Mapleton Falls National Park

Mapleton Falls National Park sits on Mapleton Falls Road at Mapleton, in the lush Sunshine Coast hinterland near Montville. A beautiful, compact national park, it's centred on the spectacular Mapleton Falls, where Pencil Creek plunges over a dramatic escarpment — with a lookout offering gorgeous views and a walking track winding through the surrounding rainforest.

The appeal is that combination of a stunning waterfall, a lovely lookout and a pleasant rainforest walk: the falls lookout offers wonderful views over the cascade and the valley below, while the Wompoo walking circuit takes you through beautiful rainforest, with the chance to spot birds and wildlife. It's a rewarding, accessible taste of the hinterland's natural beauty.

With a 4.6 rating from more than 800 reviews, it's a much-loved spot. The park, lookout and trails are free and open, but conditions vary with the weather and the rainforest tracks can be slippery, so it's worth checking before you go — and taking water, sun protection and decent footwear — while enjoying the waterfall, lookout and rainforest that make Mapleton Falls such a lovely hinterland escape.