It’s after dark, and almost every seat and high stool at Maleny’s new Spill Wine shop and bar is taken.
This narrow 30-seater is always packed on Wednesday Wine-Down night, a waiter explains, when owner Jamie Fleming offers an ever-changing ‘one and done’ option for dinner, accompanied by cheap corkage on a matching wine.
Tonight, it’s duck à l’orange, paired with 2022 Applecross chardonnay from Victoria’s Yarra Valley.
Fortunately, there’s one spot at the high bench left for me.
With a single dish leaving no room for decision fatigue, I order the duck and drink in the atmosphere.
It’s positively humming with food, conversation and laughter.
Around 300 bottles of wine line one wall, all curated by Fleming who tilts towards natural, organic and biodynamic wines from around Australia and the world.
Spill Wine is just one of several new ventures that are supercharging the Sunshine Coast hinterland’s down-to-earth epicurean charms.
The village charm of Montville.
Located 100km north of Brisbane, this region of dramatic peaks and valleys formed by ancient volcanic activity sustained the traditional custodians, the Kabi Kabi and Jinibara Peoples, for tens of thousands of years.
Its lush forests and fertile soils later attracted European settlers who carved out their livings as farmers or timber-getters and spurred the growth of small towns including Maleny, Montville and Mapleton.
Today, the hinterland is celebrated for its cultural heritage, natural beauty and artisanal food and drinks scene.
Historic Montville Estate is within easy walking distance of the village.
“I just wanted to bring it back to life a little bit.”
Yet the past and present remain intimately intertwined.
This is most apparent at Montville Estate, comprised of two historic buildings on a manicured 6,000sq.m block, located within easy walking distance of the village of Montville.
Both buildings have recently opened as holiday rentals after being painstakingly restored by Nichola Spain and her partner Jordan Potts.
Eastnor House, the larger building of the two, was the original Queenslander built in 1895 by Henry and Jane Smith, who raised 12 children within its walls.
It’s painted almost the same shade of pink as the flowering camellias surrounding it.
“I never wanted to modernise it in a way that took it away from its original state,” Nichola said. “I just wanted to bring it back to life a little bit.”
The other building is an old railway house brought from nearby Palmwoods, called The Postman’s Cottage – named because the Smiths ran the area’s first post office from this site from 1897-1910.
For a blissful two nights, The Postman’s Cottage is the base from which I explore the region.
My first stop is the Kondalilla Falls Circuit, which features cascading 90m falls and pretty rock pools, set within the 1,591ha Kondalilla National Park.
Though this well-marked trail is barely 5km, there are more than 300 stairs along the route, so I’m huffing, puffing and hungry by the time I get back to the carpark.
Fortunately, Mapleton Public House is only a short drive away. First opened in 1910, this long-established watering hole used to be called the Mapleton Tavern.
Painted a slightly deeper shade of dusty pink than Eastnor House, the Mapleton Public House has had its own makeover at the hands of Ben Johnston and Jess Huddart.
Though this well-marked trail is barely 5km, there are more than 300 stairs along the route, so I’m huffing, puffing and hungry by the time I get back to the carpark.
Fortunately, Mapleton Public House is only a short drive away. First opened in 1910, this long-established watering hole used to be called the Mapleton Tavern.
Painted a slightly deeper shade of dusty pink than Eastnor House, the Mapleton Public House has had its own makeover at the hands of Ben Johnston and Jess Huddart.
The couple also owns The Falls Farm nearby, which cultivates and sells fruit and vegetables you won’t usually find at the supermarket – deep purple carrots, baby watermelon radishes, tangy nagami cumquats, and bronze fennel fronds.
On a rare tour of the 16ha regenerative farm, Jess said the first few years tested them.
“When we first arrived here, it was 80% covered in lantana,” she said.
“We’ve done a lot of work to get it to what it is today.”
Picking fresh produce at The Falls Farm at Mapleton.
The Falls Farm also supplies much of the produce for the Mapleton Public House’s kitchen, which is helmed by ex-Spicers chef Cameron Matthews.
As I savour distant ocean views, Cameron sends out a series of dishes which cast vegetables in a starring role – from roasted red cabbage to stumpy Kuroda carrots with njuda, smoked coconut and dried mushroom garum.
Afterwards, I head to the cellar door of Montville’s Flame Hill Vineyard, where I sip on tasting glasses of fiano, verdelho and chardonnay. There are many other places to enjoy a tipple in these green hills, from the Brouhaha Brewery to Clouds Vineyard at the Barrel, both in Maleny.
You can explore the hinterland’s wineries, breweries and distilleries, by climbing aboard a Creative Tours mini-bus. Joining a scheduled group tour gives access to private tastings and behind-the-scenes tours which aren’t accessible to the general public.
Sampling the food at Mapleton Public House.
Another way to further your foodie passion is by signing up to a half-day group cooking class at Spicers Tamarind Retreat.
Under the tutelage of chef Paul Blain, I pound chillis, chop lemongrass and slice makrut leaves, as part of the preparations for making a Thai green curry.
In one of the old-meets-new twists that characterise this region, it turns out that Blain, before selling to Spicers Retreats, had purchased this property back in 1998, building five rooms in the style of Asian longhouses and planting more than 8,500 endemic rainforest trees.
After a marathon cooking session, we dine on the fruits of our labours, sip supplied glasses of wine, and package the leftovers into sustainable takeaway containers. The only thing left to do from there is to start planning the next meal.
The writer was a guest of Montville Estate, Visit Sunshine Coast and Spicers Tamarind Retreat.
Photos TEQ, Hannah Puechmarin, Visit Sunshine Coast