JULY 2014 QANTAS 75 Walking on ON QUEENSLAND’S Sunshine Coast, change is in the air. There is still plenty of sunshine and a whole lot of coast, as well as vast tracts of freshly washed, emerald hinterland. There is still that disarming friendliness native to the state. But of the Queensland of rampant looming development and “don’t you worry about that” mentality, there is little sign. Down on the beaches where fit-looking families sip raw vegetable juices before a morning cycle, or up in the small mountain towns such as Maleny where you can browse in any one of the four bookshops, or Montville where you can down a hot chocolate worthy of Paris while taking in the sweep of valley from mountain to sea, there is a distinctly Byron Bay vibe. Make that Byron before it became so self-conscious. At Coolum Beach’s Little Lane Espresso (1790 David Low Way, Coolum Beach) co-owner Carlos Moesman serves up fare with a Middle Eastern influence that would give Yotam Ottolenghi’s cooking a run for its money, but disavows publicity. “Because then every Tom, Dick and Harry comes in here and complains about everything. I just want to get nice people, who like the place.” It could be a slogan for the area. Mark Skinner who organises walking tours out of his Montville bed and breakfast, the Narrows Escape Rainforest Retreat (78 Narrows Road, 07 5478 5000, narrowsescape.com.au), notes that the Sunshine Coast has taken a long look at its neighbour, the Gold Coast, and decided to adopt a gentler, more environmentally sound approach to tourism. That eco-aware policy includes future initiatives such as building a zipline over the Obi Obi Gorge (which will hopefully minimise the human impact on the forest below), showcasing local produce in the shops and restaurants, and staying away from too many resorts in favour of the many small B & Bs dotting the hinterland. SUNSHINE Near Kondalilla Falls in the Sunshine Coast hinterland Just north of Brisbane, Queensland’s Sunshine Coast is about much more than beach. The lush and varied hinterland is dotted with small towns, and visitors who take to its many walking trails are rewarded with lakes, waterfalls and even hidden art work. 74 QANTAS JULY 2014 WORDS AMRUTA SLEE
Transcript
J U LY 2014 Q A N TA S 75
Walking onON QUEENSLAND’S Sunshine Coast, change is in the air. There is still plenty of sunshine and a whole lot of coast, as well as vast tracts of freshly washed, emerald hinterland. There is still that disarming friendliness native to the state. But of the Queensland of rampant looming development and “don’t you worry about that” mentality, there is little sign.
Down on the beaches where fit-looking families sip raw vegetable juices before a morning cycle, or up in the small mountain towns such as Maleny where you can browse in any one of the four bookshops, or Montville where you can down a hot chocolate worthy of Paris while taking in the sweep of valley from mountain to sea, there is a distinctly Byron Bay vibe.
Make that Byron before it became so self-conscious. At Coolum Beach’s Little Lane Espresso (1790 David Low Way, Coolum Beach) co-owner Carlos Moesman serves up fare with a Middle Eastern
influence that would give Yotam Ottolenghi’s cooking a run for its money, but disavows publicity. “Because then every Tom, Dick and Harry comes in here and complains about everything. I just want to get nice people, who like the place.”
It could be a slogan for the area. Mark Skinner who organises walking tours out of his Montville bed and breakfast, the Narrows Escape Rainforest Retreat (78 Narrows Road, 07 5478 5000, narrowsescape.com.au), notes that the Sunshine Coast has taken a long look at its neighbour, the Gold Coast, and decided to adopt a gentler, more environmentally sound approach to tourism.
That eco-aware policy includes future initiatives such as building a zipline over the Obi Obi Gorge (which will hopefully minimise the human impact on the forest below), showcasing local produce in the shops and restaurants, and staying away from too many resorts in favour of the many small B & Bs dotting the hinterland.
SUNSHINE
Near Kondalilla Falls in the Sunshine Coast hinterland
Just north of Brisbane, Queensland’s Sunshine Coast is about much more than beach. The lush and varied hinterland is dotted with small towns, and visitors who take to its many walking trails
are rewarded with lakes, waterfalls and even hidden art work.
Skinner admits the low-key approach has its risks. Everyone knows about the beaches, he says, but fewer people know that less than an hour up the road in the hills, there are spectacular views, good shopping and sophisticated food – and surprises such as Frank Shipp’s eccentric and beautiful private project, the Maleny Botanic Gardens.
Many visitors are also unaware that the hinterland is home to some of the most invigorating walks in the region.
It’s the walks that have brought us here, even if the local cheeses and Moesman’s elderflower pistachio cake are proving a distraction. Hikers have the choice of a long walk (such as the 58km Sunshine Coast Hinterland Great Walk, a four-day affair, complete with overnight bush camping) or a number of glorious and relatively easy day treks.
And for those who don’t even want to don walking boots, there are very short walks from the car park to a waterfall – leave time for a dip and a picnic – and then a stroll back.
Walking season runs from March to November, and one of the minor revelations is that while it’s hot down on the coast, on the walks, with massive trees shading the paths and rivers rushing through the valleys, conditions are near perfect. This being the Sunshine Coast, there’s also little chance of having to encounter the walker’s archenemy – rain.
Mark Skinner, the sort of hiker who once climbed Mount Kilimanjaro with three days’ training under his belt, has trekked the whole area. He recommends three walks over three days: a late-afternoon hike to Gheerulla Falls as an entree; a five-hour trek from Lake Baroon Lookout to Kondalilla Falls as the main course; and a shortish bit of the Conondale Range Great Walk near Kenilworth to see a sculpture by renowned artist Andy Goldsworthy, as the dessert.
This is peaceful rather than arduous walking. The country is fertile and subtropical, populated by cedars, majestic eucalypts and hundreds of strangler figs that wrap around trees like some monster out of Alien. There are enough hills to provide a sense of achievement, but fellow walkers along the trail include every-one from young teenagers to a cheerful octogenarian, who regularly makes the journey. The scenery also runs the gamut, from moody rainforest to scrub, to stretches that resemble a wild English garden, dotted with flowers and orchids, striped by sunlight. Trees, hamstrung by thick vines and attacked by blooming fungi, have occasionally given up the fight and crashed to the ground to lie like fallen giants. Every so often the entire vista opens up to soaring views of the Blackall Ranges.
Kondalilla Falls where we end on the second day, plummet 90m down a black cliff face to a series of rock pools. Time
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Maleny Botanic Gardens, Glass House Mountains in the distance
For airfares and holiday packages to the Sunshine Coast call Qantas Holidays on 1300 735 542 or visit qantas.com/holidaysaustralianway
the walk right and you’ll arrive late afternoon, a perfect moment for a swim (or at least a quick dunk, the water is, shall we say, refreshing) at the pool halfway up, and a chance to dry off on a warm rock while watch-ing the sunset. Skinner is on hand to provide snacks and Champagne.
The forests – and their attendant drama – were the inspiration for Goldsworthy’s Strangler Cairn sculpture, which sits almost unacknowledged along the Conondale Range Great Walk. The shortage of signs is deliberate; Goldsworthy prefers his sculptures to blend in to their surroundings. He planted a cutting of strangler fig at the top in the hope that it would eventually overwhelm his egg-shaped cairn as an echo of the forest. So far, nature being a stubborn force, the cutting has refused to take.
Visitors walking in from the Booloumba Creek car park (accessed by 4WD) arrive at the cairn after an hour’s wander along a serene forest track where the sound of bellbirds fills the air and small wallabies peer through the gums. As we walk, guide Pete Blashki from Offbeat Tours (offbeattours.com.au) explains that the art work attracted some controversy when it was erected in 2011. Some felt it was a waste of money, others couldn’t see the point of an art work that would eventually disappear.
It’s all a matter of perspective. For admirers, the sculpture is a delight, a masterful granite balancing act, complementing the land-scape. It obviously does have its fans – somebody has placed hessian around the cutting and a bed of twigs around the sculpture’s base in case it needs balancing. That seems very Sunshine Coast – a nice gesture from people who really like the place.
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SEE & DO
Chocolate Country192 Main Street, Montville.(07) 5442 9562. montvilleguide.com.au/chocolateMontville is Maleny’s smaller, quieter cousin, the place where Brisbane-ites go to enjoy wood fires in their B & Bs. There are wineries on the back roads and hearty eating on the main street. Don’t miss the handmade chocolates, fudge, Belgian praline and views at the family- run Chocolate Country, which also serves tea and coffee.
Kenilworth Country Foods45 Charles Street, Kenilworth.(07) 5446 0144. kenilworthcountryfoods.com.auKenilworth may be small, but it has plenty to offer in terms of food
and wine. When Kraft closed its Kenilworth cheese factory in the late 1980s, the business was bought and resurrected by a group of ex-employees and a local businessman. Renamed Kenilworth Country Foods, it reopened in 1990 and is still going strong, making award-winning cheeses. Call in for a tour or a free cheese tasting.
Maleny Botanic Gardens233 Maleny-Stanley River Road.(07) 5408 4110. malenybotanicgardens.com.auMaleny’s lively main street boasts an unexpected mix of shops, delis and restaurants. Located at the bottom of a steep drive, Frank Shipp’s labour of love is more than 3ha of rambling forest, gardens and ponds, populated by peacocks, sheep and a goat or two. There is also an aviary with native and exotic birds. With no formal training, Shipp and his small team have created a charming mountainside folly.
SUNNY SIDE UP
Once you’ve walked up an appetite, check out some of the Sunshine Coast’s best
food and drink, plus plenty of insider tips at qantas.
com/travelinsider
ONLINE
Strangler Cairn sculpture (above); hikers at Kondalilla Falls (right); rainforest near Kondalilla Falls (far right)
