Montville most welcoming

By Kirra Livingstone

TWO Sunshine Coast Hinterland towns are the among the most welcoming in the country according to a new survey of millions of tourists.

The 11th annual booking.com Traveller Review Awards has been released with Montville in fifth place and Maleny in sixth for the first time in the top ten most welcoming towns in Australia.

This year’s awards are based on a pool of over 240 million verified customer reviews on Booking.com with 1.36 million accommodation partners receiving an award in 2023, including 19,238 of these from Australia.

Maleny has slipped slightly in its standing after holding first place for two years running, while Montville has raced up the charts after finishing ninth last year.

Hinterland Tourism President Kerry Brown said the love shown for our region was thanks to the friendly local businesses across the popular tourist destinations.

“Most of how our businesses operate up here, we don’t have chain establishments, when you walk into an accommodation house or a restaurant, it’s usually owned and operated by the person greeting you,” Kerry said.

“People who own and operate our tourism ventures up here are very invested in what they do, they are world class professionals…I think that’s what gives us the edge to consistently make the top 10.” this year’s list, Kerry says both towns are great and it was hard to say why one town was more popular than the other.

“The local businesses in Montville do a lot to really look after the travellers and tourists and I think it’s just the experiences are very enjoyed,” she said.

“Our accommodation occupancy rates are really high in the Hinterland, when checking in or sharing helpful recommendations to explore the destination like a local that demonstrates how our partners show up and shine for local driving tips at the car rental counter or a thoughtful note waiting in the room, our passionate partners help make every trip more special.”

Garden club’s first bloom

Contributed by Patricia Bradford

PEACHESTER Garden Club members have enjoyed their first meeting of the year as they discussed the proliferation of pests following recent rain and increased temperatures.

Enjoying the shade on an otherwise sweltering day, Suella Lanceley welcomed members into their large and rather wild garden. Some solutions to the pest’s proliferation were discussed, with Suella noting that predatory insects soon arrived to attack the aphids. Members enjoyed wandering around the garden admiring the prolific growth. Most of the veggies are grown in wicking beds including a variety of exotic vegetables and herbs, which seems to handle the heat better.

Next meeting on Thursday, February 16 at 9.30am. It is the AGM and will be held in the Peachester Hall.

Members were reminded that subscriptions are due at the AGM. Please bring along a small plate to share for morning tea, entries for the competition bench and raffle prizes. New members and visitors always welcome. More info: 5496 9169.