English Guests 4 day diary
Hey, welcome to my diary snippet about the time 4 of us “Poms” Gill, Kris travelled North and we stayed in Maleny. Queensland is the home to the great barrier reef and it is seven times the size of the UK, so we thought we should check it out whilst being in Oz! We arrived in Brisbane in the evening and hired a car, as we heard that was the best way to get about Queensland.
Maleny Sunshine Coast Day 1
Our plan was to escape the hustle and bustle of the city and head up to the Sunshine Coast, for the stunning beaches and lush rainforests; we were heading for a small town called Maleny. The journey was roughly 1hr and 10mins and was well worth the drive. Maleny is situated on the Blackall range, overlooking the Sunshine Coast and as you make your way up the incline of the mountain you can catch a glimpse of both the coast and the Glass House Mountains.
We stayed at a rental home called McCarthy Lake House, amongst beautiful settings. The home features 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, a spacious kitchen and lounge, outdoor seating area with BBQ and to top it all off, a gorgeous pool surrounded by palm trees and a lake, home to an abundance of wildlife, including a friendly house cat named Jasper. We were extremely happy with our choice of accommodation.
Marycairncross for breakfast, Australia Zoo & then the beach Day 2
Despite the struggle to get up, we decided to have an early morning on our first full day in Maleny. Of course, we started the day with food, taking a 5 minute drive to a cafe at the Mary Cairncross Reserve. We forgot about our stomachs however, when we saw the breathtaking views you get to see from this cafe, overlooking the glass house mountains. There is also a beautiful rainforest trail you can take by the cafe, a BBQ area, children’s area and not to mention the superb food. 
A 15 minute drive down the road and our next stop was Australia Zoo! We were all extremely excited to see Steve Irwin’s legacy. The entry was $59, which is reasonable because you can see the money is being well spent and an extra $2 gets you entry to the animal hospital at the end. Expect to see all of Australia’s wildlife, get up close and personal with koalas and kanagroos and view a spectacular show of birds and reptiles at the crocoseum.
By this time of day, our bellies were hungry again so we made our way down to the beach for some fish and chips. It took us 25mins to drive to Mooloolaba beach, where we relaxed on the golden sand to eat our freshly caught fish. After dinner, we enjoyed a dip in the ocean whilst we had the last few hours of sun.
A long day was rewarded by relaxing on the veranda with a night cap back at McCarthy Lake House.
The Maleny Township Day 3
Today we decided to have a lazy day and stay local; exploring the town of Maleny. We began the day with a delicious coffee and breakfast at Shotgun Espresso, on the main street. We then took a wander throughout the many quaint craft shops Maleny has to offer. After picking up some souvenirs and some fresh local produce; including oysters, giant prawns, mangoes and avocados, amongst many other things, we headed back to McCarthy Lake House to enjoy the sunshine by the pool. We made use of the BBQ, sunloungers and hammock & spent the day like true Australians… relaxing!
Gardeners Falls Day 4 and then goodbye Maleny as we head North
Pits stop Gardners Falls waterfalls
