Everything about Sunshine Coast Queensland totally explained
The
Sunshine Coast (population 290,645 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 has recently been united into a single
Local Government Area, the
Sunshine Coast Regional Council.
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
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.
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 Headland,
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. 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, Hyatt Regency Coolum and Pelican Waters.
Infrastructure
Education
The Sunshine Coast's infrastructure includes, but isn't limited to:
Health
Nambour Hospital is the region's major hospital and attended to over 35,000 cases in 2005. 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
The Sunshine Coast Private Hospital at Buderim, 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
Jetstar,
Virgin Blue and
Tiger Airways.
Public Transport
Rail
The Sunshine Coast has an extensive public transport network, with
QR Citytrain's
Nambour and Gympie North railway line operating numerous interurban services daily, with most trains running express between
Caboolture and
Bowen Hills stations. The train lines run through the Sunshine Coast Hinterland, connecting buses run to the coastal strip. Going north beyond Nambour station the trains only run once or twice per day.
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.
There are a number of Youth Groups on the Sunshine Coast, some of the biggest being
Goodlife
,
Suncoast, and
Kings.
Annual events
Schoolies (November)
Noosa Triathlon (October)
Mooloolaba TriathlonFurther Information
Get more info on 'Sunshine Coast Queensland'.
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