Mapleton, Queensland
Encyclopedia
Mapleton is a small town in Queensland
's Sunshine Coast
hinterland, with a population of around 2,000 people. It includes the Lilyponds, the Mapleton Tavern and historic Seaview House (St Isidore's Farm College), and is well known for its 180 degree panoramic views of the Sunshine Coast.
The town is located high on the Blackall Range
s, 10 minutes drive from Nambour
, 25 minutes from Maleny
and 30 minutes from Maroochydore
.
and beech
timber taking it to Nambour. Initially the settlement was known as Luton Vale until 1899 when the name was changed after the English town.
In 1906 the road from the Mary Valley
to Mapleton was complete. By 1909 a sawmill was operating in the town. It closed in 1972. From 1915 through until 1944, Mapleton was served by a 2 ft (610 mm) gauge tramway
which ran nearly 18 kilometres from Nambour. It was worked by two shay locomotive
s. Pineapples, dairying and small crops were the towns major industries until the late 1950s. The scenic beauty of the area has allowed tourism to dominate in the decades since.
for the community.
forests and picturesque mountain scenery. Picnic tables, toilets, barbecues, firewood and drinking water are provided.
The Lilyponds area was for many years a swamp and underwent an $800,000 makeover to turn it into a community park. There are free BBQ's, children's play park and covered seating areas. The area next to Fish Tales Seafood Café is home to the Mapleton Market which are held four times a year in March, June, September and December.
Delicia Road Conservation Park is a small park protecting remnant forest communities. It is a refuge for wildlife and a place where visitors can enjoy the native forest. The land was donated by Linda Garrett and so locals refer to it as Linda Garrett Park. There is a 2.2 kilometre walk called the Linda Garrett circuit which passes through rainforest, a palm grove and tall, wet, eucalypt forest. The Great Barred Frog
may be seen along Gheerulla Creek and birdwatchers may hear the melodic, drumming call of the endangered Marbled Frogmouth
.
Mapleton Falls National Park
marks the point just west of Mapleton where Pencil Creek cascades 120 metres over an escarpment. This small, day-use-only park, shelters many bird species, including the Peregrine Falcon
, Eastern Whipbird
and Wompoo Fruit-dove
. From the carpark there is a short walk to Mapleton Falls lookout with wheelchair access to toilet and lookout. The panoramic view takes in the waterfall and Obi Obi Valley. From the open, grassy picnic area, the Wompoo circuit winds through eucalypts and rainfores where visitors may hear the fruit-dove’s booming calls, 'wallock-a-woo' and 'book-a-roo'. Near the causeway pool frogs may be heard and distinctive hexagonal volcanic rocks seen.
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
's Sunshine Coast
Sunshine Coast, Queensland
The Sunshine Coast is an urban area in South East Queensland, north of the state capital of Brisbane on the Pacific Ocean coastline. Although it does not have a central business district, by population it ranks as the 10th largest metropolis in Australia and the third largest in...
hinterland, with a population of around 2,000 people. It includes the Lilyponds, the Mapleton Tavern and historic Seaview House (St Isidore's Farm College), and is well known for its 180 degree panoramic views of the Sunshine Coast.
The town is located high on the Blackall Range
Blackall Range
The Blackall Range is a mountain range in South East Queensland, Australia. The first European explorer in the area was Ludwig Leichhardt. It was named after Samuel Blackall, the second Governor of Queensland....
s, 10 minutes drive from Nambour
Nambour, Queensland
The area now known as Nambour, was first settled in 1870. The town was then called Petrie's Creek. In 1890 the Maroochy Divisional Board was established...
, 25 minutes from Maleny
Maleny, Queensland
Maleny is a small, scenic town north of Brisbane on the Blackall Range overlooking the Sunshine Coast hinterland in Queensland, Australia. Nearby towns include Landsborough, Montville and Peachester...
and 30 minutes from Maroochydore
Maroochydore, Queensland
Maroochydore is an urban centre on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia.Maroochydore is a major commercial area of the Sunshine Coast with most shopping precincts located in the central business district. It is home to the Sunshine Plaza shopping centre and the Sunshine Coast's major bus...
.
History
Early settlers the area grew fruit, vegetables and ceral crops. The first timber cutters extracted red cedarToona ciliata
Australian Red Cedar , Toona ciliata is a forest tree in the family Meliaceae which grows throughout southern Asia from Afghanistan to Papua New Guinea and Australia. In Australia its natural habitat is now extensively cleared subtropical rainforests of New South Wales and Queensland...
and beech
Beech
Beech is a genus of ten species of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia and North America.-Habit:...
timber taking it to Nambour. Initially the settlement was known as Luton Vale until 1899 when the name was changed after the English town.
In 1906 the road from the Mary Valley
Mary River (Queensland)
The Mary River is a river system in South East Queensland, Australia. The river rises at Booroobin in the Sunshine Coast hinterland, west of Landsborough...
to Mapleton was complete. By 1909 a sawmill was operating in the town. It closed in 1972. From 1915 through until 1944, Mapleton was served by a 2 ft (610 mm) gauge tramway
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
which ran nearly 18 kilometres from Nambour. It was worked by two shay locomotive
Shay locomotive
The Shay locomotive was the most widely used geared steam locomotive. The locomotives were built to the patents of Ephraim Shay, who has been credited with the popularization of the concept of a geared steam locomotive...
s. Pineapples, dairying and small crops were the towns major industries until the late 1950s. The scenic beauty of the area has allowed tourism to dominate in the decades since.
Community
Mapleton has many community services, associations and clubs including the Mapleton & District Community Associations (MADCA), a bowls club and community gym, the Mapleton Community Library which is run by volunteer staff, a tourist information and arts centre, a choir, tennis club, kindergarten and rural fire service and post office. There is also a medical centre which provides primary health carePrimary health care
Primary health care, often abbreviated as “PHC”, has been defined as "essential health care based on practical, scientifically sound and socially acceptable methods and technology made universally accessible to individuals and families in the community through their full participation and at a cost...
for the community.
Primary school
The Mapleton State Primary School was 100 years old in 1999 and caters for around 200 local children. The school grounds are large and include Baxters Creek and a new covered multi-purpose area, administration offices and resource centre which opened in December 2009. The school is home to the Mapleton Observatory.Visitors and facilities
Mapleton attracts visitors following the Blackall Range tourist drive who visit the shops on Obi Road and Post Office Road. These shops include a fish and chip shop, country pharmacy, cafe and delicatessen, general store, coffee shop, antique shop, second hand book shop, chocolate shop and cafe, and pizza and pasta restaurant. Further along Post Office Road is a leadlight workshop and a tavern with bottle shop. The Arts and Craft Centre on Obi Road provides local artists and craftspeople with a shop to display their wares as well as tourist information. Mapleton also has a hardware, IGA, BP service station, two real estate agents and a number of massage services, alternative therapists, physiotherapist and hairdressers. The Zonta Club of the Blackhall Range produces a business directory including many of these. There are public toilets in the park between the tavern and the school and also at the Lilyponds play park.Forests and parks
Mapleton Forest Reserve protects rainforest remnants with Bunya Pines, Piccabeen palm groves, tall open blackbuttEucalyptus
Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia...
forests and picturesque mountain scenery. Picnic tables, toilets, barbecues, firewood and drinking water are provided.
The Lilyponds area was for many years a swamp and underwent an $800,000 makeover to turn it into a community park. There are free BBQ's, children's play park and covered seating areas. The area next to Fish Tales Seafood Café is home to the Mapleton Market which are held four times a year in March, June, September and December.
Delicia Road Conservation Park is a small park protecting remnant forest communities. It is a refuge for wildlife and a place where visitors can enjoy the native forest. The land was donated by Linda Garrett and so locals refer to it as Linda Garrett Park. There is a 2.2 kilometre walk called the Linda Garrett circuit which passes through rainforest, a palm grove and tall, wet, eucalypt forest. The Great Barred Frog
Great Barred Frog
The Great Barred Frog is an Australian ground-dwelling frog of the genus Mixophyes.-Physical description:...
may be seen along Gheerulla Creek and birdwatchers may hear the melodic, drumming call of the endangered Marbled Frogmouth
Marbled Frogmouth
The Marbled Frogmouth is a species of bird in the Podargidae family.It is found in Australia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Solomon Islands....
.
Mapleton Falls National Park
Mapleton Falls National Park
Mapleton Falls is a national park near the town of Mapleton, Queensland, Australia, 95 km north of Brisbane.-See also:* Protected areas of Queensland*...
marks the point just west of Mapleton where Pencil Creek cascades 120 metres over an escarpment. This small, day-use-only park, shelters many bird species, including the Peregrine Falcon
Peregrine Falcon
The Peregrine Falcon , also known as the Peregrine, and historically as the Duck Hawk in North America, is a widespread bird of prey in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-gray back, barred white underparts, and a black head and "moustache"...
, Eastern Whipbird
Eastern Whipbird
The Eastern Whipbird is an insectivorous passerine bird native to the east coast of Australia, its whip-crack call a familiar sound in forests of eastern Australia. Two subspecies are recognised. Heard much more often than seen, it is a dark olive-green and black in colour with a distinctive white...
and Wompoo Fruit-dove
Wompoo Fruit-Dove
The Wompoo Fruit Dove , also known as Wompoo Pigeon, is the largest of Fruit Doves native to New Guinea and Australia.-Description:...
. From the carpark there is a short walk to Mapleton Falls lookout with wheelchair access to toilet and lookout. The panoramic view takes in the waterfall and Obi Obi Valley. From the open, grassy picnic area, the Wompoo circuit winds through eucalypts and rainfores where visitors may hear the fruit-dove’s booming calls, 'wallock-a-woo' and 'book-a-roo'. Near the causeway pool frogs may be heard and distinctive hexagonal volcanic rocks seen.