Two Easter Open Gardens in Montville

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Sat 19 Apr 2025 - Sun 20 Apr 2025

Visit two private gardens on Easter Saturday and Easter Sunday



Nestled in the scenic Sunshine Coast hinterland is the picture-perfect town of Montville. A popular destination for tourists and locals alike, Montville offers a variety of cultural experiences for visitors of all ages. But behind the boutique cafes and craft markets lies a rich insight into the region’s past.



Peter Weitemeyer and his wife, Isabella, were the original pioneers of Montville and in 1887 selected land on Mill Hill Road for their home. This land was initially used for plantations, providing most of the Sunshine Coast region with produce such as bananas, oranges, pineapples, macadamias, avocados and strawberries. These plantations produced an excellent income for many of the region’s families and contributed to increasing the value of land. In the early 1900s, Montville became a part of the Moreton Mill tramway, carrying passengers, timber, livestock, fruit and sugar cane between larger settlements in Queensland’s south east. Once a month it ran day excursions for visitors from Brisbane.



Today, Montville is a charming little town with a permanent population of just over 900.  It is amazing how this town’s industry evolved from small agricultural beginnings into the thriving tourist destination it is today.

Feel like you haven’t visited the picturesque village of Montville in a while, then the two Easter Open Gardens, are offering gardeners and garden lovers, the perfect reason to revisit this quaint little village to enjoy two privately owned gardens, both of which are located in Western Avenue in Montville.



The two privately-owned gardens opening over the Easter weekend are "Lower Woontooba”, owned by Jeff and Louise Tasker and “The Shambles”. For forty-three years Michael and Kyleigh Simpson of The Shambles enjoyed nurturing their private gardens together, permitting visitors to explore the special place they are so fortunate to call home. Kyleigh’s gardening partner/husband, unfortunately, passed away two years ago and 2025 will be the first time that Kyleigh is bravely opening the garden on her own.



Both of these Montville gardens embrace gorgeous Queenslander homes and are quite unlike each other, ensuring two special encounters for visitors. Lower Woontooba has a park-like quality with spectacular views of the dam, with exceptional plantings and mature trees surrounding the house.

The Shambles is a mature garden that has been a plant collectors project for more than thirty years.  As the garden has grown it has become a shady and welcoming retreat from the heat oftentimes experienced in the hinterland climate.



Raising funds for the Royal Flying Doctor Service, these two Easter Open Gardens provide a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for nature lovers to visit both gardens for the first time in two years, whether it’s as a first-timer or as a return visitor, to enjoy and appreciate the changes to the gardens.



Bookmark the dates, The Shambles and Lower Woontooba are promising visitors a real treat and the owners of these two exceptional properties are looking forward to welcoming gardeners and garden lovers to their two open days over Easter.



Dates and times: Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th April
Opening hours: 9.00am to 4.00pm
Locations: The Shambles, 85 Western Avenue, Montville and Lower Woontooba, 238 Western Avenue, Montville
Entry: $10 cash to each garden - Funds raised for Royal Flying Doctors Service

History of Montville courtesy and with thanks to https://www.montville-cabins.com.au/n/TheHistoryofMontville2cQueensland-416-75/

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