Maroochydore

Summary

Maroochydore (/məˈridɔːr/ mə-ROO-chee-dor) is a coastal city in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia.[1][2]

Maroochydore
Sunshine CoastQueensland
View of Maroochydore
Maroochydore is located in Queensland
Maroochydore
Maroochydore
Map
Coordinates26°39′19″S 153°05′36″E / 26.6553°S 153.0932°E / -26.6553; 153.0932 (Maroochydore (town centre))
Population
  • 16,800 (2016)Maroochydore suburb
  • 49,973 (2016)Maroochydore urban area
 • Density1,333/km2 (3,453/sq mi)
Postcode(s)4558
Elevation7 m (23 ft)
Area12.6 km2 (4.9 sq mi)
Time zoneAEST (UTC+10:00)
Location
LGA(s)Sunshine Coast Region
RegionSouth East Queensland
State electorate(s)Maroochydore
Federal division(s)Fairfax
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall
25.1 °C
77 °F
15.8 °C
60 °F
1,310.6 mm
51.6 in
Suburbs around Maroochydore:
Bli Bli
Pacific Paradise
Twin Waters Coral Sea
Diddillibah
Kuluin
Maroochydore Coral Sea
Buderim Alexandra Headland Coral Sea

The city was subdivided from the Cotton Tree reserve by Surveyor Thomas O'Connor in 1903. The land was acquired from William Pettigrew who had a timber depot at what is now Wharf Street. Its name comes from the Yuggera language word Muru-kutchi, meaning red-bill and referring to the black swan, which is commonly seen in the area.

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 shopping centre and the Sunshine Coast's major bus interchange for Translink services operated by Kinetic Group. Maroochydore is also a venue of major surf sport carnivals, and is a popular holiday point from which to travel the rest of Queensland.

Geography edit

 
Maroochydore apartments, 2006
 
Aerial perspective of Mooloolaba's network of waterways

The boundaries of the Maroochydore as a locality are well-defined. As a town, Maroochydore does not have strict boundaries, 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.

The Maroochydore urban centre consists of Alexandra Headland, part of Bli Bli, Buderim (section within about one km of Sunshine Motorway), Cotton Tree (Australia Post 4558), Kuluin, Maroochydore, Maroochy Waters, Maroochy River, Mooloolaba, Mountain Creek, Mudjimba, Pacific Paradise and Twin Waters.

The current ASGC, applicable to the 2001 and 2006 censuses, has placed all of Buderim and Mountain Creek under the Buderim SLA.

Maroochy Waters edit

Maroochy Waters is a waterfront, residential estate located in Maroochydore adjacent to the Maroochy River in Queensland, Australia. It is one of the last canal projects to be built in Queensland with direct access to the river system and the Coral Sea. Sunshine Coast Region Council has an annual dredging program to replenish the sand beaches.

The canals plus all infrastructure were built in three stages in the late 1970s, mid 1980s, and the early 1990s. The deep water canal plays a role in flood relief and the land is higher than Maroochydore CBD which has recorded floods in the last 30 years. The canal's main reach, which extends for more than one km, was the training ground for 1992 Olympic K–1 1000 m gold medalist Clint Robinson.

History edit

Maroochydore Post Office opened on 4 October 1922 (a receiving office had been open from 1891 until 1898, and from 1916).[3]

Our Lady Star of the Sea (Stella Maris) Catholic Church was officially opened by Archbishop James Duhig on Sunday 15 October 1950. It replaced an earlier church which had become inadequate for the growing congregation. The 1950 church could seat 170 people in the nave and a further 150 people on the verandahs on either side of the church. Timber from the recently demolished St Joseph's Catholic Church in Nambour was used to construct the Maroochydore church to reduce the costs. The architect was Frank Cullen and the contractor was K. D. Morris.[4]

The Maroochydore Library opened in 1975.[5]

Horton Park Golf Club is in Maroochydore. The club relocated to Bli Bli in May 2015 and changed names to Maroochy River Golf Club.[6]

The relocation of the golf course allowed the Sunshine Regional Council to develop the old golf course into a new city centre for the region known as Sunshine Central.

The redevelopment is next to Sunshine Cove, a new sustainable residential and commercial development that has revitalized the general town centre and the development won the award from the Urban Development Institute of Australia for the best residential property Development at its annual Australian awards night in 2016.[7]

Heritage listings edit

Cotton Tree has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

Transport edit

Maroochydore's suburbs are served by Kinetic Group, who operate from outside the Sunshine Plaza in the CBD. Various bus routes connect Maroochydore to Buderim, Coolum, Kawana Waters, Caloundra, Nambour and Noosa.[9]

Maroochydore is accessible via train and connecting bus via Nambour, Woombye and Landsborough stations on the Nambour & Gympie North Line has regular services to Brisbane, operated by Queensland Rail. There are also coach services from Sunshine Plaza to Brisbane Airport.[10]

 
Kinetic Group Bustech bodied Volvo B12BLE at Sunshine Plaza in June 2006

Sunshine Coast Airport is located just north of the urban centre in Marcoola. It offers domestic flights to state capital cities around Australia.

There are plans to create a new railway line that would extend from the current Gympie North line. The proposed line would connect Caloundra, Kawana Waters and Maroochydore with Brisbane and would terminate at the Sunshine Coast Airport. A light rail system has also been proposed, which would leave from the Maroochydore CBD and connect the local regional hubs before terminating at Caloundra.

Population edit

Census populations for the Maroochydore urban centre have been recorded since 1933, and for Mudjimba since 1981.

Year Population
(Total)
Population
(Maroochydore)
Population
(Mudjimba)
1933 630 630
1947 2,164 2,164
1954 2,655 2,655
1961 3,068 3,068
1966 4,106 4,106
1971 6,374 6,374
1976 10,283 10,283
1981 18,444 17,460 984
1986 22,099 20,635 1,464
1991 30,856 28,509 2,347
1996 40,766 36,406 4,360
2001 47,951 39,458 8,493
2006 49,743 39,123 10,620

Amenities edit

Sunshine Coast Regional Council operates a public library at 44 Sixth Avenue, Cotton Tree.[11]

The Maroochydore branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association meets at 104 Memorial Avenue.[12]

Education edit

The main state secondary school in the town is Maroochydore State High School (1964). Other schools in the area include:

  • Bli Bli State School (1901)
  • Kuluin State School (1987)
  • Maroochydore State School (1921)
  • Mooloolaba State School (1933)
  • Mountain Creek State School (1994)
  • Mountain Creek State High School (1995)
  • Pacific Paradise State School (1992)
  • Immanuel Lutheran College (1982)
  • Stella Maris Catholic Primary School (1980)
  • Siena Catholic College (1997)

Media edit

Along with a number of other regional Australian newspapers owned by NewsCorp, the Kawana/Maroochy Weekly newspaper ceased publication in June 2020.[13]

Sport edit

 
Maroochydore Multi Sports Complex hosts a sell-out AFL Women's premiership match between the Brisbane Lions and Collingwood FC in 2022.

All four football codes are popular in Maroochydore. The Maroochydore Multi Sports Complex is home to both the AFL and soccer and has hosted AFL Women's premiership matches and AFL pre-season matches. The Maroochydore Australian Football Club (Roos) (founded 1969) competes in the Queensland Australian Football League (QAFL) competition, the state's premier semi-professional level and also fields women's and junior sides. The Maroochydore Football Club (Swans) (founded 1968) play in the Football Queensland Premier League 2 and also fields women's and junior sides. The Maroochydore Rugby League Club (Swans) (founded 1972) competes in the Sunshine Coast Gympie Rugby League and also fields women's and junior sides. The Maroochydore Rugby Union (Swans) (founded 1974) competes in the Sunshine Coast Rugby Union competition and also fields junior sides.

Cricket is also popular and the Maroochydore Cricket Club is based at Elizabeth Daniels Park.

In popular culture edit

Maroochydore is the sixth town mentioned in the original (Australian) version of the song "I've Been Everywhere".

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Maroochydore – population centre in the Sunshine Coast Region (entry 21053)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
  2. ^ "Maroochydore – suburb in the Sunshine Coast Region (entry 48750)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
  3. ^ Phoenix Auctions History. "Post Office List". Phoenix Auctions. Archived from the original on 28 February 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
  4. ^ "New R.C. Church Opened at M'Dore". Nambour Chronicle And North Coast Advertiser. No. 2418. Queensland, Australia. 20 October 1950. p. 1. Archived from the original on 28 February 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. ^ "Queensland Public Libraries Statistical Bulletin 2016-2017" (PDF). Public Libraries Connect. State Library of Queensland. November 2017. p. 16. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 January 2018. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
  6. ^ "Maroochydore". Archived from the original on 19 December 2014. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
  7. ^ "National Awards". Archived from the original on 23 November 2016. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  8. ^ "Cotton Tree Caravan Park (entry 602707)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
  9. ^ Translink Queensland. "All bus timetables". Archived from the original on 25 July 2011. Retrieved 21 June 2011.
  10. ^ Sunair. "Brisbane Airport Transit Stop". Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 21 June 2011.
  11. ^ "Maroochydore Library". Public Libraries Connect. State Library of Queensland. 21 August 2015. Archived from the original on 23 January 2018. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
  12. ^ "Branch Locations". Queensland Country Women's Association. Archived from the original on 26 December 2018. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
  13. ^ "Future is digital: News announces major changes". Gatton Star. 28 May 2020. Archived from the original on 22 December 2020. Retrieved 22 December 2020.

External links edit

  • University of Queensland: Queensland Places: Maroochydore