There’s something so amazing about the Glass House Mountains that you should without a doubt spend a few days in the area. If you’re looking for Sunshine Coast hinterland accommodation, we’re so excited to tell you all about our amazing stay at Glass House Mountains Eco Lodge.
This Maleny accommodation option literally ticks all of the boxes and we’re here to tell you all about why you need to stay here when visiting the Sunshine Coast hinterland.
If there’s one thing we LOVE about Australia, it’s the mind blowing natural wonders, such as; Uluru, the pink lakes, and plenty of hikes & wild swimming spots to discover.
We’ve added the Glass House Mountains to the list because it’s really spectacular and will honestly leave you wanting to come back time and time again.
15 Things To Do In Glass House Mountains National Park
Heading to the Sunshine Coast and wandering what are the best things to do in Glass House Mountains National Park…
Never heard of Glass House Mountains?
To be honest, we didn’t know much about The Glass House Mountains before, I mean it sounds weird saying that now because it’s easily one of the best natural wonders in Australia.
So why are there 13 mountains all dotted around a small area on the Sunshine Coast? The 13 volcanic peaks of the Glass House Mountains were formed by intrusive plugs which are remnants of volcanic activity that occurred over 27 million years ago. Yep, that’s right… 27 million years ago! Fear not, after millions of years, they’re not active now.
The name of them actually comes from Captain James Cook as they reminded him of glass furnaces in his home county of Yorkshire. That’s our fact of the day!
We were surprised that the main town of the Glass House Mountains called Maleny didn’t have back to back climbing shops because when there’s so many mountains to choose from, you’d wonder why climbing doesn’t seem big in the area.
But the highest mountain is just 556m high at Mount Beerwah so it’s not like you’re climbing really high. Check out this post about how you could potentially climb seven of the peaks in one day.
We stopped by in Maleny and visited the incredible Maleny Botanic Gardens and moved further into the Glass House Mountains to reach our accommodation at the Glass House Mountains Eco Lodge.
Glass House Mountains Accommodation Location
Situated in between Beerburrum and Beerwah, the location of the Glass House Mountains Eco Lodge doesn’t get much better as it’s right next to Tibrogargan Mountain which is perfect for early morning hiking, catching sunrises and sunsets and feeling like you’re truely away from it all.
It’s also just a 30 minute drive from Mooloolaba, 1hr from Brisbane and 1h20m from Noosa.
Sunshine Coast unique accommodation: Stay in an old church
The owner, Keith Murray bought the land which originally was a pineapple farm. He’s since grown almost every tree at the lodge (which is impressive in itself), and after his friend suggested he include a unique accommodation option on the land, he found out about a church nearby being up for sale.
Fast forward to our stay and we of course stayed in the church, the most popular accommodation at the lodge which Keith has beautifully renovated.
The 125 year old church still holds the original floor and the alter which Keith specifically wanted to keep the features.
It’s definitely a show stopping moment because as soon as we walked into the church, we couldn’t believe the size of it. I doubt you’ll find anything like this unique accommodation anywhere else in Australia!
Stay in a train carriage
We were lucky Keith had time to show us around the train carriages which are beautifully restored. It’s another quirky option at this romantic Sunshine Coast hinterland accommodation. Turns out there’s a total of four trains at the lodge to choose from. 
It’s an amazing story as to why Keith started to collect train carriages. He used to drive past an old train that sat on someone’s land for around about 15 years. When he decided he wanted to buy it to become part of the lodge, it turned out it had actually been sold a week before.
The owner of the train loved the idea of turning it into accommodation that they re-considered the previous sale and then sold it to The Glass House Mountains Eco Lodge.
Keith then started to collect train carriages and you’ll see them dotted around used for accommodation, the kitchen area and a library.
Stay in a stunning bungalow
There’s quite a few different options to stay at in the lodge but we really loved the bungalow a lot. It’s the kind of place that has the furnishings we could only dream of owning. The collection of different types of wood are absolutely stunning and would be the perfect romantic weekend away from Sydney for sure.
Expect peace and quiet
What we really loved about the lodge is the peace and quiet. Honestly, you won’t find anywhere else that has a tranquility and quietness like at the Glass House Mountains Eco Lodge. There’s no TV because it’s all designed for you to be able to sit back and relax away from it all. But, you’ll be able to get wifi if you don’t want to log off from the world completely.
We recommend coming into the library train carriage (pictured), grabbing a book and sitting back to enjoy the surroundings.
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You can cook your own food
As we mentioned, there’s a kitchen to cook in which is a converted train carriage. It has all of the mod cons, including condiments and everything is so well organised, it’s one of the best kitchens we’ve ever cooked in. And there’s an awesome BBQ outside as well as plenty of seating indoors and out.
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Why you need to stay at Glass House Mountains Eco Lodge
It’s a proper gem, a perfect Sunshine Coast getaway that offers up some of the best Sunshine Coast accommodation. There’s something really special about it, something that makes it more than just somewhere to stay.
And it’s called an Eco lodge for a reason. Owner Keith had a vision to open the lodge for eco-travellers from all over the globe to come and stay in. His vision to create a place where he could share his values for the environment are apparent which makes Glass House Mountains Eco Lodge a really special place to stay in.
From his dedication to growing and making his own coffee, beer and jaboticaba jam which he only sells to his guests (and are all fantastic), there’s also a garden named The Garden of Eaten where you can pick your own fruit to eat. You’ll soon realise that you’ve come across a proper gem of a place to stay in.
And don’t do what we did by spending just a night in Glass House Mountains because there’s so much to do there that we totally regretted it.
When you come to Sunshine Coast, we 100% recommend staying at Glass House Mountains Eco Lodge because they offer accommodation for everyone, from dormitories to a romantic bungalow and more unique Sunshine Coast accommodation with the church or train carriage.
We can’t wait to go and stay there next time we head up to Sunshine Coast. But next time, we’ll be staying for at least three days.
Thanks to Visit Sunshine Coast for booking our night at the Glass House Mountains Eco Lodge.
Glass House Mountains Eco Lodge
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