Mary Cairncross Reserve, Subtropical rainforest reserve in Sunshine Coast Hinterland, Australia
Mary Cairncross Reserve is a subtropical rainforest nature reserve in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland of Queensland, Australia, sitting on a ridge near the town of Maleny. It contains walking trails that wind through dense forest and open onto views of the Glass House Mountains in the distance.
The reserve was created in 1941 when the Thynne sisters donated the land to Landsborough Shire Council as a memorial to their mother. That donation stopped the forest from being cleared and set it aside as protected land from that point on.
The name of the reserve honors Mary Thynne, a local woman whose daughters gave the land away so it would be protected. Today, families and school groups come here to see native plants and animals up close along the forest trails.
The reserve is open year-round and the trails are manageable for most visitors, though some sections have hills that require a bit of effort. A Discovery Centre and café at the entrance are good starting points before heading into the forest.
Over 140 bird species have been recorded here, including the Marbled Frogmouth, a nocturnal bird that blends into tree bark so well that most people walk past it without noticing. Red-legged pademelons, small relatives of the kangaroo, are also commonly seen moving along the forest floor during the day.
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