Coast to Hinterland Food and Wine Tour, Sunshine Coast, Australia

 With a whole week to just relax and enjoy Mooloolaba, on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, I thought it would be fun to spend one day taking a food and wine tour out into the hinterland.  Collected from my hotel by a very friendly Dave, who was to be our guide for the day,  I was one of just five on the Coast to Hinterland Tour, we were a small friendly group.

 Our first stop was  at the very pleasant little town of Maleny  to enjoy a tasting of locally made chocolates. This was a little bit underwhelming to be honest.  It was basically just a chocolate shop but it did have an amazing array of different flavoured chocolates and we were invited to try a number of samples, some with uniquely Australian flavours, and we were  also given a slab of chocolate to keep.

From there we went to the Maleny Cheese factory.   After a short talk about the making of cheese and viewing the factory area where the cheeses were made we were given two large platters to share with a wide assortment of Maleny cheeses, breads, crackers, chutneys etc, all delicious, which we enjoyed with a welcome cup of coffee.  I highly recommend this place for the warmth of our welcome and the generosity of the cheese boards.

Well satisfied we continued on to the Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve for a walk through tranquil native bush and to view spectacular views out towards the Glass House mountains and  the coast.  We were lucky, it was a beautiful day and we had very clear views and I always enjoy the serenity of the bush.

Cool, shady bush at the Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve

View from Mary Cairncross of the Glass House Mountains

Then it was time for a wine tasting at Clouds Restaurant. We each received  generous pourings of 4 different wines and sat in a sunny courtyard enjoying the tasting, hearing about the different wines and chatting with our fellow passengers.  Pleasant indeed. 

The road to our lunch destination was very pretty, stopping at Gerrard's Lookout for panoramic views of the countryside, then on through rolling hills and finally down a steep bush lined road to Secrets on the Lake.  This is a pretty eccentric kind of place in a stunning location right on the edge of a lake. Within the restaurant there are numerous intricate wood carvings.  They are impressive.  Lunch here was absolutely superb.  The quality of the food was outstanding, befitting of a wine and food tour.  I had barramundi, asparagus, tomatoes with a potato mash for my main followed by orange creme brulee. Delicious.

View from Secrets on the Lake resort

My sublime lunch

One of many carvings in the restaurant  area

The owner of the lodge offered to show us one of the accommodation lodges.  The lodges are set high on poles and are accessed by long wooden walkways through the bush.  The lodge, like the restaurant, was eccentric with plenty of wooden carvings and an unusual layout, really not my style, but it had stunning views over the lake and I imagine would certainly be a very restful place to spend a few days.

Australian themed tiles in a lodge shower

The day was speeding by and by the time we got to the lovely village of Montville most of the shops and cafes were closing.  We did have time to take in the views towards Mooloolaba and as I had been to Montville on a couple of other occasions I wasn't too fazed.  A shame for the other passengers, though because Montville is charming and home to numerous independent crafty type shops.

The charming Camphor Cottage, Montville (Photo from Trip Advisor)

The view out over the rain forest from the platform at Mapleton Falls

Mapleton Falls cascading down into a deep ravine 

To round out the day we made our final stop at Mapelton Falls National Park to see the waterfall plunging 120 metres down into the deep Obi Obi Gorge. We viewed it from a platform hanging right out over the ravine.  I'm not usually afraid of heights but found this a bit stomach churning, nevertheless  I stood on the platform to take in the view of the rain forest and waterfall before scampering off to safer ground. 

Then it was back to Mooloolaba after a truly fantastic day.  I highly recommend this tour, it had a bit of everything and really showcased the lovely hinterland of the Sunshine Coast plus, as the tour's name states, provided delicious food and good wine. 

Great company for the day. Glass House Mountains behind us.

Disclaimer:  I have no association with Coast to Hinterland Tours.  I paid my own way and this is my unbiased opinion of the day.