Spectacular ranges and national parks, picturesque mountain villages, colourful roadside markets, cosy retreats, quality galleries, and a myriad of other attractions, merge together to render the Sunshine Coast's Hinterland as irresistible! Plan an extended visit as there's more to see and do than even the most complacent tourist could cover in one day.
Supplying the dramatic visual beginning to the southern end of thehinterland are the 300m high volcanic crags of the Glass House Mountains. Rising suddenly out of the coastal plain, the knuckles ofthese bizarre granite fingers are surrounded by dense tropical wilderness, protected by the four separate pockets of the Glass House Mountains National Park. Traversing the park are several scenic 4WDtracks and bushwalks, beginning close to the charming mountain towns of Beerburrum and Beerwah.
Also on the outskirts of Beerwah is the popular wildlife park of Australia Zoo. Home to TV's famous Crocodile Hunter, the zoo plays a leading role in conservation through education, holding excellent interactive animal presentations every half hour throughout the day. Highlights include a cuddle from a friendly giant python, petting koalas, hand feeding kangaroos, and feeding timeof the enormous, 170 year old Galapagos land tortoise Harriet.
A short drive north of Beerwah, the pretty town of Landsboroughlies at the junction of the hinterland's best tourist drives. Havingjust followed the scenic Glass House Mountains Drive to this point,the winding mountainous route then branches to the west before beginning it's breathtaking journey across the Blackall Ranges.
Providing much of the Sunshine Coast's stunning backdrop, the Blackall Ranges rolling green pastures, lush rainforests, and gorgeous mountainvillages, create the perfect setting for a pleasurable rural getaway.The villages of Melany, Montville and Mapleton are allcurrently riding the craft craze, and are brimming with galleries,craft studios, and knick-knack speciality stores. Adjacent residences are invariably filled by quaint cafes or sidewalk restaurants, which areonly matched in supply by the region's countless number of secludedB&B and guesthouse retreats. If escaping into the wilderness on footis more your style, the Kondilla National Park on the western slopes of the range, encompasses 330 hectares ofbroad sweeping valleys, waterfalls, gorges, and rainforest. Three separate walks around the park allow you take inthe scenery, as do the picnic and barbeque facilities just beyond theentrance. On the more remote side of the Blackall Ranges, the ConondaleNational Park protects a more extensive area, and contains the equally spectacular Conondale Ranges. Accessible only via forestry roads, it's location has seen the vast eucalypt and rainforestsremain relatively untouched. If you don't have a 4WD, AdventuresDownunder (see tours & trips in Things to Do) run excellent tours into thispristine wilderness.
At the northern foothills of the Blackall Range, Nambour isthe largest town and the commercial centre of the hinterland. The fertilefields surrounding the town are well utilised, and crops of tropical fruit,macadamia nuts, and sugarcane are grown extensively in the region. Kitschattractions such as The Big Pineapple, The Ginger Factory, Nutworks Macadamia Processing Factory, and the Honey Factory put the shire's quality produce on display in an interesting way. Also on Nambour's outskirts, the Aussie World complex is home to the cartoon based Ettamogah Pub, as well as a carnival fairground and a bunch of other Australiana shopsand attractions.
Further north following the Bruce Highway, the charming rural townships of Eumundi and Cooroy lie less than twenty kilometres from Noosaand the coast. Thousands flock to Eumundi every Wednesday and Saturday morning for the famous Eumundi Village Markets. Spread throughout every nook and crannyalong the main street, the colourful collection of fruit and vegetables, artsand crafts, jewellery, and anything else on the cheap is well worth a look.
Marking the end of the Sunshine Coast's hinterland and the start of the Fraser Coast, the large country centre of Gympie is essentially a market town, supporting the thriving local pastoral industries. Born out of a gold rush essentialto Queensland's future the 1860's, reminders of the town's illustrious heritagestill survive through it's numerous colonial buildings and museums. Today Gympieis most celebrated as the host of the huge Country Music Muster, held at the endof August, and the Goldrush Festival every October. The town also provides the inlandroute to the isolated coloured beaches of Cooloola National Park.
