The 'Sunshine Coast' (population 282,645 with up to an additional 50,000 in visitors and seasonal workers) is a coastal region located in
South East Queensland, north of the
Queensland capital of
Brisbane. The Sunshine Coast consists of three
Local Government Areas, which are
Noosa Shire in the north,
Maroochy Shire in the middle, and
Caloundra City in the south. The Sunshine Coast is bordered by the Pacific Ocean in the east, and extends to the local government boundaries beyond the
Blackall Range to the west. Occasionally, the towns of
Gympie, which is 30 minutes' drive north of Noosa Heads, and
Caboolture, 30 mins drive south of Caloundra, have been included in a broader definition of the Sunshine Coast region.
History
Caloundra, Sunshine Coast
Since the
Glass House Mountains were first sighted by
James Cook from the deck of
HM Bark Endeavour in 1770, the Sunshine Coast's history has been as diverse and colourful as its scenery.
The Sunshine Coast's first white inhabitants were three castaways who shared the life of the Aborigines for 8 months; it became the home of numerous runaway convicts who preferred life among the
Aborigines to the living hell of the Moreton Bay Convict Establishment; it was the scene of some of the most bitter skirmishes of Australia's '
Black War'.
Timbergetters used its rivers and lakes as seaways to float out their great logs of cedar, gold diggers scaled its mountains to reach the
Gympie gold. With the coming of the
railway line to Gympie, the coastal towns, founded as ports for its early river trade, were bypassed, and grew slowly into quiet holiday resorts whose peace remained undisturbed until the development boom of the 1960s and 1970s - just 200 years after Cook had passed that way.
[2]
Urban structure
Localities and suburbs within the Sunshine Coast region include
Maroochy Shire suburbs such as
Mooloolaba,
Alexandra Headland,
Maroochydore,
Buderim and
Nambour. The Sunshine Coast also produces many varieties of
tropical fruit and nuts and, until recently,
sugar cane.
Beaches
The region is characterized by beautiful beaches, expansive coastal views and rich fertile soils in the hinterland. Many World and Australian-renowned beaches are located at
Noosa Heads, Alexandra Headlands, Mooloolaba,
Coolum and Kings Beach in Caloundra. There are popular
surfing areas along the beaches and headlands.
Tourism
The Sunshine Coast is a centre for
tourism, containing attractions such as
Steve Irwin's
Australia Zoo,
UnderWater World marine park, Aussie World with the Ettamogah Pub, The
Buderim Ginger Factory,
Big Pineapple and the Majestic Theatre.
National Parks
The Sunshine Coast region is home to more individual
national parks than any other region in Queensland
[3]. The natural biodiversity of the area has been protected by five separate parks in both coastal and inland regions, including
Mapleton Falls National Park,
Kondalilla National Park, The
Glasshouse Mountains National Park,
Noosa National Park, and the
Great Sandy National Park, which includes sections on
Fraser Island and in Cooloola near Rainbow Beach.
Golf Courses
The Sunshine Coast boasts numerous
golf links, including North Lakes, Pacific Harbour, Noosa Springs, Peregian Springs, Twin Waters, Hyat Regency Coolum and Pelican Waters.
Infrastructure
Education
The Sunshine Coast's infrastructure includes, but is not limited to:
★
Universities - The major university campus being the
University of the Sunshine Coast, with
Central Queensland University having a small campus based in
Noosa.
★
TAFE -
five campuses at Caloundra, Mooloolaba, Maroochydore, Nambour & Noosa.
★
Schools - Many varied denomination, private and public primary and secondary schools.
Health
'Nambour Hospital' is the region's major hospital and attended to over 35,000 cases in 2005
[4]. There are smaller hospitals located in Caloundra & Maleny, but due to limited facilities at those hospitals, most cases are referred to Nambour Hospital, thus leading to overcrowding & under-staffing at Nambour Hospital.
A number of private hospitals exist throughout the region, most notably Caloundra Private Hospital (formerly known as Andrea Ahern) at Caloundra, 'Selangor Hospital' at Nambour, the recently established Kawana Private Hospital, and smaller facilities at Noosa.
Transport
Road
The car is the dominant mode of transport for Sunshine Coast residents, with the region connected to Brisbane via the
Bruce Highway. The
Nicklin Way &
Sunshine Motorway are the major arterial roads, which passes through most major areas of the Sunshine Coast. Many Intercity and interstate coach operators also operate daily bus services to Brisbane using the major corridors.
Plane
Flights from the Sunshine Coast depart from
Sunshine Coast Airport 10 km north of Maroochydore and fly direct to
Sydney,
Adelaide and
Melbourne with both
Jetstar and
Virgin Blue.
Public Transport
'Rail'
The Sunshine Coast has an extensive public transport network, with
QR CityTrain's Nambour & Gympie North line operating numerous interurban services daily, with most trains running express between
Caboolture and
Bowen Hills stations.
'Bus'
Bus services are operated by
Sunbus, which operates under the
TransLink public transport system, in which buses connects the suburbs and localities within the
Caloundra,
Maroochy and
Noosa Local Government Areas. Noosa Shire Council operates free bus services connecting Noosa Heads to surrounding suburbs and major park and ride stations during the peak summer holiday period.
'Ferry'
There is a public ferry that operates between Tewantin, Noosaville, Noosa Waters, Northside and Noosa Heads
Youth Culture
Youth culture on the Sunshine Coast is limited to a small number of facilities. The most popular youth area is the
Sunshine Plaza, a large river-side shopping centre located in Maroochydore close to the mouth of the
Maroochy River, and Mooloolaba close to the mouth of the Mooloolah River, where many diverse groups gather for shopping, fun, night-clubbing and entertainment.
Due to its proximity to the beach, the coast has a strong beach culture. Many
surfers live on the coast, with beaches such as
Mooloolaba famous for their cleanliness and large waves.
There are numerous skate parks on the Sunshine Coast, with one of the most popular being at Alexandra Headland.
Annual events
★
Schoolies (November)
★
Noosa Triathlon (October)
★
Mooloolaba Triathlon
External links
★
Sunshine Coast Tourism Board - Includes information on how to reach the Coast.
References
1. ABS LGA statistics of Caloundra, Maroochy & Noosa [1]
2. Queensland Government Profile of the Sunshine Coast[2]
3. Sunshine Coast Australia.com National Parks Section [3]
4. Nambour Hospital Profile[4]
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