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Maroochydore
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search For other uses, see Maroochydore (disambiguation).
| Maroochydore Sunshine Coast, Queensland | |||||||
 View of Maroochydore | |||||||
| Population: | 49,743 (2006) | ||||||
| Area: | 55.5 km² (21.4 sq mi) | ||||||
| Location: | 104 km (65 mi) from Brisbane | ||||||
| LGA: | Sunshine Coast Region | ||||||
| State electorate: | Maroochydore, Buderim, Kawana, Nicklin | ||||||
| Federal Division: | Fairfax, Fisher | ||||||
| |||||||
Maroochydore is a major commercial area of the Sunshine Coast with most shopping precincts located in the central business district. It is home to the Sunshine Plaza[1] shopping centre and the Sunshine Coast's major bus interchange for TransLink services on Sunshine Coast. Maroochydore is also a venue of major surf sport carnivals, and is a popular holiday point from which to travel the rest of Queensland.
The name Maroochydore comes from the Yuggera language word 'Muru-kutchi', meaning red-bill: the name of the black swan, commonly seen in the area.
Maroochydore is the sixth town mentioned in the original (Australian) version of the song "I've Been Everywhere".
| Contents [show] |
[edit] Geography
Maroochydore is not strictly defined, but the boundary used by Sunshine Coast Regional Council (formerly the Maroochy Shire) includes a region from the southern boundary of Sunshine Coast Airport to the Mooloolah River at Mooloolaba and Kawana Way. This corresponds to the historic Australian Bureau of Statistics urban centres of Maroochydore–Mooloolaba and Mudjimba. The central business district (CBD) for the area is located on Horton Parade, Maroochydore.
Sunshine Coast, Queensland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2010) |
| Sunshine Coast Queensland | |
 Maroochydore – The Business, Commercial and Retail Hub of the Sunshine Coast | |
  Sunshine Coast | |
| Population: | 251,081 (2010)[1] (10th) |
| • Density: | 543/km² (1,406.4/sq mi) |
| Area: | 462.4 km² (178.5 sq mi) |
| Location: | 100 km (62 mi) from Brisbane |
| State electorate: | Buderim, Caloundra, Glass House, Kawana, Maroochydore, Nicklin, Noosa |
| Federal Division: | Fairfax, Fisher, Wide Bay |
| Contents [show] |
[edit] History
Caloundra, Sunshine Coast The Glass House Mountains, located south-west of Caloundra, were first sighted by James Cook from the deck of HM Bark Endeavour in 1770.[2]In the 1820s, the Sunshine Coast saw its first white inhabitants: three castaways (Finnegan, Pamphlet and Parsons) who shared the life of the local (Kabi Kabi) Aborigines for eight months. Thereafter, during the 1830s to 1840s, the district became home to numerous runaway convicts, being only slightly north of Moreton Bay (Brisbane) penal colony.[3]
In 1841, Governor Gibbs had the entire Sunshine Coast and hinterland from Mt Beerwah north to roughly Eumundi declared a 'Bunya Bunya Reserve' for the protection of the bunya tree, having been advised of the Aboriginal importance of bunya groves by Andrew Petrie. However, during the 1840s and 1850s, the Bunya Bunya Reserve and its vicinity became the scene of some of the most bitter skirmishes of Australia's 'Black War.' The Blackall Ranges, on account of the tri-annual Bunya Festival, served as both a hideout and rallying point for attacks against white settlement. By the 1850s, timber getters and cattlemen were exploiting the area and in 1860, the Bunya Bunya Reserve was scrapped.
Many of the Sunshine Coast's towns began as simple ports or jetties for the timber industry during the 1860s and 1870s, as the area once had magnificent stands of forest. Likewise, the region's roads often began as snigging tracks for hauling timber. Timbergetters used the region's creeks, rivers and lakes as seaways to float out their logs of cedar – the resultant wood being shipped as far afield as Europe.
With the advent of the Gympie Gold Rush, prospectors scaled the Sunshine Coast mountains to develop easier roadways to and from the gold fields of Gympie. After construction of the railway line to Gympie, the coastal and river towns, being mostly ports for the early river trade, were bypassed.[4]
By the 1890s, diverse small farming (fruit and dairy) replaced the cattle-and-timber economy of earlier decades. Sugar cane and pineapples proved especially important produce for the district. Many small hamlets and towns now emerged. Produce was initially taken by horse to Landsborough, then to Eudlo in 1891[5]
Especially after World War II, the Sunshine Coast grew into a favoured holiday and surfing destination. This tendency was further expanded in the development boom of the 1960s and 1970s.[6] Around the same time, various tourist/ theme parks were created – the most iconic being Woombye's 'Big Pineapple.' During the 1960s and 1970s, the Sunshine Coast also attracted persons drawn to Alternative lifestyles. These newcomers developed a range of craft industries, co-operatives and spiritual centres, particularly in the hinterlands.
After the 1980s, the Sunshine Coast experienced rapid population growth. It is now one of the fastest-growing regions in Australia. As the region becomes increasingly residential, most of the district's distinctive small farms – especially tropical fruit farms – have disappeared, as have most of its theme parks. Instead, businesses concerned with retail, catering and tourism have assumed increasing importance.
[edit] Business
Map of Sunshine coast The Sunshine Coast economy is currently dominated by three main sectors – tourism, retail and construction. The region also has a strong agricultural sector. Strong efforts are being made to diversify the regional economy by the Sunshine Coast Regional Council and others with an emphasis on 'clean and green' knowledge-based businesses across sectors such as information and communication technologies, cleantech, creative industries, aviation, education and food and beverages.The Sunshine Coast is also emerging as a hotspot for entrepreneurial and innovative businesses. This has been partly fuelled by a new wave of around 80 start-up businesses – mainly in ICT, cleantech and creative industry sectors – generated by the University of the Sunshine Coast's Innovation Centre. The University site at Sippy Downs is designated as a 'Knowledge Hub' as part of the Queensland Government's South East Queensland Regional Infrastructure Plan and is master planned as Australia's first university town based on the UK models with the potential for over 6,000 workers in knowledge based businesses.[7] Sippy Downs was highlighted as an 'Innovation Hotspot' in July 2010 by top European Business magazine CNBC Business with the potential to be 'Australia's no-worries-answer to Silicon Valley'.[8]
[edit] Urban structure
There are many localities within the Sunshine Coast region, including the former Local Government Areas of Maroochy Shire, the Noosa Shire and the City of Caloundra. List of Locations Sunshine Coast
Coolum Beach, looking south [edit] Climate
| [hide]Climate data for Sunshine Coast Airport | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 28.7 (83.7) | 28.7 (83.7) | 27.6 (81.7) | 25.7 (78.3) | 23.3 (73.9) | 21.3 (70.3) | 20.8 (69.4) | 21.8 (71.2) | 24.1 (75.4) | 25.4 (77.7) | 26.8 (80.2) | 28.1 (82.6) | 25.2 (77.4) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 21.2 (70.2) | 21.3 (70.3) | 19.9 (67.8) | 17.0 (62.6) | 13.6 (56.5) | 11.2 (52.2) | 9.4 (48.9) | 9.9 (49.8) | 13.0 (55.4) | 15.6 (60.1) | 17.9 (64.2) | 19.9 (67.8) | 15.8 (60.4) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 141.7 (5.579) | 178.7 (7.035) | 141.8 (5.583) | 160.6 (6.323) | 168.5 (6.634) | 108.6 (4.276) | 67.6 (2.661) | 75.5 (2.972) | 57.2 (2.252) | 81.3 (3.201) | 90.3 (3.555) | 157.9 (6.217) | 1,430.2 (56.307) |
| Avg. precipitation days | 10.6 | 10.9 | 10.9 | 11.6 | 9.6 | 9.1 | 6.2 | 6.1 | 5.7 | 7.1 | 7.1 | 10.0 | 104.9 |
| Source: Bureau of Meteorology[9] | |||||||||||||
[edit] Beaches
Several stretches of the Sunshine Coast are lined with unbroken beaches – from Sunshine Beach near Noosa to Coolum Beach (17 km (11 mi)); the coast from Point Arkwright to Mudjimba (11 km (6.8 mi)); the Maroochydore–Mooloolaba stretch (5.6 km (3.5 mi)); and from Buddina past the Caloundra CBD to Pelican Waters (22 km (14 mi)). Notable beaches include:
- Noosa Main Beach
- Coolum
- Maroochydore
- Alexandra Headland
- Mooloolaba (the spit)
- Kawana Waters.
- Kings Beach in Caloundra
[edit] 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, The Big Pineapple and the Majestic Theatre at Pomona.
Coolum Beach, looking north [edit] National parks
The Sunshine Coast region is home to more individual national parks than any other region in Queensland.[10] 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.
[edit] Golf courses
The Sunshine Coast has numerous golf links, including Headland Golf Club (Buderim), Pelican Waters, Pacific Harbour, Noosa Springs, Peregian Springs, Twin Waters, Hyatt Regency Coolum, Mount Coolum, Beerwah, Cooroy, Caloundra and Horton Park.
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