There's something about hills of rolling green grass that make me want to burst into song.
Wait - am I having a 'Sound of Music' moment? Well perhaps, but my excitement could be excused when you look inside Elements at Montville, a quirky tea house perched on the top of the range in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland.
Along with lashings of old fashioned service and a seasonal menu with seriously tempting goodies, is a store filled to the brim with colourful vintage and modern homewears, fab jewellery, art and flowers. It's the sort of place that can almost distract you from hunger as you wander through the displays and allow yourself to indulge in a little fantasy.
We arrived for breakfast on a rainy Saturday morning to be greeted by owner Sarah Hallam and shown to a table with a view over the green hillside just up the road from Kondaililla Falls. It was almost more than one could ask to stop exploring the store and actually order the food. But we were all glad that we did when it arrived promptly, accompanied by a wonderful smile.
Our breakfast choices included a wonderful banana and fig bread, toasted and topped with fresh banana and maple syrup ($8.95), breakfast trifle with layered yoghurt, organic muesli and fruit ($10.50) and
eggs the way you like on spinach and toasted sourdough ($8.95).
Other choices were Elements eggs benedict ($14.95) and seasonal fresh fruit with organic yoghurt ($9.50).
I just loved their bright and cheery table settings and couldn't resist this corgi wall plaque for Tucker's (the dog) bedroom which is really the laundry.
The weather was not my friend on this visit and it didn't allow me much opportunity to explore outside my accommodation at Tree Houses at Montville. Set on 20 acres of rain forest adjacent to Kondalilla Falls National Park, Tree Houses feels just like you are in the middle of the national park.
Inside was warm and cozy while the rain streamed down outside. Upside was that it made the waterfalls on the property quite spectacular. It also meant I had no guilty feeling about filling the large spa bath to the brim and relaxing for over an hour!
Elements at Montville
38 Kondalilla Falls Road,
Montville, Sunshine Coast, Queensland. +61 7 5478 6212.
Tree Houses of Montville,
Lot 5 Kondalilla Falls Road, Montville, 1800 444 350