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.

William Skene – A Blackall Range Pioneer Passes

Agnes and William Skene C. 1915 Mr. William Skene, of Maroochydore, collapsed and died by the side of his car a short distance from the...

When the tough get going – Maria and George Butt pioneers of Montville

Many families in the mid-1800’s migrated to Australia from England for various reasons. It could have been the prospect of making a...

Montville Village Hall

(From Treasurer’s Report 13th March 1903) “…on the 20th September 1902, at Mr Edward Smith’s House ( the present Montville Art Gallery ),...

Tramping the Blackalls

Daily Mail (Brisbane, Qld. 1903 – 1926), Wednesday 23 June 1926, p. 3 TRAMPING THE BLACKALLS – To Flaxton and Mapleton A LAND OF PLEASANT...

The Wyer Family of Flaxton

This Wyer Family Story has been compiled partly as a genealogy and as a chronology of the early pioneering days. Bob Wyer was interviewed...

The Skene Family of “Bon Accord”

Lots of Cousins! This is a brief history of the Skene family who settled at “Bon Accord” in Flaxton, just of the first 3 generations,...

The Short Families of Hunchy

This is the house of the Shorts in Hunchy, early 1900s The Short families represented another early family group, like the Smiths, of...

The Negus Family

Negus Road George Oswald Negus (Os) was born in Maryborough on 25 April 1873. His father had emigrated from Surrey, England to...

The Hunchy Senescall Family

Frank Senescall was born in April 1864 at Glanford Brigg, Lincolnshire. His parents were Jonathan and Hannah (nee Drinkall). Frank’s...

The G.E. Brown Family

George E. Brown on the steps of St Mary’s Church, 1914 George Edward Brown was 21 when he arrived in Montville in 1906 with his parents...

The Children of George and Maria Butt

George and Maria Butt were amongst the earliest settlers in Montville, Their story is told elsewhere on this website. They had ten...

The Bowser Family – First Pineapple Farmers

Among the early settlers of the district were Alfred & Harriet Bowser. Alfred was born in 1862 and lived on the Albert River near...

The Bark Hut by the Side of the Road

By Gordon Plowman The golden glow of evening invokes memories from the past and sometimes, when the mood is right, our minds take us back...

Salvation Army Barracks – Montville

On New Year’s Day 1897, ten Salvationists from Nambour rode to Razorback to lend support to local Salvationist, Frank Senescal who had...

Pioneers, Landowners and Builders Extraordinary

George Land Bury from Nambour Street mural George Land and Jane Ann Bury – Pioneers, Landowners and Builders Extraordinary of the Near...

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...

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...

Montville's First Settler - Thorvald Weitemeyer

THORVALD PETER LUDWIG (TPL) WEITEMEYER AKA CHARLIE (nickname during his travels in Queensland) or Tom (English version of Thorvald) A...

Montville Post Office

2022 marked 125 years of history for the Montville Post Office. Today residents are particularly grateful to have retained the Montville...