Maleny – A well serviced town

Maleny – A well serviced town

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Whilst small towns are often considered ‘backwaters’ and conjure up thoughts of few amenities and images of dated décor, Maleny is far from this. Instead, Maleny is a well serviced town with many of the usual amenities and the historic buildings are well kept with trendy interior decor. We enjoyed coming here as ‘tourists with a special mission’ on our exploratory holiday before deciding to move here and we still love the township. It has gotten busier though with weekends and school holidays bustling with the temporary population explosion. But that’s okay because we know how to scoot around on the back street to avoid ‘those’ people who can’t quite do the reverse angle parking.

I am a planner (Can you tell?). So, before we moved here, I checked out what was around. I have listed a range of services and public amenities for your convenience below. Whilst the list is probably not exhaustive (but what list is) it is way more comprehensive than the original ‘does it have schools, doctors and a supermarket?’ that I wanted to know.

Information Centre (Community Centre)

Drop in and peruse the local tourist options, grab a local walking ‘trail’ map and look at the old photos of Maleny.

 Public Restrooms

Whilst Aussies have no issues calling things exactly what they are I will refrain from shocking our American friends and just use the more polite ‘Restroom’ terminology here. Be aware that not all cafes have restrooms and may direct you to the nearest public option.

  • Tesch Park (next to the Maleny Library)
  • Next to the Community Hall – tucked down the lane

And further afield:

  • Maleny Showgrounds
  • Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve
  • Baroon Pocket Dam (aka Lake Baroon) via Maleny

Parks

For a restful break or quiet lunch try visiting one of the local parks in town:

  • Tesch Park (restroom, barbeques, picnic tables/benches, playground, natural shade)
  • Cooke Park (seating and playground, natural shade)
  • Bicentennial Park (picnic tables/benches – natural shade)
  • Pecan Park (rotunda but lots of bats so you may want to do the walk along the river but not stay in the park, opportunity to see one of the local lizard varieties – the Eastern Water Dragon)

Out of town:

  • Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve (park, picnic tables/benches, barbecues, playground, views)
  • Gardners Falls (walk and waterfall depending on the rainfall)
  • Baroon Pocket Dam (North Maleny side – park, barbecues, playground, views)

Barbeque facilities

These barbecues are available for public use at no cost though I would recommend a clean before use or a couple of layers of aluminium foil. Oh, and they require just a little patience as they can be a bit on the slow side.

  • Tesch Park
  • Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve
  • Baroon Pocket Dam (North Maleny side)

Swimming facilities

We love a swim on a hot day and if you have time and need a quick refresh try one of these. Of course, if you are an avid swimmer and love putting in a few laps everyday check out the pool as your best option.

  • Maleny Public Pool (check opening hours and entry charges – Bunya Street, Maleny)
  • Gardners Falls (only in good weather and not rain swollen)
  • Baroon Pocket Dam (North Maleny side – designated swimming area) check current water conditions as it is periodically closed to swimming)

Lookouts

I personally love a lookout, having been to many here and elsewhere, I enjoy both the ones I can just tumble out the car to enjoy the view (or peer out the window) and those that require a lot more effort. These listed below are the ‘park and look’ variety.

  • McCarthy’s Lookout (for Glasshouse Mountains view with undercover picnic tables/benches, 10 minutes by car)
  • Mary Cairncross Park (free access to viewing deck above the café – 12 minutes by car)
  • The Lookout - Landsborough Maleny Road (3/4 up the mountain)
  • Howell’s Knob Lookout (10 minutes by car)

 For all things Medical:

Supermarkets

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, supermarkets are useful! I refer to them as ‘stupermarkets’ due to all the covert marketing strategies they employ. Whilst I try to avoid those pitfalls, I am not always successful especially when it’s an obvious advantage to me.

  • IGA – middle of Maple Street (hot food and salad bar, the usual groceries and gourmet food)
  • Woolworths - next to Maleny Hotel, before the bridge (hot food, salad bags, the usual groceries)

Other produce outlets

  • Maleny Street Co-op – 27 Maple Street (Health food shop for ‘local, organic, wholesome and ethical products’)
  • Maleny Sunday Market -RSL Hall and outside Sunday 8am -2pm, Bunya Street, near the bridge

Maleny Library

5 Coral Street, Maleny. This is a quiet and airconditioned place to read and relax. You can book a computer here but you need to be a ‘member’ however there is free WiFi 24/7. https://library.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au/Technology/WiFi

 FREE WiFi is also available at Telstra – payphone booths at

  • Corner of Maple Street and Teak Street
  • Corner of Maple Street and Fig Street

https://exchange.telstra.com.au/free-wi-fi-is-now-available-to-anyone-across-selected-telstra-payphones/

 Post office

The ‘Australia Post Office’ is located towards the back of the Riverside Shopping Centre opposite the roundabout.

Banking

Banking is limited, with only two banks having branches in Maleny and the services are likely limited to non-account holders, the Queensland Country Bank and Bank of Queensland.

There are 3 ATM’s in Maleny that are used by multiple banks though I cannot be sure if any allow cash withdrawl from foreign cards i.e. Westpac, Bank of Queensland (BOQ) and atmx.

Visa and MasterCard are readily accepted however Diner’s and American Express are not.

Foreign Cash Exchange

Please be aware there are no facilities in Maleny to exchange foreign cash for Australian dollars. Please use the facilities at the airport or prepare this before you leave home. The nearest options I could find are around 35 minutes away at the Sunshine Coast Plaza with 3 locations within our region’s largest shopping centre.

 Mobile Phone plans

You have a couple of options that I am aware of but depends on your country. Please do your homework on this one before leaving home but here are some examples

  • You can either arrange for your existing plan to include International Roaming for Australia
  • if your phone is unlocked, you can buy a sim card at the airport
  • or buy an eSim online from Woolworths (uses the Telstra network) if your phone is eSim capable

Mobile phone range is best achieved in rural areas using the Telstra network, though within Maleny itself and on the Sunshine Coast other networks such as Vodaphone and Optus may work just as well. However, if you are traveling in more regional areas, it is best to stick with Telstra.

Fuel

You are spoilt for choice we have two fuel stations in town! One on the way in on Bunya Street and not surprisingly, one on the way out the other side on Macadamia Drive.

Mechanical repairs

If your vehicle requires some mechanical repairs, there are several options, but come and see me for the best option for the problem.

Golf Course

And lastly, whilst this is not a ‘free’ amenity, I thought it’d be interesting to note ‘we’ have a golf club. This bit of hallowed turf to the golfing faithful was long petitioned for by a keen set of golfing locals. It does allow public bookings but this would still need you to BYO clubs, and like umbrella’s, these are tricky on planes.

Purchase Your Ticket Here

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