A drive through the Sunshine Coast hinterland is always a beautiful one. It doesn't seem to matter whether the weather is hot or cold, wet or dry, it is simply gorgeous countryside with lots to offer. Having relatives that live in the area we've done the whole Montville- Maleny thing many times over. I'll never get sick of it, but I also like to visit some of the smaller towns in the area, just for something different.
The charming Flaxton Barn
Over the Christmas holiday period we decided to head up and do a bit of 4-wding in the Glasshouse Mountains before heading up to Flaxton for lunch. Here we stumbled across the Flaxton Barn.
Flaxton Barn is a delightful little shop selling a wide array of wares that would be bound to interest just about anyone. It's a quaint little building with a cafe attached to the side which we decided to try for lunch. You can either chose to sit inside the shop itself or enjoy nature on the lovely back veranda. UnfortunateIy, I wanted to like it so much more than I did.
The shopfront at Flaxton Barn
I think if we had decided to stop for coffee and cake we would very likely have found ourselves in heaven on earth because their sweets menu sounded to die for. The lunch menu is simple but still has some excellent sounding options on it. Sadly for us on a busy tourist day there were only about three options left that could actually be ordered. The staff were also fairly lacklustre in their service. It took them twenty minutes alone just to manage to make it back to the table to tell my partner that the dish he had ordered was no longer available.
Lunch Menu Flaxton Barn
To give them some credit however, when the meals did finally arrive they were tasty and well proportioned. I ended up deciding on the quiche of the day, which was Camembert and sun-dried tomato. The other half ordered a mince pie with mushy peas and ended up with chunky steak with salad but he really enjoyed it in the end. Their specialty chutneys, which can also be purchased to take home, are definitely worth an honourable mention - they are delicious and really make the meals.
Quiche of the Day
Chunky Steak Pie with Salad
In short if you are looking for a lovely browse in a cute country themed shop, and tea and coffee in a delightful bushy surround Flaxton Barn is probably a worthwhile stop on your journey. As for lunch however I think at this stage I might be directing my sights back towards the more populated townships in the area. I still cannot recommend the Maleny Pub or if you want something a little more upmarket, Poet's Cafe at Montville enough!
