Kobble
A panoramic view towards Dayboro from Pit Stop Cafe with an orientation board in the foreground.

Around Kobble Cottage

Coffee in Dayboro, lunch at Ocean View,
the road north through Mount Mee.

Our short list

A few of our favourite places close to the cottage: coffee in Dayboro, lunch at Ocean View, and the road north through Mount Mee to Woodford. For a longer outing, choose the Maleny hinterland or the beaches of Caloundra.

Hours change and the good tables book out, so check before you set off.

A timber pub with a veranda beneath large trees in Dayboro.Coffee firstDayboro or Samford: a bakery, a proper coffee, a wander down the main street.Where to startThe Ocean View Estates building above a broad green lawn.Lunch with a viewOcean View Estates for the wine, or the climb up to Mount Mee for the drive.Lunch ideasPastures and distant mountains viewed from the Mt Mee lookout towards the Sunshine Coast.Views from Mount MeeThe Mount Mee lookout towards the Sunshine Coast, with a stop at Pit Stop Cafe.Drive ideas

A day heading north

Follow the road to Mount Mee.

Pick a few stops and leave time to linger. Maleny and Caloundra are optional extensions for a longer day.

  1. Dayboro

    Start with coffee and a wander through town before joining Mount Mee Road.

    Explore this stop

  2. Ocean View and Mount Mee

    Choose a lunch stop at Ocean View Estates or coffee at Pit Stop Cafe, then enjoy the lookout. Allow time for the winding road and your stops.

    Explore this stop

  3. D’Aguilar and Woodford

    Continue north to D’Aguilar township, then follow the D’Aguilar Highway towards Woodford for a country-town stop.

    Explore this stop

  4. Choose your extension

    For a fuller day, choose Maleny and the hinterland or Caloundra and the coast. Plan the return journey separately; there is no need to fit both into one outing.

    Explore this stop

For a walk around Mount Mee, consult the Queensland Parks walking guide for trail choices and access. Maiala is at Mount Glorious, on the separate forest outing below.

Morning nearby

Start close to the cottage: coffee in Dayboro, or a morning exploring Samford and its surrounding farms.

Dayboro's welcome sign beside a lawn and village street.

Country village

Dayboro

Area
Dayboro
Best for
Coffee, a few shops, a wander

Our nearest town. Start here; the rest of the map makes sense after.

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A Dayboro street viewed from a shaded pavement beneath trees.The F. E. Long heritage shopfront on a Dayboro street.
A panoramic view across Samford village street towards local shops.

Village morning

Samford Village

Area
Samford Valley
Best for
Bakery stops, boutiques, relaxed breakfast

Worth the drive for the bakery. Don't try to do it and Mount Mee the same morning.

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A basket filled with freshly harvested vegetables.

Farmgate

Green Thumb Farm

Area
Samford Valley
Best for
Seasonal produce and local goods

An educational community farm with a Saturday morning farmgate market. Check current visiting hours and workshop bookings before setting off.

Visit website

Illustrative image — not photographed at the venue.

With the family

Make a morning of a farm visit near Samford, with time for lunch in the village afterwards.

A child feeding alpacas through a fence at Trevena Glen Farm.

Animal experiences

Trevena Glen Farm

Area
Mount Samson
Best for
Families and animal encounters

Choose an animal experience or guided farm tour. Check the current programme, age guidance and availability, and book ahead for tours.

Visit website

Photo: Trevena Glen Farm.

Long lunch

One good table and the afternoon around it. Book ahead at weekends.

The Ocean View Estates building above a broad green lawn.

Winery and dining

Ocean View Estates

Area
Ocean View
Best for
Wine, long lunch, countryside views

Our pick for a birthday lunch. Ask for a table by the window and take the afternoon.

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Landscaped gardens and countryside beside the Ocean View Estates building.
The Dayboro Drop restaurant with its sign above the shaded veranda.

Local dining

The Dayboro Drop

Area
Dayboro
Best for
Refined local meal

When you want a proper dinner without driving far.

Visit website
Dayboro Sugar Mill signage beside a shaded outdoor terrace.

Heritage dining

Dayboro Sugar Mill

Area
Dayboro
Best for
Relaxed meal with local character

Casual, in an old building, good on a Sunday.

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A panoramic view towards Dayboro from Pit Stop Cafe with an orientation board in the foreground.

Scenic cafe

Pitstop on Mt Mee

Area
Mount Pleasant
Best for
Coffee, views, scenic drive

Coffee at the top of the range. The drive up is half the point.

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Motorcycles, helmets and memorabilia inside Pit Stop Cafe.

The view from above

A panorama from Mount Mee, looking back over the country beyond the cottage.

Pastures and distant mountains viewed from the Mt Mee lookout towards the Sunshine Coast.

Lookout

Mt Mee Lookout

Area
Mount Mee
Best for
Views towards the Sunshine Coast

Pair the lookout with a stop at Pit Stop Cafe, pictured in the lunch section above.

Visit website

Forest roads

For another day, head towards Samford, Mount Glorious and Mount Nebo. This is a separate outing from the northern Mount Mee route.

A winding forest road along the Mount Glorious ridge.

Scenic drive

Mount Glorious

Area
D'Aguilar Range
Best for
Forest air, a winding road

A winding road through the rainforest. Windows down.

Visit website
Looking up into the rainforest canopy at Maiala.

Rainforest walk

Maiala Rainforest Circuit

Area
Mount Glorious
Best for
Short nature walk

A 2 km, Grade 3 circuit from Maiala at Mount Glorious; allow about an hour. Check Queensland Parks for current track conditions.

Visit website

Maiala canopy — archive photograph, 1980s.

Picnic shelters beneath trees at Jollys Lookout.

Lookout

Jollys Lookout

Area
Mount Nebo
Best for
Views and golden hour

Go for the last hour of light. Take a rug.

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Rainy days

A gallery, a spa, a museum. And the veranda, honestly, is where we'd sit.

A collection of well-used artists’ paintbrushes.

Local gallery

Dayboro Art Gallery

Area
Dayboro
Best for
An afternoon with local art

Local painters and potters. Small, friendly, worth twenty minutes.

Visit website

Illustrative image — not photographed at the venue.

Candles, towels and a reed diffuser.

Wellness

Stephanie's Mountain Spa

Area
Clear Mountain
Best for
Couples, longer stays

If you want a treatment, this is the one nearby. Book ahead.

Visit website

Illustrative image — not photographed at the venue.

The entrance and sign of the Abbey Museum of Art and Archaeology.

Museum

The Abbey Museum

Area
Caboolture
Best for
Rainy day, history

Further out, in Caboolture. Genuinely good on a wet day.

Visit website

For longer stays

Give these outings a full day and check your route before leaving. Choose the hinterland for cafes and forest scenery, or the coast for a beach walk.

Maleny for hinterland cafes and forest scenery, or Caloundra for the coastal walk and beaches. Kings Beach offers a seaside stop and ocean pool; check local conditions for swimming or surfing.

  • Redcliffe for a coastal lunch and bay walk
  • Bribie Island or Sandstone Point for a fuller day by the water
  • Whale watching from Redcliffe when the season lines up
Photo credits

Additional guide photography is credited below. Images have been resized and converted to WebP; display crops may vary. The Creative Commons images and their adaptations retain the linked licence.