Queensland looks close together on a map until you start driving it. If you are visiting from overseas for your first self-drive trip along the Pacific Coast Way, make room for a few nights in one place on the Sunshine Coast. Montville gives you a hinterland base for the coast, Australian wildlife and rainforest without changing accommodation each morning.
The road trip can still be flexible. The useful choice is to keep one day for each kind of outing, rather than planning a new destination and a new cabin every night.
Know what your base includes
Montville Country Cabins is on 16 acres of gardens and rainforest beside Kondalilla National Park, five minutes from Montville Village. The ten cabins are separate from one another. Each has its own kitchen, balcony or patio, hooded BBQ and spa bath, so you can spend a quiet evening in after a full day out.
A continental breakfast hamper is stocked in the cabin for your stay. Michael delivers fresh croissants each morning. Eggs, bacon, sausages and mushrooms can be added if you would like to cook a hot breakfast yourself. For dinner, Karen and Michael can arrange a paid BBQ pack or hot dinner hamper for your cabin. The in-cabin dining guide explains the options.
There is no Wi-Fi in the cabins. Download directions and anything you need for the next day’s plans before you arrive, and ask the hosts for local advice when you check in.
Give each outing its own day
For a first encounter with Australian wildlife, allow most of a day for Australia Zoo. Look at the zoo’s current daily plan before you go, choose the talks or presentations you most want to see, and leave the rest of the day open. It is about a 30-minute drive from the cabins. The Montville zoo day-trip guide has a practical outline.
Make a different day coastal. In Mooloolaba, you can walk by the beach, visit SEA LIFE Sunshine Coast or have lunch at The Wharf. If Noosa is the place you most want to see, give it a separate day rather than adding it to every coastal stop. Eumundi Markets can fit when market days line up with your stay.
Keep another day near the cabin. Wander through Montville Village, drive to Maleny or Mapleton, or choose a short walk around Kondalilla National Park. Queensland Parks publishes walking and safety information for the longer Sunshine Coast Hinterland Great Walk. Pick a walk that fits your time and check conditions before setting out.
Make the driving days easier
Before you collect a car, read the Queensland Government’s advice for overseas drivers. Queensland drives on the left. Carry your valid licence and, if applicable, an International Driving Permit or English translation. If you are used to driving on the right, ask your passenger to remind you to keep left each time you set off.
Before each leg, check QLDTraffic for current road conditions and check the attraction’s own site for opening and presentation times. A day with one main destination leaves room for a slower lunch, a lookout stop or a change in the weather.
Back at the cabins, there is no need to drive out again for dinner unless you want to. Order a hamper ahead, sit on your patio and listen to the birds as the light goes. The next morning’s croissants will come to the door before the next decision needs to be made.
Whether you are travelling north or south, a Montville stay lets you see the Sunshine Coast from two sides: the water and the Blackall Range. Give each its own day, then return to the same cabin at night.