I’m not the type of person to make a big occasion out of my birthday. It’s usually just another work day with some cake and a couple of gifts thrown in there but I prefer to keep the event quite low-key.

For some time I’d been thinking about taking a little trip away after hearing about other people’s weekend getaways and I began look into places I might like to visit. In my head I thought that I needed a reason or something special to take this trip, maybe I should wait until next year and go away for my 30th. I was telling someone about this and they said ‘why not do it for your birthday this year?’. They were right, there was no reason to wait and I could treat myself to this.

I decided we would stay in Montville for a few days, hidden away in the hilly slopes of the Sunshine Coast hinterland. Though our time away was short, we managed to visit the Maleny Botanic Gardens and the aviaries of Bird World, walk along one of the trails of Kondalilla National Park and see the falls as well as eat at variety of local restaurants like Secrets on the Lake and King Ludwig’s German Restaurant. I loved being up in the hills and surrounded by beautiful views, it was the perfect little escape for myself and I’m glad I got to spend some time away.

Below are a selection of photos from the short getaway in Montville :).