One amazing piece of flying - and with only 100hrs?
There are not many places to go from near the Maleny VOR. When the place was less subdivided, there was a reasonable strip about 1nm to the W of the Witta 'settlement' - but that was it for the whole top of the range. Friend had a C180 there for many years.
From the position he claimed to be at...2nm to the W of the Maleny VOR.... the more obvious choice might have been to head W/NW again, along the Elamon Ck towards Conondale, then N over the Mary valley, which runs N from there towards Kenilworth. There are several largish paddocks on that track, cleared and cultivated back in the 50's and 60's, and now more often running perennial grass pasture.
What I can't understand is how he managed to get into the Obi Obi valley below the Baroon Pocket dam, ie, to the W of Mapleton. That would have entailed a white knuckle glide over the Curramore spur of the main Maleny range, which is 1600-1800 ft in that area. I think the area he reportedly landed is actually called Kidaman, or maybe Obi Obi - but it has only very small areas of river flats.
Whatever the story, it will make an interesting read in the future.
happy days,