Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve

A spectacular place to visit for walks of different lengths, and a great place for views of the Glasshouse Mountains, rainforest exploring on guided trails, and to look around the Discovery Centre. The staff in the discovery centre were really helpful, and took the time to show us nearby wildlife, including snakes and spiders that had been spotted in the morning. Coin (or EFTPOS) donations are optional at the centre.

What a lovely place to visit. Parking is ample and if you make your wat to the main building, reception will point you to the start of a lovely rainforest walk that takes between 45 -60 mins.

Magnificent trees, birdlike as well as wildlife. The constant sound of bird calls will follow through the whole walk. There is also an observation deck for pictures of the glasshouse mountains.

There are suitable amenities including food and drink with great views.

This is a spectacular place to visit in the Hinterland. It is a 30 minute drive from the Sunshine Coast and just over an hour from Brisbane.
The View Cafe has incredible views over the Glass House Mountains.
The short circuit through the rainforest is a flat easy walk. It is full of giant trees, vines and plants. There is a constant chorus of birds singing loudly. My favourite was the cat bird.
If you are quiet you may see a pademelon, which is a type of wallaby.
I would highly recommend visiting Mary Caincross Scenic Reserve. It is great for families.

Arrived mid-morning and car park almost full, but the park didn't feel crowded. Enjoyed the coolness of the reserve on a hot sticky day. Easy flat walk around the forest trail, well sign-posted and fine for pushchairs. Saw pademelons - cute marsupials smaller than wallabies. Spotted many leafy entries to giant earthworm burrows. Lovely birdsong in the forest. Child-friendly, hands-on science centre... gold coin donation. Staffed by volunteers

Cafe had a great selection of savoury and sweet dishes, all very well priced, with Glasshouse Mountains view.

Amazing view... Wonderful and was quite a peaceful getaway even on a Sunday.
Very dry at the moment... But still plenty of wildlife to see... Probably saw 8 different wallabies on the walk

Lovely familytime. Grandchildren had fun on the playground and plenty of green space for ball games.
There is plenty of seating and tables and BBQ's around the perimeter, all within sight of the playground.
Amenities are available both in the park and near the cafe and entrance to the walking tracks.

Excellent facility for locals and tourists alike. The views of The Glasshouse Mountains are breathtaking with various forest walks a banquet for your senses. All the volunteer staff are super friendly and knowledgeable.
After enjoying the ambience of raw nature, food and refreshments are varied and reasonably priced in the cafe / bistro.
We've been a number of times and each visit has been thoroughly enjoyable.
Delighted to recommend.

Love it here, saw lots of birds and some paddymelons. So peaceful and tranquil. The view of the glasshouse mountains is so amazing and the rainforest walk is super easy and cool. The resturant is also really good, great breakfasts.

Beautiful outlook to the Glasshouse Mountains. Short walks (just over a km) through the rainforest where you could hear the beautiful sounds of the various bird life and spot cute little pademelons. Read up on all the various trees and who inhabits them or eats from them.

A beautiful walk, friendly, knowledgeable staff. Was so much better than l expected and a great opportunity to spot some local wildlife.

"Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve is a hidden gem that every nature lover must visit. The breathtaking rainforest views are simply awe-inspiring, and the beauty of the flora and fauna is unlike anything I've ever seen before. The reserve has well-maintained walking trails that offer an enjoyable and informative experience. Overall, I highly recommend Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve for anyone looking for a peaceful escape into nature."

An excellent place in the Sunshine Coast hinterland to take the kids for an educational and enjoyable wander through the rainforest, or if you just want to relax and have a enjoy nature for a while. It can get busy, even during the week, so be prepared to park on the road.

Lovely eco experience. Cafe is delightful with amazing view

Great spot. Bushwalks, education, views are stunning & a cafe to sit & take it all in.
I'll be back for a bushwalk next visit.

This was highly recommended by the hosts at our accommodation, and they were right! Very enjoyable (and easy) walk through the rain forest, with many bird sounds - and even a couple of wallabies along the way. A really good visitor information centre, too. There's also a cafe with an outside area with a spectacular view overlooking the Glass House mountains.

Gold coin donation to enter. It’s beautiful and peaceful walk. They have a café onsite. Great experience for the whole family or solo travellers. Photos and videos are posted when we did the 1-2kms walk. There are lots of tables with benches for picnic and they also have a short butterfly walk. Parking can be challenging during busy hours. Street parking is available.

Lovely relaxing place to wander for a few hours. So much bird life and we saw about 9 pademelon on our way around the track. Cafe is excellent also and staff/ volunteers very friendly and helpful.

This is a truly special place. We spent an afternoon/early evening here and loved the education centre and our walk was truly magical with the ancient vines and birdsong of so many birds. We stayed on later when things were quiet and saw many wallabies. The walk was flat and easy, our only disappointment was that one of the loops was closed for improvements so we weren't able to explore it all. One of the most beautiful places we've ever visited, keep up the good work protecting this lovely place.

Stunning xx beautifully set up, peaceful, quiet, cool, easy walk. Congratulations to the Cairncross Family for their forethought and the fabulous volunteers for all their amazing work and who are full of information. All for a gold coin donation 👍

Great place to go for a walk in one of the last remaining patches of sub tropical rain forest in the area. Lots of birds, butterflies and pademelons among the trees. Check out the information centre first so that you know what to look out and listen for. The volunteers are friendly and have helpful information too.