Sunshine Coast, Queensland

File:Aerial vista of Sunshine Coast University and its surrounds. 2023.jpg

The earliest residents of the Sunshine Coast were the indigenous Gubbi Gubbi and Wakka Wakka people.Mathew, John (1910). [https://archive.org/details/tworepresentativ00math Two Representative Tribes of Queensland]. London: T. Fisher Unwin {{page needed|date=January 2023}} The territory of the Kabi includes about {{convert|8,200|sqmi|order=flip}} along the coastline from the 27th parallel northward to the mouth of the Burrum River. The country of the Wakka Wakka people was about {{cvt|5,000|sqmi|order=flip}} that was roughly triangular to the west of the Kabi, including a small part of the Dawson,{{clarify|date=September 2021|reason=Which?}} and meeting the northern Kabi boundary at Walla.{{clarify|date=September 2021|reason=Which?}} The two tribes were friendly and intermarried and had the same class restrictions.{{page needed|date=January 2023}} The groups were nomadic, gathering food en-route as they moved from one campsite to the next.

Gubbi Gubbi (Kabi Kabi, Cabbee, Carbi, Gabi Gabi) is an Australian Aboriginal language spoken on Gubbi Gubbi country. The Gubbi Gubbi language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of the Sunshine Coast Region and Gympie Region, particularly the towns of Caloundra, Noosa Heads, Gympie and extending north towards Maryborough and south to Caboolture.{{Cite SLQ-CC-BY|url=https://maps.slq.qld.gov.au/iyil/view/13|title=Gubbi Gubbi|author=|date=|website=Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages map|access-date=23 January 2020}}

File:StateLibQld 1 234806 Preparing logs for rafting on the Noosa River, Noosa, 1889.jpg, 1889]]

File:Queensland State Archives 2138 Mounts Beerwah and Crookneck Coonowrin Glass House Mountains c 1934.png

File:Mount Beerwah.jpg is part of the Glass House Mountains National Park]]

In 1770, James Cook on the deck of HM Bark Endeavour became the first known European to sight the Glass House Mountains, located south-west of Caloundra.{{cite web |title=Glass House Mountains National Park |url=http://www.derm.qld.gov.au/parks/glass-house-mountains/culture.html |publisher=Queensland Government |access-date=12 June 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110405002842/http://www.derm.qld.gov.au/parks/glass-house-mountains/culture.html |archive-date=5 April 2011}}

In the 1820s, former convicts John Finnegan, Thomas Pamphlett and Richard Parsons landed on Moreton Island after becoming hopelessly lost fetching cedar. They lived with the Kabi Kabi for eight months.

Thereafter, during the 1830s to 1840s, the district became home to numerous runaway convicts from the Moreton Bay (Brisbane) penal colony slightly to the south.{{cite web |title=Department of Natural Resources and Mines and Maroochy Shire Council |url=http://www.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au/addfiles/documents/projects/msfs_cultural_heritage.pdf |page=17 |author=GHD |date=March 2005 |access-date=12 June 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725074334/http://www.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au/addfiles/documents/projects/msfs_cultural_heritage.pdf |archive-date=25 July 2011}}

In 1842, Governor George Gipps 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 after Andrew Petrie advised him of the importance of bunya groves in Aboriginal culture.{{cite web |last=Henley |first=John R. |title=The first settlers of the Nambour area |url=http://www.starfieldobservatory.com/MapletonTramway/2FirstSettlers.htm |access-date=29 October 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108030026/http://www.starfieldobservatory.com/MapletonTramway/2FirstSettlers.htm |archive-date=8 November 2012 |df=dmy-all}} 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 Range, on account of the tri-annual Bunya Festival, served as both a hideout and rallying point for attacks against white settlements. By the 1850s timber cutters and cattlemen had started exploiting the area; 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. Timber getters 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.

During the Gympie Gold Rush (1867), prospectors scaled the Sunshine Coast mountains to develop easier roadways to and from the gold fields of Gympie. After the construction of the railway line to Gympie, the coastal and river towns, being mostly ports for the early river trade, were bypassed.{{cite web |title=Nambour – Sunshine Coast Regional Council |url=http://www.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au/library/sitePage.cfm?code=nambour |access-date=12 June 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725074238/http://www.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au/library/sitePage.cfm?code=nambour |archive-date=25 July 2011 |df=dmy-all}}

By the 1890s, diverse small farming (fruit and dairy) had replaced the cattle-and-timber economy of earlier decades. Sugar cane and pineapples proved especially important to produce for the district. Many small hamlets and towns now emerged. Produce was initially taken by horse to Landsborough, then to Eudlo in 1891.{{cite web |title=Buderim – Sunshine Coast Regional Council |url=http://www.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au/library/sitePage.cfm?code=buderim |access-date=12 June 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725074317/http://www.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au/library/sitePage.cfm?code=buderim |archive-date=25 July 2011 |df=dmy-all}}

The post-World War I era saw the rise of the "seaside shack". The seaside shack provided the opportunity for the coastal "getaway" with modest investment. From 1914 to 1946, they popped up all along the North Coast (because it was north of Brisbane). Seaside shacks were exceedingly cheap and were an early use of the concept of recycling. Many were built of disused or second grade timber, all kinds of materials were used for the holiday seaside shack, including fibro cement, metal containers, and left-over farm sheds; even disused trams were sold off as seaside shacks.{{SLQ-CC-BY|url=https://www.slq.qld.gov.au/blog/shacks-sheds-and-cottages-queensland-weekenders-early-20th-century|title=Shacks, sheds and cottages: Queensland 'Weekenders' in the early 20th century|date=7 October 2022|authors=Christina Ealing-Godbold|access-date=24 January 2023}}

Especially after World War II, the Sunshine Coast grew into a holiday and surfing destination. This tendency was further expanded in the development boom of the 1960s and 1970s.{{cite QHR|30454|Cotton Tree Caravan Park|602707 |access-date=12 August 2015}}

Then known as the Near North Coast,{{cite news |date=20 October 1954 |title=Will resist sand mines |page=10 |newspaper=The Courier-Mail |location=Queensland, Australia |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/50622628|access-date=13 February 2025|via=Trove|archive-date=21 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231121232946/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/50622628 |url-status=live}}{{cite news |date=18 August 1939 |title=£50 from Carnival and Sports at Caloundra. |volume=XXXIII |page=9 |newspaper=Nambour Chronicle and North Coast Advertiser |issue=1837 |location=Queensland, Australia |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article77879886 |access-date=22 November 2023 |via=National Library of Australia |archive-date=21 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231121232946/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/77879886 |url-status=live}} the renaming of the South Coast to become the Gold Coast triggered interest in renaming the Near North Coast to increase the tourist appeal. Names considered included the Silver Coast, the Diamond Coast, and Suncoast. Suncoast was rejected as it was copyrighted by a proprietary company.{{Cite web |last=Whittington |first=Dorothy |date=2021-09-10 |title=The 1960s estate that promised paradise north of the Maroochy River |url=https://www.sunshinecoastnews.com.au/2021/09/10/the-rise-of-suncoast/ |access-date=2023-11-21 |website=Sunshine Coast News |language=en-AU |archive-date=26 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210926102937/https://www.sunshinecoastnews.com.au/2021/09/10/the-rise-of-suncoast/ |url-status=live}} In 1967, it was officially renamed the Sunshine Coast.{{Cite web |last=Whittington |first=Dorothy |date=2020-12-10 |title=Flashback: How we were almost named the Silver Coast |url=https://www.sunshinecoastnews.com.au/2020/12/11/flashback-how-we-were-almost-the-silver-coast/ |access-date=2023-11-21 |website=Sunshine Coast News |language=en-AU |archive-date=13 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220813085716/https://www.sunshinecoastnews.com.au/2020/12/11/flashback-how-we-were-almost-the-silver-coast/ |url-status=live}}

Around the same time, various tourist attractions and theme parks were created, such as the Big Pineapple in Woombye.{{cite QHR|30333|The Big Pineapple (former Sunshine Plantation)|602694 |access-date=1 August 2014}}

After the 1980s, the Sunshine Coast experienced rapid population growth. {{As of|2016}} it had become one of the fastest-growing regions in Australia.{{cite web |url=http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Latestproducts/3218.0Main%20Features302016 |title=3218.0 – Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2016: Queensland |publisher=Australian Bureau of Statistics |access-date=1 June 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815075953/http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Latestproducts/3218.0Main%20Features302016 |archive-date=15 August 2017 |df=dmy-all}} As the region becomes increasingly residential, most of the district's distinctive small farms – especially tropical-fruit and sugar-cane farms have disappeared, as have most of its theme parks.{{Citation needed|date=March 2025}}

The Moreton sugar mills closure in 2003 removed a market for the district's 120 cane growers who had been harvesting cane in the region.{{cite web |title=Future Use of Sunshine Coast Cane Landscapes |url=http://www.cse.csiro.au/publications/2006/futureusesunshinecoastcanelands.pdf |access-date=20 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170228112825/http://www.cse.csiro.au/publications/2006/futureusesunshinecoastcanelands.pdf |archive-date=28 February 2017 |url-status=dead}} Instead, businesses concerned with retail, catering and tourism have assumed increasing importance.{{Citation needed|date=March 2025}}

In 2008, The Shire of Noosa, Shire of Maroochy and City of Caloundra merged to form the Sunshine Coast Region. The 2007 referendum conducted by the Australian Electoral Commission and leading to the merger remained controversial in Noosa Shire, where 95% of voters had rejected amalgamation.{{cite web |title=Australian Electoral Commission 2007 Results of plebiscites on council amalgamations |url=http://www.aec.gov.au/Elections/referendums/Advisory_Referendums/qld_council_2007/results.htm |access-date=25 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160610162226/http://www.aec.gov.au/Elections/referendums/Advisory_Referendums/qld_council_2007/results.htm |archive-date=10 June 2016 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all}}

In March 2013, a second referendum resulted in 81% of residents voted to leave the amalgamated Sunshine Coast Region. On 9 November 2013 an election resulted in Noel Playford being elected to take office as mayor on 1 January 2014 with the new council.[http://www.ecq.qld.gov.au/elections/local/LG2013/NoosaShireCouncil/results/mayoral/district1.html ecq.qld.gov.au] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131110024044/http://www.ecq.qld.gov.au/elections/local/LG2013/NoosaShireCouncil/results/mayoral/district1.html |date=10 November 2013 }} – 013 Noosa Shire Council – Mayoral Election – 10 November 2013

The Shire of Noosa was re-established on 1 January 2014. This resulted in two geopolitical areas occupying the area generally recognised as 'The Sunshine Coast'. The Sunshine Coast Region, governed by the Sunshine Coast Council and the Shire of Noosa, governed by Noosa Shire Council.

File:Seashore off Caloundra.jpg

File:Aerial perspective of Mooloolaba's network of waterways.jpg

File:Aerial panorama of Maleny facing Lake Baroon. 2023.jpg

File:Mossman the Croc - Australia Zoo - Beerwah Queensland Australia - Flickr - Cindy Andrie.jpg, 2007]]

File:Aerial panorama of the Australia Zoo along Steve Irwin Way. 2023.jpg

Major rivers of the Sunshine Coast include Noosa River, Maroochy River, Mooloolah River and the Stanley River. The region includes several lakes such as Lake Cootharaba and Lake Weyba. Ewen Maddock Dam, Wappa Dam and Baroon Pocket Dam have been built for water storage.

{{See also|List of Sunshine Coast Region suburbs}}

Several stretches of the Sunshine Coast are lined with unbroken beaches – from Sunshine Beach near Noosa to Coolum Beach ({{cvt|17|km|mi}}); the coast from Point Arkwright to Mudjimba ({{cvt|11|km|mi}}); the Maroochydore–Mooloolaba stretch ({{cvt|5.6|km|mi}}); and from Buddina past the Caloundra CBD to Pelican Waters ({{cvt|22|km|mi}}).

Noosa Main Beach, Alexandra Headland, Mooloolaba (the spit) and Coolum Beach are nationally recognised surfing beaches.

Notable beaches include:

File:King's Beach since Friday 14th April, 2006 - panoramio.jpg

• Sunshine Beach in Noosa
• Sunrise Beach in Noosa
• Castaways Beach in Noosa
• Marcus Beach in Noosa
• Peregian Beach in Noosa
• Marcoola, Maroochydore
• Mudjimba, Maroochydore
• Kawana Waters, between Maroochydore and Caloundra
• Dicky Beach in Caloundra
• Moffat Beach in Caloundra
• Shelly Beach in Caloundra
• Kings Beach in Caloundra
• Golden Beach in Caloundra

The Sunshine Coast is home to more individual national parks than any other region in Queensland.{{cite web |url=http://www.sunshinecoast.org/things_to_see/national-parks.cfm |archive-url=https://archive.today/20060828144510/http://www.sunshinecoast.org/things_to_see/national-parks.cfm |url-status=dead |archive-date=28 August 2006 |title=Sunshine Coast Australia.com National Parks Section |access-date=1 June 2017}} 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 Glass House Mountains National Park, Noosa National Park, and the Great Sandy National Park, which includes sections on Fraser Island and in Cooloola near Rainbow Beach.

Sunshine Coast has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) typical of South Queensland. Summers are generally hot, but moderated compared to areas on similar latitudes elsewhere. Winters retain warm days, but have cooler nights rendering it falling into the subtropical fold. There is no dry season and precipitation is generally quite high.

The average temperature of the sea ranges from {{cvt|21.2|C|1}} in August to {{cvt|27.1|C|1}} in February at Mooloolaba,{{cite web |url=https://www.seatemperature.org/australia-pacific/australia/mooloolaba.htm |title=Mooloolaba Sea Temperature |website=seatemperature.org |access-date=1 June 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180117190809/https://www.seatemperature.org/australia-pacific/australia/mooloolaba.htm |archive-date=17 January 2018 |df=dmy-all}} and from {{cvt|21.2|C|1}} in August to {{cvt|27.3|C|1}} in February at Noosa Heads.{{cite web |url=https://www.seatemperature.org/australia-pacific/australia/noosa-heads.htm |title=Noosa Heads Sea Temperature |website=seatemperature.org |access-date=1 June 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161016041330/http://www.seatemperature.org/australia-pacific/australia/noosa-heads.htm |archive-date=16 October 2016 |df=dmy-all}}

The Sunshine Coast economy has outpaced most of the regional economies in Australia in terms of growth over the last 15 years.{{Cite web |url=https://invest.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au/Why-Sunshine-Coast/Growing-Economy |title=Sunshine Coast Australia{{!}}Growing Economy |date=August 27, 2019 |website=Sunshine Coast Council |language=en |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191228085019/https://invest.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au/Why-Sunshine-Coast/Growing-Economy |archive-date=28 December 2019 |access-date=2019-09-20}} The strength of the regional economy is based in its diversity and strength across a number of key sectors including healthcare, education, finance and professional business services. Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data from the May 2019 Labour Force Survey indicate that around 184,200 people were employed in the Sunshine Coast region. Health care and social assistance was the largest employment sector with 26,800 people, followed by construction with 26,500 people, and education and training with 21,200 people. Other important employment sectors in the region were accommodation and food services; retail trade; and professional, scientific and technical services. The agriculture, forestry and fishing sector employed 2,600 people, representing 1 per cent of the region's workforce.

The Sunshine Coast is a centre for tourism, attracting more than 3.2 million visitors a year.{{cite web |url=http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/coast-outstrips-state-in-visitor-numbers/2481918/ |title=Coast leads the way when it comes to visitors |last=mmackander |access-date=1 June 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170818012935/https://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/coast-outstrips-state-in-visitor-numbers/2481918/ |archive-date=18 August 2017 |df=dmy-all}} There are significant 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, the Eumundi Markets and the Majestic Theatre, Pomona.

Sports tourism is supported by several annual sporting events such as the Mooloolaba Triathlon,{{cite web |url=http://www.usmevents.com.au/Page6369.aspx |title=USM Events – Mooloolaba Triathlon Festival |access-date=28 August 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120503013407/http://www.usmevents.com.au/Page6369.aspx |archive-date=3 May 2012}} Noosa Triathlon{{cite web |url=http://www.usmevents.com.au/Page6371.aspx |title=USM Events – Noosa Triathlon Multi Sport Festival |access-date=28 August 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120818102537/http://www.usmevents.com.au/Page6371.aspx |archive-date=18 August 2012}} and Sunshine Coast Marathon.[http://www.sunshinecoastmarathon.com.au/ Sunshine Coast Marathon] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120819182834/http://www.sunshinecoastmarathon.com.au/ |date=19 August 2012 }}. Retrieved 19 July 2014.

The Sunshine Coast is served by the Sunshine Coast Airport {{convert|10|km}} north of Maroochydore, though many tourists also arrive from Brisbane Airport which is {{convert|100|km}} to the south.

As of November 2020 the Sunshine Coast is home of NightQuarter, an Eat Street-style precinct with live music and other immersive experiences.{{Cite web |last=Annett |first=Tegan |title=Food, music market launches with huge opening weekend |url=https://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/food-music-market-launches-with-huge-opening-weeke/4134310/ |access-date=2021-01-25 |website=Sunshine Coast Daily |archive-date=18 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201118123549/https://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/food-music-market-launches-with-huge-opening-weeke/4134310/ |url-status=live}}

The Sunshine Coast region is home to many tour operators which are supported by welcomed 3.6 million domestic overnight visitors in the year ending September 2021.{{cite web |url=https://teq.queensland.com/research-and-insights/domestic-research/regional-summaries |title=Regional Summaries – Sunshine Coast |publisher=Tourism and Events Queensland |quote=The Sunshine Coast region welcomed 3.6 million domestic overnight visitors in the year ending September 2021. |access-date=30 January 2022 |archive-date=30 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220130042731/https://teq.queensland.com/research-and-insights/domestic-research/regional-summaries |url-status=live}} These visitors spent an estimated $2.7 billion in the region and help sustain local businesses.{{Cite web |url=https://www.thesunshinecoasttourcompany.com.au/ |title=Sunshine Coast Tours |access-date=2 June 2022 |archive-date=30 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220130042727/https://www.thesunshinecoasttourcompany.com.au/ |url-status=live}}

File:North Coast (now Sunshine Coast) hinterland with the Glasshouse Mountains in the background, 1971.jpg

In 2017–18, the gross value of agricultural production in the Sunshine Coast region was $217 million, which was 2 per cent of the total gross value of agricultural production in Queensland ($13 billion).

Agricultural land in the Sunshine Coast region occupies 1,100 square kilometres, or 36 per cent of the region. Areas classified as conservation and natural environments (nature conservation, protected areas and minimal use) occupy 880 square kilometres, or 29 per cent of the region. The most common land use by area is grazing native vegetation, which occupies 530 square kilometres or 17 per cent of the Sunshine Coast region.{{Cite web |url=http://www.agriculture.gov.au:80/abares/research-topics/aboutmyregion/qld-sunshine-coast |title=ABARES About my region – Sunshine Coast Queensland |website=www.agriculture.gov.au |language=en-AU |access-date=2019-09-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190920122906/http://www.agriculture.gov.au/abares/research-topics/aboutmyregion/qld-sunshine-coast |archive-date=20 September 2019 |url-status=live}}

The Sunshine Coast region has a diverse agricultural sector. The most important commodities in the region based on the gross value of agricultural production were poultry ($66 million), followed by strawberries ($35 million) and milk ($29 million). These commodities together contributed 60 per cent of the total value of agricultural production in the region.

At the 2016 census,{{Cite web |title=2016 Census QuickStats: Sunshine Coast |url=https://quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2016/quickstat/316?opendocument |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190728230613/https://quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2016/quickstat/316%3Fopendocument |archive-date=28 July 2019 |access-date=2019-09-20 |website=quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au |language=en}} the population of the Sunshine Coast was 346,522. The median age was 44 years old, 6 years older than the nationwide median. The male-to-female ratio was 48.3-to-51.7. Most residents were born in Australia (73.7%), with 1.9% being Indigenous Australians. The most common countries of birth of other residents were England (6.2%), New Zealand (4.5%), South Africa (1.0%), Germany (0.7%), and Scotland (0.6%). The most commonly spoken languages other than English were German (0.6%), and Afrikaans, Dutch, French, and Italian (0.3% each). A large proportion of Sunshine Coast residents reported no religious affiliation (34.0%). Of those who had a religious affiliation, the most frequent were: Catholic (18.2%), Anglican (16.8%), and Uniting Church (5.2%).

{{reflist}}

{{Commons category|Sunshine Coast, Queensland}}

• {{Wikivoyage inline|Sunshine Coast (Queensland)|Sunshine Coast, Queensland}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20140715195510/http://www.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au/sitePage.cfm?code=about-the-coast Sunshine Coast Tourism] – Sunshine Coast Region
• [https://onesearch.slq.qld.gov.au/permalink/61SLQ_INST/1dejkfd/alma99183952820102061 Aerial film footage of Queensland places], State Library of Queensland. Contains aerial footage of various locations in the Sunshine Coast region

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{{South East Queensland}}

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