History and Heritage

Visitors to Montville are constantly amazed by the natural beauty of the area. The green rolling hills, the spectacular Baroon Pocket Dam, the cool walking tracks of the Great Walk which links Baroon Pocket Dam with Kondalilla Falls National Park and Mapleton Falls.

The earliest visitors were the Kabi Aboriginal tribe who gathered every two years on the banks of the Obi Obi creek to feast on the fruit of the Bunya Pine (Bonyi Bonyi). This festival was a place to exchange songs, stories, tools and ornaments, for marriages to be arranged and conflicts resolved.

Timbercutters followed in the mid 1850's, and in the 1880's early settlers took up land selections to pursue farming interests of dairying, citrus, pineapples, macadamias and avocadoes.

In the 1890's brothers Henry and Alfred Smith set the Montville business sector in motion. Henry opened the first store and Post Office, as well as a cattle dip. He even had the first private telephone line from his home to the shop. Alfred open a shop in Main Street which today is known as Misty's Restaurant. In the 1920's Montville was a thriving mountain holiday resort with many legendary guesthouses.

In the 1970's, as roads improved, Montville became accessible as a pleasant daytrip from the Coastal strip and Brisbane. Now Montville has turned full circle with luxury Guesthouses and Country Cottages being very popular with tourists. Most accommodation houses have all the comforts for a relaxing stay in the hills including spa baths and fireplaces.

In 1981, local resident Ian Russell built Camphor Cottage and others quickly followed like Connemara Cottage (complete with thatched Irish roof) and Eastnor Terrace. Soon the Village was a thriving tourist destination with over 100 businesses operating in Main Street. A perfect place to work and live soon saw Real Estate prices in Maleny, Montville and Mapleton increase dramatically. The proximity to beaches, Brisbane and the comfortable climate with rich soil is a huge attraction. Top class restaurants, coffee houses, Art Galleries and specialty shops all lend their own splash of character.

Visitors can wine and dine or walk and talk whilst taking in the superb views by day (Montville is approx. 430m above sea level) or while away a winter's night with dinner by a woodfire.

The Montville Chamber of Commerce hopes your stay in Montville makes you want to come back again and again.