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.
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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).
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.
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“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.
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.”
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.
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.”
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