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Mapleton ~ Queensland
Mapleton is a small country town at the northern end of the Blackall Ranges in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland. It is 95 kilometres north of Brisbane and is surrounded by rolling hills, dairy farms and National Parks.
On our recent visit to Mapleton, we started the day with a walk around the town and Lilyponds Park, enjoyed Devonshire tea at The Barn on Flaxton, viewed Mapleton Falls, wandered around the Wompoo Circuit and then hiked to Baxter Falls.
Mapleton has a hotel, bakery, small supermarket, cafes, and several other shops.
The Mapleton Lilyponds are located in the heart of Mapleton and feature a pond full of lily pads, walking tracks, playgrounds, picnic shelters, shady trees and large open grassed areas.
Five kilometres from Mapleton, perched in the Blackall Ranges, is The Barn on Flaxton. It was established in 1969 and is a quaint cafe serving coffee, breakfast and lunch seven days a week. It also has fresh produce, local art and unique gifts. We enjoyed a delicious Devonshire tea in the relaxing gardens at the front of the cafe.
Mapleton Falls is located in The Mapleton Falls National Park, approximately 4 kilometres from Mapleton. The Mapleton Falls Lookout provides stunning views over the Obi Obi Valley. Unfortunately, you can only see the top of Mapleton Falls from here, and there is no access to the base of the falls.
Mapleton Falls is the tallest waterfall in the Sunshine Coast region and is where Pencil Creek cascades 120 metres over the rock ledge into the ancient rainforest below.
In the Mapleton Falls National Park, we wandered around the Wompoo Circuit. This undulating 1.3-kilometre circuit track meanders through rainforest and eucalypt forest and takes about 45 minutes. It is named after the Wompoo Fruit Dove and has informative signs along the well-defined track.
We then hiked to Baxter Falls from the Northern entrance, which starts near Suses Pocket Road on the outskirts of Mapleton.
It is a moderate four 4-kilometre return hike and is part of the Sunshine Coast Hinterland Great Walks in the Kondalilla National Park. The narrow track winds its way down through the forest, and you cross over the suspension bridge just before you reach the falls.
Baxter Falls is a 22-metre waterfall that flows over the rocks into a deep pool below.
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