Hinterland Stories

Sharing the memories of Montville, Flaxton, Balmoral and Hunchy.

If you would like to share your own stories, please get in touch with us.

The Sunshine Coast Maestro of Music – Alfred Charles Short

Alfred Charles Short, nicknamed Shorty, was the iconic gentleman who serenaded the Blackall Range and the Sunshine Coast with his mouth...

The life-story of Flaxton born Rob Muirhead

I was born in Flaxton on 10 October 1910, moving to Montville, living in various places on the front road, now Balmoral Drive, and the...

Rock Pools and Waterfalls in the backyard – Growing up in 1970s Montville

by Julia Holloway (nee Pederson) I have treasured memories of growing up in Montville with my parents John and Jill Pederson and...

Rations and Song

Italian POWs in Montville from 1944 to 1945 When long term Montville resident, Les Gittins, told local historian and Montville Village...

Pioneering Days Recalled

This story was printed in the Daily Mail (Brisbane, Qld. (1903-1926), Sat. 25 November 1922, p. 15 BLACKALL RANGE – EARLY RECOLLECTIONS...

Pineapples and Pigeon Stew

The scent of pineapples instantly transports me back to Montville and my Grandparents’ farm where I spent many school holidays. The...

Pat Brown Interview 1985

Date of Interview: 12 March 1985 Place of Interview: Montville Interviewer: Gillian Pechey Transcriber: Colwyn Boulton Born: 1918...

North Maleny Pioneers

A wonderful history told by Mr. William Simpson, about the first visitors, and the ones who stayed, all while being helped by the local...

My memories of Palmwoods from the 1950s

By Jane Thompson nee Bellamy. Editor’s note. Jane Bellamy (Palmwoods) married Bill Thompson (Montville). This delightful story recaptures...

Montville State School - Pupil and Teacher

by Laurie Grimwade nee Smith The Pupil I was born in the Palmwoods Private Hospital on 23 November 1940, the third daughter of Peter and...

Montville Memories by the Moore Children

Life in Montville 1955-1965 Our parents, (Cecil and Dorothy), moved the family to Queensland from Victoria in October, 1955, ostensibly...

Louie made me a cap – More on our POWs in Flaxton

Gordon Plowman remembers a cap made by an Italian POW for him. This one memory has helped tell the story of the Italian POWs at Flaxton....

Living in Montville – 1951 to 1956

by Bill Thompson Our family came from England in 1947 as ten-pound poms. My father was a dentist and said that his hobbies were sailing...

Holidays at the Spotted Chook

I first holidayed at the Spotted Chook in 2012 and have been back with my extended family many times since. It was simply love at first...

Gordon Plowman - Knowing Things Military

Born in Palmwoods in 1940, by the time Victory in the Pacific was proclaimed in 1945, I was old enough to remember some aspects of WW2....

Farming Recollections by Rob Muirhead

Rob Muirhead recalls growing up on his Dad’s Farm I received a rifle for my 12th birthday with the instructions from Dad that “anything I...

Early Transport – Rob Muirhead Remembers

Rob Muirhead was born on 10/10/1910. My first memories of transport to Palmwoods was by wagon drawn by four horses. On the forward trip,...

Cricket midst the Cowpads – by Terry Glover

Cricket at the Sports Ground Doug Patterson asked Terry Glover what he remembered about cricket at the sports ground. Here is what he...

A Snapshot of School and Community in the 1970s

The Montville History Group asked pupils from this 1977 School photo to share their memories of growing up in Montville and to tell a...

Reminiscences of the Brown Family of Montville (1938-39) by Lucy O’Keefe.

Lucy O’Keefe was appointed as a teacher at the Montville State School in 1938, at the age of 21. In these reminiscences, recorded around...