100% Locally Owned, Independent and Free

100% Locally Owned, Independent and Free

Hinterland bonus: the mums who play together, stay together

Do you have a news tip? Click here to send to our news team.

Your say: breakthrough review, dingo problems and more

Do you have an opinion to share? Submit a Letter to the Editor at Sunshine Coast News via news@sunshinecoastnews.com.au. You must include your name and More

80+ PHOTOS: Coast pays tribute on ANZAC Day

Photographers Grant Richards and Brian Walsh were on hand during ANZAC Day commemorations for the Maroochy RSL and at Mooloolaba respectively. Related story: Lest we More

Flood rescue and lightning strike after night of heavy rain

A person has been rescued from floodwaters and another was struck by lightning after wild weather hit the Sunshine Coast. ANZAC Day commemorations went ahead More

Lest we forget: Coast pauses to remember on wet ANZAC Day

Across the Sunshine Coast this morning community members have gathered to pay heartfelt tribute to past and present servicemen and women as part of More

Never forgotten: veteran’s mission to keep ANZAC spirit alive

Every year on April 25, Australians and New Zealanders commemorate those who have given their lives, fought on the frontline, served in the Armed More

Easter feast: python devours possum at busy beach

A slithery creature has enjoyed quite the Easter feast while stunning visitors at a popular beach over the recent long weekend. Passers-by were stopped in More

Stand aside, Schoolies – the Moolies are in town and they’re here to party like it’s 1999.

A multi-award-winning Montville accommodation business – world-renowned for its romantic getaways to secluded cottages in the rainforest – is welcoming increasing numbers of long-established female friendship groups.

The Falls Montville owner Alan Dryden calls them ‘Moolies’: mothers who may have first met when their children were in kindergarten or primary school and have maintained contact long after their Schoolies graduated.

By the end of December, the business that is currently the No.1 traveller-ranked hotel in Australia on Tripadvisor expects to have hosted 32 such groups for the year – more than one per fortnight.

Scroll down to SUBSCRIBE for our FREE news feed, direct to your inbox daily.

The mums head for the hills of the hinterland around this time of year, especially, for their own less-boisterous but just-as-enthusiastic version of Schoolies – enjoying each other’s company while leaving partners at home to hold down the fort.

The Manor House at The Falls has become so popular for these gatherings, it could well be renamed ‘Moolie House’.

Mr Dryden said the groups usually booked The Manor House for its space, amenities and comfort, helping towards a very healthy 58 per cent repeat business (the six Rainforest Spa Cottages enjoy 48 per cent return custom, still exceeding industry standards).

The Manor House at The Falls Montville.

An example was a recent group of seven women, making their first visit to The Falls, on a mid-week escape from their Brisbane homes for two nights.

“They have been friends since their children went to kindergarten together about 35 years ago,” Mr Dryden said.

“They meet every Friday for drinks, and they go away twice a year to a different spot for a Moolies weekend or a Moolies mid-week.

Local journalists supporting local people. Help keep independent and fair Sunshine Coast news coming by subscribing to our FREE daily news feed. All it requires is your name and email at the bottom of this article.

“Two days after they left, they phoned up and they’ve rebooked for winter next year so they can come and enjoy the fireplace.”

And ‘the mother of all Moolies’ returns next week.

Cathy Hickey will be making her 28th trip to The Falls in eight years next Thursday, November 30, as part of a group of six friends and work colleagues from Brisbane and Redcliffe.

Women’s friendship groups are boosting the coffers of hinterland businesses as they organise short breaks across the year.

She visits five times a year as the ‘common denominator’ in three different circles of friends who all enjoy The Falls hospitality.

Ms Hickey said The Manor House was “the perfect place” to do as much or as little as they liked.

“Sometimes it’s the only chance you get to actually get together and relax away from the busyness of life,” she said of the women who are now of grandmother and great-grandmother age.

“Work gets in the way, life gets in the way, health gets in the way. By setting aside this time, you can concentrate on you and keep those friendships going because they’re very important.”

Montville businesses welcome women’s groups who want to shop ’til they drop and eat out on their trips to the Blackall Range. Picture: Shutterstock

Other recent female groups at The Falls have included:

  • six school friends on a three-day celebration of 30 years of friendship;
  • four women, who met at prenatal classes, having a break before their babies arrive;
  • eight real estate colleagues on a casual work retreat;
  • six women on a four-day golf escapade;
  • numerous bridal groups (bride plus bridesmaids) preparing for hinterland weddings;
  • a group of hikers using The Falls as a base for three days of bushwalks; and
  • four mothers of teenage children at the same school taking a well-earned weekend away.

And it seems Mr Dryden isn’t the only one who appreciates the women’s patronage.

“They’re recognised from hundreds of metres away by various retailers who try to cajole them back into their respective stores,” he joked.

The Manor House back deck is ‘Party Central’ for Moolies.

Mr Dryden believed retail, hospitality and tourism operators should be promoting their services, products and facilities more towards attracting women’s groups as an area of potential business growth.

“(We offer) a totally different experience to the shallower high-rise glitz of the Gold Coast and, we think, a far more enjoyable and relaxing experience,” he said.

“Particularly in the Sunshine Coast hinterland, businesses tend to be owner run and more intimate – making for a far higher standard of personal service and a more ‘plush’ and high-end stay.

“And the ladies often return to the Sunny Coast hinterland with their spouses for a romantic rainforest cottage experience at Narrows Escape, Secrets on the Lake or at The Falls Montville. They write up their experiences on Facebook and Instagram. It is a great promotional multiplier.”

Like stories that inform, connect and celebrate the Sunshine Coast? So do we. Join an independent local news revolution by subscribing to our FREE daily news feed at the bottom of this article.

Subscribe to SCN’s free daily news email

Hidden
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
[scn_go_back_button] Return Home
Share