Head west from Nambour towards the Blackall Range and the twists and turns of the first steep climb will end at a high ridge, the halfway point on the ascent to Mapleton.

Turn left and you’re in Dulong, which overlooks Nambour, Perwillowen and West Woombye as it stretches across to meet Hunchy. On the right is Kureelpa, which also overlooks Nambour and stretches north towards Kiamba and up into the Mapleton State Forest.

Dulong lookout gives a public sample of the views down the Bli Bli valley to the ocean that can be enjoyed from properties along the ridge edge. There’s also a glimpse of the overgrown route of the tram that carried produce, people and supplies between Nambour and Mapleton from 1914 to December 31, 1944.

The tram took two hours to get up to Mapleton and 90 minutes down, but today the seven kilometre run from Kureelpa/Dulong into Nambour takes under 10 minutes and Maroochydore is only 20kms away.

Once an area prized for its dairy farms, Dulong and Kureelpa remain little more than rural communities, the Kureelpa Hall being the last hint of busier times gone by. There’s nothing left to show that the Dulong School opened in 1895.

There are few roads in this area of fertile volcanic soil and rolling green meadows in the escarpment of the Blackall Range and apart from small acreage estates at Shamley Heath and the area between Jewetts Road and Kureelpa Falls Road, the area remains scantily populated.

Summing up: Kureelpa and Dulong is a pretty, rural settlement on the escarpment of the northern end of the Blackall Range. Original farmhouses have been joined by quality homes on large residential allotments and small and large acreage. There is no town centre or shops and the nearest schools are at Mapleton and Nambour. It’s a quiet, agreeable spot to raise a young family, although teenagers, unless they are into horses, mightn’t find it much fun until they can drive.