maleny botanic gardens

We visited on a stunning day with absolutely no idea of what to expect.We had packed a picnic lunch, but ate in the car as we felt there wasn't a lot of sheltered spots to set up a blanket. The gardens are definitely stunning and their position and the views are divine.We felt the petting zoo was a little lacking and interaction with the animals was limited.We didn't eat from the café but what we saw looked very homely and appertising.It took about 2 hours of meandering to cover the gardens and that was enough to entertain us before we had to get out of the sun.Would definitely recommend it, to fill in an afternoon. Felt the price was a little steep as you need to pay extra to visit the aviary.

The gardens alone are worth the drive, however I was quite taken with the bird avairy. It's not every day that you get to have a macaw sit on your shoulder :)

As a local, I had been wanting to visit this place for a while, but the price was a turnoff. The kids free, is a great idea (I only had one) Therefore I was glad to take advantage of the GroupOn deal that included a devonshire tea, I had pre-purchased coupons to cover 3 adults, I paid extra for an additional student and purchased 2 extra devonshire teas. I was told there was 2 scones but when served, it turned out the GroupOn deal only provided 1 scone each. A bit of a fail in communication there. We had expected a larger range of food - not a restaurant - but there was only scones or chocolate bars on sale and were hoping to purchase something for lunch. We noticed other visitors had bought picnics along, which is a good idea. I think management has an opportunity to expand on food and perhaps local produce there.I noticed another visiting couple referring to a map, so I consulted them regarding this and directions of which way they recommended us to head (there are no signs!) So we wentback and asked for a map too. Again a bit of fail in customer service. Even though we were the only family being served on check-in, the whole GroupOn voucher/plus paying for the extras may have distracted the attendant.LIke all the other raving reviews - great place if you are a garden and bird enthusiast - just not on my top 10 things to do on the Sunshine Coast - but that's just my opinion!

Loved the Bird World Trainer very informative about the birds and had lots of photos with different birds landing on my shoulders. The Gardens was a pleasant stroll through with lots of different plants ,ponds and the spectacular Glasshouse Mountains backdrop, also. the Scones and fresh cream were to die for Devonshire Tea.

Take a few hours to enjoy this place and all it has to offer. An absolute must for the avian enthusiast! The aviary at time of writing houses about 400 birds, many of them very tame and full of character. The gardens are inspirational. I look to forward to visiting this majestic hillside again!

There is so much to see here. A photographer's and a gardener's dream. The gardens are beautiful, Be prepared for a lot of walking if you want to see everything. There are plenty of rest stops along the way, so it's manageable for seniors. The view to the Glasshouse Mts is lovely. There are plenty of places to have a picnic, or just spend some relaxing time.The bid aviary is fun and and the birds are very approachable and quite tame. The guided tour was well worth it to find out about the birds.The Devonshire Tea was very nicely presented, and the scones were beautiful.This is a place not to miss!

A great way to spend a good couple of hours walking around the beautiful gardens. The aviary is large and very helpful staff.

We recently visited the gardens and were amazing at how they have developed given they were established less than 10 years ago. Make sure you included a tour of the aviary as well as the girl that hosted it is very knowledgable and you can get up close with some very rare birds

Hidden being the operative word, as there were no signs to help guide you there, if we hadn't stopped at info centre in maleny we would have missed out on a fantastic morning! It is easy to see the love and dedication that has gone into making this a wonderful experience. The gardens are a delight with various themes and the location, with the backdrop of the glasshouse mountains is fantastic. Strolling through the gardens with the various water features is very calming with lots of little hidden away nooks.The interactive bird tour is a must, the guides are very knowledgable and friendly. The only thing I would say, is anyone with mobility issues may find some of the steepish paths challenging. Had the Devonshire tea sat in the gazebo which was good value for money.

The gardens are absolutely breathtaking but the highlight of the day were the fantastic birds!It's a great place to spend a day just wandering around the beautiful gardens and then spending time in the aviary with the birds.The staff are all so friendly and its a lovely day out for all the family.

What a hidden treasure! Something for all ages and the birds were very friendly! From a cheery greeting to a warm farewell.... A worthwhile visit!

Loved the bird experience. How wonderful. 30 mins not really long enough for me. I didn't get up to the too part of the Avery .delicious devonshire tea afterwards. Then a stroll thru the gardens and rainforest. What a delight

Got a discount/promotional ticket so decided to give the gardens a go. We had no idea there was also an Aviary onsite until we got there so as part-time birdos we paid the extra $10 to get a guided tour of the birds.Walked around the gardens for about 90 minutes and they were nice but I wouldn't have wanted to pay full price sorry. We then went into the animal section and waited for the 2:30pm Aviary tour. The other animals were OK but it all felt a bit 'tired' however these were gardens afterall, not an animal attraction so no problem there.Looking at the Aviary from the outside it looked a bit rough around the edges so we were concerned about the quality of life of the birds within however once the tour started and our lovely guide took us inside our doubts were cleared instantly. All the birds seemed very happy and healthy and it was as though they were being encouraged to get to know us because after only 5 minutes each of us had a bird on our shoulder or head, even the kids! The biggest thrill was having one of the beautiful blue Macaws perch on our shoulder, such amazing birds but so were the teeny-tiny little Finches, Quails, Pheasants (inc. Gold) and even Budgies let alone all the other Parrots flying around and being cheeky and Pigeons & Doves keeping to themselves.The Gardens were very good but that Aviary was worth every cent and in fact I'd recommend a visit purely to see the birds alone! Great job guys and they're only relatively new at it (a year or two apparently) so I look forward to seeing them improve & expand on their animal & bird areas in coming years. Fantastic!

Went to the Maleny botanic gardens and interactive bird park and enjoyed every minute of it. The birds are amazing, the gardens spectacular and the staff were friendly. The view while having Devonshire tea was an amazing view of the glass house mountains. The kids that I watched around me were having as much fun as the adults. Great day for family and friends.

The weather wasn't the best with squally rain and wind but loved the gardens I managed to see and the aviary visit is amazing. Wonderful experience and rapport between carers and birds superb! Devonshire Tea- Yummy!