pocket Dam (Lake Baroon) is between Montville and Maleny. It has picnic tables, free barbecues and playgrounds, and you can kayak on the lake. Walking tracks lead through open forest and over bridges and boardwalks to Baroon Lookout, with views of the Obi Obi Gorge and the dam. Disabled access is listed at the dam, so contact the operator for details.

Montville is also a starting point for the Sunshine Coast Hinterland Great Walk, a track of about 58 km along the top of the Blackall Range. You can walk short sections as half-day or day walks.

Planning your visit

• How long: Allow a full day to combine the village with a Kondalilla walk or the lake.
• Best time: Summer for the waterfall at its fullest. Markets only on the second Saturday morning of the month.
• Cost: Wandering the village is free. Cafes, galleries and meals are extra.
• What to bring: Water, a hat, sturdy shoes for the stairs at Kondalilla and a towel if you plan to paddle in the rock pools (no diving, and take care on wet rock).
• Dogs: Not allowed in Kondalilla National Park.

Getting there and parking

By car, Montville is about 98 km from the Brisbane CBD, about 95 minutes by car without traffic. The Kondalilla Falls car park is the start of both waterfall walks, and Visit Sunshine Coast describes Kondalilla as just 90 minutes north of Brisbane.

To plan a trip by public transport, use the Translink Journey Planner or call 13 12 30.

Find park details on the Queensland Parks Kondalilla page and tourism information at Visit Sunshine Coast. Details can change, so check before you go.

Nearby

• Tamborine Mountain Rainforest Skywalk – another hinterland rainforest walk on the other side of Brisbane.
• Essential Tips for Hiking Trails in South East Queensland – what to carry before the Kondalilla stairs.
• 10 Tips for Surviving Long Car Trips with Kids – useful for the drive up the range.
• Natural Bridge, Springbrook – a Gold Coast Hinterland rainforest stop if you want another waterfall day.
• Sunshine Coast things to do – Eleven places worth the trip on the Sunshine Coast, from patrolled surf beaches and Noosa National Park to Eumundi Markets, Australia Zoo and the Glass House Mountains.

Browse more scenic drives.

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