Maleny () is a small scenic town 90 km north of Brisbane in the Blackall Range hinterland overlooking the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. Brisbane ( is the state capital of Queensland. Brisbane is the third most populous city in Australia and the most populous city of Queensland The Blackall Range is a Mountain range in South East Queensland. The Sunshine Coast (population 290645 with up to an additional 50000 in visitors and seasonal workers is a coastal region located in South East Queensland, north of the Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern corner of the mainland continent For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Nearby towns include Landsborough, Montville and Peachester. Montville is a small town in the Sunshine Coast hinterland on the Blackall Range in Queensland, Australia. Nearby places of geographical significance include the Glass House Mountains and Baroon Pocket Dam. Glass House Mountains is a national park in Queensland ( Australia) 70 km northeast of Brisbane. Lake Baroon is formed by Baroon Pocket Dam a Dam constructed in 1988 on Obi Obi Creek.
It hosts the Maleny Wood Expo From Chainsaw to Fine Furniture each year, hosted by Barung Landcare and showcases the regions finest wood artisans.
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Geography
Situated approximately 450 metres (1,450 feet) above sea level, Maleny has a sub-tropical climate with cool clear winters and warm wet summers. A high annual rainfall approaching 1800mm (70 inches) gives rise to the characteristic green rolling hills. Prior to European settlement, the area was covered in thick sub-tropical rainforest with huge hardwood trees. Timber-getters in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries opened up the area seeking valuable timber, which was prized locally and in Europe. Heavy logging led to the almost complete denuding of the rainforest clad hills in the district around Maleny. Pockets of forest remain in steeper terrain and in one large remnant patch (around 40 Hectares or 100 Acres) which now forms Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve. The Mary Cairncross Reserve is a conservation park located on the Blackall Range east of Maleny, Australia.
History
The area around Maleny was originally populated by two aboriginal groups, the Nalbo people and the Dallambara group. The area was known for its bunya feasts which happened every third year when the giant bunya tree was in fruit. Araucaria bidwillii is a large Evergreen Coniferous tree in the Genus Araucaria, family Araucariaceae.
The first European to document Maleny was the explorer Ludwig Leichhardt who describes the area in his travel diary in 1844. Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig Leichhardt ( October 23, 1813 - probably 1848 in Inner Australia was a Prussian explorer and naturalist Year 1844 ( MDCCCXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year The first European settlement followed in the wake of the Gympie gold rush of 1867. The town of Gympie is located in south eastern Queensland, Australia, and is approximately 160 kilometres north of the state capital Brisbane Year 1867 ( MDCCCLXVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Maleny was a timber town until the early 1920s and then was a centre of dairy production with a butter factory which declined in the 1960s.
Tourism
Maleny has replaced its timber-cutting and dairying past with tourism with a large influx of people who wanted an alternative lifestyle. As well as being on the Hinterland tourist drive, Maleny attracts day trippers from Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast who are attracted to the various stores, art galleries and specialty shops. Brisbane ( is the state capital of Queensland. Brisbane is the third most populous city in Australia and the most populous city of Queensland There are several places around the globe that use the name Sunshine Coast.
Development and Protests
Maleny's popularity with tourists from nearby Brisbane and Sunshine Coast brought change with an increase in development. Some local residents have resisted some of the development, the most notable being the new Woolworths. Woolworths Limited is a major Australian company with extensive retail interest throughout Australia and New Zealand. Many locals were opposed to the idea (79% of local residents opposed according to "Market Facts" survey 20/07/05). Of particular concern was that the supermarket was to be built over a significant platypus habitat. The Platypus ( Ornithorhynchus anatinus) is a semi- aquatic Mammal endemic to eastern Australia, including Tasmania. Maleny Voice FAQs. Many were concerned that 'Corporate' was seen as moving into the small 'local' town, which perhaps explains why there were no similar 'save the platypus' protests when the library and Riverside Centre were built on the banks of the same creek. Despite protests and an offer to purchase the site for AUD$2 million (pledged by local residents) the supermarket opened. Badges and posters reading "I WON'T SHOP THERE" are seen in Maleny as part of the anti-Woolworths campaign, though active opposition is declining. These events have been documented by national media and have spawned a website and magazine as well as an action group.
Attractions
Maleny is home to a large number of cooperative enterprises. There are art galleries, health food and organic produce stores, cafes, a co-op credit union, thriving business centre, rural settlements, alternative schools, alternative medical treatment, organic farming, intentional communities, and others.
Maleny hosted the Maleny Folk Festival from its inception in 1987 to 1994, when it was moved to the nearby town of Woodford and renamed the Woodford Folk Festival. Woodford is a small town in Queensland, Australia, on the D'Aguilar Highway 72 km north-west of Brisbane and 24km west of Caboolture The Woodford Folk Festival is an annual music festival held near the small country town of Woodford, 70 km north of Brisbane, Australia.
Baroon Pocket Dam
Baroon Pocket Dam constructed in 1989 is fed by the Obi Obi Creek, a significant tributary of the upper Mary River, which drains the basalt capped Maleny plateau. Water runoff statistics have been kept in this area since the 1940’s showing that the average annual rainfall is 2037mm and the runoff into Baroon Pocket Dam receives annually about 64,000ML. Since its construction the dam has become an important recreation area for the Sunshine Coast hinterland. The Baroon Pocket Dam holds about 61,000 megalitres of water and the treatment plant supplies about 150 megalitres of treated water to the Sunshine Coast daily. There is a sailing club, naval cadet unit, fishing club, secluded accommodation, and picnic facilities.
External links
- Range News - Local Newspaper
- Maleny travel guide from Wikitravel
- Maleny Local Weather - (community-funded operation)
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