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 comprises of three Local Government Areas, which is 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. This list of Australian cities by population briefly explains the three different population figures given for Australian cities, and provides rankings for each. ... km redirects here. ... Brisbane (pronounced ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, as well as the third largest city in Australia. ... State Electoral District is a term used to refer to a voting area within Australian states. ... The Australian House of Representatives is elected from 150 single-member districts called Divisions. ... The South East Queensland region. ... Capital Brisbane Government Constitutional monarchy Governor Quentin Bryce Premier Peter Beattie (ALP) Federal representation  - House seats 28  - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05)  - Product ($m)  $158,506 (3rd)  - Product per capita  $40,170/person (6th) Population (End of November 2006)  - Population  4,164,590 (3rd)  - Density  2. ... Brisbane (pronounced ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, as well as the third largest city in Australia. ... Local Government Area (abbreviated LGA) is a term used in Australia (and especially by the Australian Bureau of Statistics) to refer to areas controlled by each individual Local Government. ... Noosa is located on the Sunshine Coast in South East Queensland, Australia. ... Maroochy Shire Council is a Local Government Area on the Sunshine Coast in South East Queensland, Australia. ... Population: 89,435 (2005)[1] Area: 1107[2] km² Mayor: Don Aldous Region: Sunshine Coast Caloundra City Council is a Local Government Area (LGA) in South East Queensland, Australia, on the coastal region of the Sunshine Coast. ... The town of Gympie is located in south eastern Queensland, Australia, and is approximately 160 kilometres north of the state capital, Brisbane. ... The town of Caboolture ( ) is the administrative centre of the Caboolture Shire Local Government Area in South East Queensland, Australia, part of the County of Canning, Queensland. ...

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. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2048 × 1536 pixel, file size: 689 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) I took this photograph of the Sunshine Coast,Queensland in April of 2006. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2048 × 1536 pixel, file size: 689 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) I took this photograph of the Sunshine Coast,Queensland in April of 2006. ... Glass House Mountains is a hinterland town of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. ... Blue plaque for Captain James Cook Captain James Cook FRS RN (27 October 1728 (O.S.) – 14 February 1779) was an English explorer, navigator and cartographer. ... HMB Endeavour was a small 18th century British sailing ship, famous for being the vessel commanded by Lt. ...

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'. Indigenous Australians are descendants of the first known human inhabitants of the Australian continent and its nearby islands. ... Poster issued in Van Diemens Land during the Black War depicting Lieutenant-Governor Daveys policy of friendship and equal justice for settlers and Aborigines. ...

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] The town of Gympie is located in south eastern Queensland, Australia, and is approximately 160 kilometres north of the state capital, Brisbane. ... The North Coast railway line is a primary railway line in Queensland, Australia. ...

Urban structure

Localities & suburbs within the Sunshine Coast region include Maroochy Shire suburbs such as Mooloolaba, Alexandra Headland, Maroochydore, Buderim & Nambour. The Sunshine Coast also produces many varieties of tropical fruit and nuts and, until recently, sugar cane. Maroochy Shire is a Local Government Area on the Sunshine Coast in South East Queensland, Australia. ... Mooloolaba Beach with Alexandra Headland (at right) Mooloolaba is a tourist resort township in the centre of the Sunshine Coast, in Queensland, Australia, 100 km north of Brisbane. ... Alexandra Headland is a seaside locality in the Sunshine Coast conurbation in Queensland, Australia. ... If the Sunshine Coast had a beating heart, Maroochydore is it. (Maroochy tourism) Being the geographic centre of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore offers a blend of surf beach and the calm waters of the Maroochy River whose southern bank forms a virtually unbroken stretch of parkland and picnic spots. ... Buderim ( ) is a mountain town in the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia about an hours drive north of Brisbane. ... Nambour is a town situated in south east Queensland, Australia, 101 kilometres north of the state capital, Brisbane. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into List of fruits#Tropical fruits. ... Species Ref: ITIS 42058 as of 2004-05-05 Sugarcane is one of six species of a tall tropical southeast Asian grass (Family Poaceae) having stout fibrous jointed stalks whose sap at one time was the primary source of sugar. ...

Coolum Beach, looking south

Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1024x768, 233 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Sunshine Coast, Queensland Coolum Beach, Queensland ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1024x768, 233 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Sunshine Coast, Queensland Coolum Beach, Queensland ...

Beaches

The region is characterized by beautiful beaches, expansive coastal views and rich fertile soils in the hinterland. Many World & Australian-renowned beaches are located at Noosa Heads, Alexandra Headlands, Mooloolaba, Coolum & Kings Beach in Caloundra. There are popular surfing areas along the beaches and headlands. A beach on the headlands hike, coastal trail. ... Coolum Beach, looking south Coolum Beach is a beachside town on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia and is also the beach around which the town is based. ... This is a list of areas associated with surfing. ...

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. Tourists on Oahu, Hawaii Tourism is travel for predominantly recreational or leisure purposes or the provision of services to support this leisure travel. ... Stephen Robert Steve Irwin (February 22, 1962 – September 4, 2006), nicknamed The Crocodile Hunter, was an Australian wildlife expert and television personality. ... Sign near entrace to the zoo Crocodile show in the Crocoseum at Australia Zoo Aviary at the Australia Zoo Harriet, the second oldest tortoise ever authenticated, lived at Australia Zoo Australia Zoo is primarily a reptile zoo located in the Australian state of Queensland on the Sunshine Coast near Beerwah... The Entrance to UnderWater World at Mooloolaba, Queensland UnderWater World at Mooloolaba, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia is a marine park and wildlife sanctuary. ... The Buderim Ginger Factory, at Yandina, Sunshine Coast, Queensland is a tourist attraction and working ginger factory. ... The Big Pineapple The Big Pineapple is a tourist attraction and working farm situated near Nambour, Queensland. ...

Coolum Beach, looking north

Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1024x768, 168 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Sunshine Coast, Queensland Coolum Beach, Queensland ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1024x768, 168 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Sunshine Coast, Queensland Coolum Beach, Queensland ...

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. This article is about national parks. ... Mapleton Falls is a national park in Queensland (Australia), 95 km north of Brisbane. ... Kondalilla is a national park in Queensland (Australia), 91 km north of Brisbane. ... Categories: Stub | National parks of Queensland ... Noosa is a national park in Queensland (Australia), 121 km north of Brisbane. ... Great Sandy is a national park in Queensland (Australia). ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ...

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. A links golf course, sometimes referred to as a seaside links is the oldest style of golf course, first developed in Scotland. ...

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 & public primary & secondary schools.

Representation of a university class, 1350s. ... Established in 1996, the University of the Sunshine Coast is a very small public university (by Australian standards), having around 5,000 students and 700 staff. ... Central Queensland University (CQU) Central Queensland University (CQU), is Australias largest public funded regional university. ... Noosa is located on the Sunshine Coast in South East Queensland, Australia. ... For the Texas educational association, see Texas Association of Future Educators. ... The Sunshine Coast Institute of TAFE (SCIT) is the Sunshine Coast institute of the Technical and Further Education organization. ... Students in Rome, Italy. ...

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. Bruce Highway The Bruce Highway is the major coastal highway of Queensland, Australia. ... Nicklin Way (SR6) is a major road in Sunshine Coast, Queensland. ... The Sunshine Motorway is a thirty-three kilometre Australian motorway on the Sunshine Coast region of Queensland, just north of Brisbane. ...

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. The Sunshine Coast Airport is the gateway to some of Queenslands most beautiful holiday destinations such as Noosa, Maroochydore & Caloundra. ... The Sydney Opera House on Sydney Harbour Sydney (pronounced ) is the most populous city in Australia, with a metropolitan area population of approximately 4. ... Adelaide is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of South Australia, and is the fifth largest city in Australia, with a population of over 1. ... Melbourne (pronounced ) is the second most populous city in Australia, with a metropolitan area population of approximately 3. ... For the aircraft, see Lockheed JetStar. ... Virgin Blue is an Australian low-cost airline and Australias second-biggest airline. ...

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. Wickham Terrace entrance to Central Station - showing Queensland Rail QR sign QR, previously known as Queensland Rail and Queensland Railways, is the corporation responsible for the operation and maintenance of the railway system in the State of Queensland, Australia. ... Citytrain is the name given to the extensive urban, suburban and inter-urban electric passenger railway network serving metropolitan Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. ... The Nambour and Gympie North (or Sunshine Coast) railway line is a interurban railway line in Queensland, Australia connecting Brisbane with the Sunshine Coast and Gympie. ... Caboolture station is the final railway station of the Caboolture line of Brisbane, Australia, and the first station on the inter-urban Nambour line. ... Bowen Hills station is a railway station in Brisbane, Australia. ...

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. Sunbus logo Sunbus is the principal provider of public transportation on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia. ... For a list of all TransLink services, see the list of TransLink services. ... Caloundra () is the southern-most community on the Sunshine Coast in South East Queensland, Australia. ... If the Sunshine Coast had a beating heart, Maroochydore is it. (Maroochy tourism) Being the geographic centre of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore offers a blend of surf beach and the calm waters of the Maroochy River whose southern bank forms a virtually unbroken stretch of parkland and picnic spots. ... Noosa is located on the Sunshine Coast in South East Queensland, Australia. ... Local Government Area (abbreviated LGA) is a term used in Australia (and especially by the Australian Bureau of Statistics) to refer to areas controlled by each individual Local Government. ...

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. Sunshine Plaza is a large shopping centre located in Maroochydore on the Sunshine Coast. ...

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. Hein Cooper at Banzai Pipeline, December 1981 Surfing is a surface water sport. ... Mooloolaba Beach with Alexandra Headland (at right) Mooloolaba is a tourist resort township in the centre of the Sunshine Coast, in Queensland, Australia, 100 km north of Brisbane. ...

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

Schoolies or Schoolies week (known as Leavers or Leavers week in Western Australia) refers to the Australian tradition of high-school graduates (known as Schoolies) having week-long holidays following the end of their final exams in late November and early December. ... The Noosa Triathlon is an annual Triathlon held in Noosa since 1983. ... The Mooloolaba Triathlon is an annual Triathlon held in Mooloolaba since 1993. ...

External links

• Sunshine Coast Tourism Board - Includes information on how to reach the Coast.

References