# The Maleny–Mapleton loop from Montville
> Three Blackall Range villages, a half-day driving loop with cheese, falls, a Sunday market and a vineyard lunch. About 90 minutes of driving, four to five hours with stops.
- Tag: Drives
- Published: 2026-05-28
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Three villages along the Blackall Range, a half-day loop with stops. Montville to Maleny, Maleny to Mapleton, Mapleton back to Montville. About 90 minutes of pure driving; with cheese factory, dairy, market, falls walk and a vineyard lunch, plan for four to five hours.
## The route
**Montville to Maleny**: 15 km, 20 minutes, on the Maleny-Montville Road. The road runs across the top of the range, with farmland one side and bushland the other.
**Maleny to Mapleton**: 25 to 30 minutes north of Maleny, dipping through the Obi Obi Valley and climbing back to Mapleton on the next ridge.
**Mapleton back to Montville**: 10 km, 10 minutes. The Mapleton-Montville Road runs straight back along the ridge.
The order matters because Maleny's main attractions are morning-side (cheese factory, dairy, market) and Mapleton's are walking and a pub lunch, better in early afternoon.
## In Maleny
**Maleny Cheese** at 1 Clifford Street. A working cheese factory with a viewing window into the production room. Shop open seven days, 10 am to 3 pm. The cafe runs Wednesday to Sunday, 10 am to 2:30 pm. Tastings are self-guided in the shop; group tasting tours are bookable in advance.
**Maleny Dairies** at 70 McCarthy Road. **Farm tours are paused indefinitely**, so don't plan a visit around them. The MilkBar opens Wednesday to Friday, 9 am to 4 pm, for buying the dairy's products direct.
**Maleny Sunday Market**, every Sunday 8 am to 2 pm at the RSL Hall on Bunya Street. Indoor and undercover, so weather-proof.
Also on the Maleny side:
**Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve**: 55 hectares of rainforest, no entry fee, an hour or two of walking if you've got the time. See [Hinterland walks near Montville](/journal/hinterland-walks-near-montville/index.md) for trail details.
**Maleny Botanic Gardens & Bird World**: paid entry; the walk-through aviaries are the draw for kids. Same post for fees and tour times.
## Toward Mapleton
The drive south of Maleny crosses the Obi Obi Valley. There's no service-station strip in between, so top up fuel at Maleny if you need it.
## In Mapleton
**Mapleton Falls National Park** is the destination. The **Wompoo Circuit** is 1.3 km return, 45 minutes, easy. The trail passes **Peregrine Lookout**, which gives the long view across the Obi Obi Valley toward the Conondale Range. The falls themselves drop about 120 metres, best after rain. There's a grassy picnic area at the carpark, toilets, and a wheelchair-accessible path to the main lookout.
**Mapleton Public House** at 2 Flaxton Drive is the village pub. Mon–Tue 11 am to 7 pm (bar menu only), Wed–Thu 11 am to 8:30 pm, Fri–Sat to 10 pm, Sun to 6 pm. Standard country-pub menu and a deck. Hours shift seasonally, so check before you go.
## Back via Flame Hill
The return leg on the Mapleton-Montville Road brings you within a few minutes of **Flame Hill Vineyard** at 249 Western Avenue, Montville, the same road as the cabins. Wine tasting and sales Wednesday to Sunday, 10:30 am to 5 pm; the deck restaurant runs lunch Wednesday to Sunday, 11:30 am to 3 pm. Hours shift seasonally, so check before you go; reservations are sensible for lunch, especially weekends. If the timing works, this is the natural last stop before heading back to the cabin for a quiet afternoon.
## Practical
Most of the drive is two-lane country road with switchbacks. Allow more time after rain or in fog, particularly on the Obi Obi Valley descent. No fuel between Maleny and Mapleton; top up at Maleny.
The loop is doable in reverse (Mapleton first, Maleny later), but Maleny Cheese, the dairy MilkBar and the Sunday Market all close in the afternoon, so the natural order is Maleny first.
