Coolum Beach is a

beach A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc shel ...

side town and coastal

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...

in the

Sunshine Coast Region The Sunshine Coast Region is a local government area located in the Sunshine Coast district of South East Queensland, Australia. It was created by the amalgamation in 2008 of the City of Caloundra and the Shires of Maroochy and Noosa. It cont ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, Australia. In the , the suburb of Coolum Beach had a population of 8,497 people.

Geography

Coolum Beach has the following mountains (from north to south): * Mount Peregian (Mount Emu) () * Toboggan Hill () * Eurungunder Hill () Coolum Beach has the following coastal features (from north to south): * Peregian Beach (), extending south from Peregian Beach to the north-east * Coolum Beach (), along the mid-coastline of the suburb * Point Perry () However,

Mount Coolum Mount Coolum is a coastal suburb in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Mount Coolum had a population of 4,265 people. Geography The Sunshine Motorway passes through the locality from the north-west (Coolum Beach) t ...

(to the south of the suburb) dominates the landscape.

History

The town and locality take their name from the beach. The area of what is today part of Coolum was located in the traditional lands of the

Undanbi The Undanbi are an Aboriginal Australian people of southern Queensland. Alternative or clan names include Inabara, Djindubari and Ningy Ningy (also spelt Ningyningy and other variants). Name The autonym Undanbi is formed from their word for 'ma ...

, who were part of the larger tribes of the

Gubbi Gubbi people The Gubbi Gubbi people also known as Kabi Kabi are an Aboriginal Australian people native to south-eastern Queensland. They are now classified as one of several Murri language groups in Queensland. Naming As is often the case, ethnonyms dist ...

s. In the 19th century, Coolum was first encountered by Europeans, mainly castaways and later shipwrecked sailors. From 1871 to 1881,

land grants A land grant is a gift of real estate—land or its use privileges—made by a government or other authority as an incentive, means of enabling works, or as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service. Grants ...

were selected by

Grainger Ward Grainger may refer to: Places *Grainger, Alberta, a locality in Canada *Grainger County, Tennessee, a county located in Tennessee, United States *Grainger Falls, a waterfall in Chalky Inland, Fiordland, New Zealand *Grainger Market, a covered mark ...

and

Mark Blasdall Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * Fin ...

with a total pastoral lease of 407 hectares. Coolum Provisional School opened on 2 April 1917. In 1930, it became Coolum State School. In December 1923, land in the Mt Coolum Beach Estate second section went to auction, following the successful sale of portions in the first section, and one month after the official opening of the

Moreton Central Sugar Mill Cane Tramway Moreton Central Sugar Mill Cane Tramway is a heritage-listed tramway at Mill Street, Currie Street, and Howard Street, in Nambour, Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. It was built . It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on ...

extension to Coolum. All lots are described as having an uninterrupted view of the Pacific Ocean. In 1931 the Coolum Beach branch of the

Queensland Country Women's Association The Queensland Country Women's Association (QCWA) is the Queensland chapter of the Country Women's Association in Australia. The association seeks to serve the interests of women and children in rural areas in Australia through a network of loca ...

were donated a block of land and purchased the adjacent block at 7-9 Coolum Terrace (). In 1965 a former school building was moved onto the block which was replaced with a new building in 1990. In 2013 the CWA decided that the hall was under-utilised and that its increasing property value should be realised to support other projects. The property was sold into private ownership on 21 September 2013 for $660,000. Holy Spirit Anglican Church was dedicated on 14 November 1970. It was consecrated by

Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

Felix Arnott Felix Raymond Arnott CMG, Th.D., M.A., B.A. (8 March 1911 – 27 July 1988) was the sixth Archbishop of the Anglican Diocese of Brisbane. Early life and education He was born on 8 March 1911 and educated at Ipswich School and Keble College, Oxf ...

on 5 November 1977. Coolum State High School opened on 29 January 1985. The Coolum Library opened in 1989 with a major refurbishment in 1997. In 2002, Coolum hosted the

Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM; or) is a biennial summit meeting of the governmental leaders from all Commonwealth nations. Despite the name, the head of state may be present in the meeting instead of the head of go ...

, replacing the 2001 meeting that was postponed and moved from

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

in the wake of the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...

. In the , the suburb of Coolum Beach had a population of 8,497 people. Along with a number of other regional Australian newspapers owned by

NewsCorp News Corporation (abbreviated News Corp.), also variously known as News Corporation Limited, was an American multinational mass media corporation controlled by media mogul Rupert Murdoch and headquartered at 1211 Avenue of the Americas in New ...

, the ''Coolum News'' newspaper ceased publication in June 2020.

Education

Coolum State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at School Road (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 1,025 students with 69 teachers (63 full-time equivalent) and 45 non-teaching staff (28 full-time equivalent). It includes a

special education Special education (known as special-needs education, aided education, exceptional education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, or SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates th ...

program. Coolum State High School is a government secondary (7-12) school for boys and girls at Havana Road East (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 1,092 students with 88 teachers (84 full-time equivalent) and 34 non-teaching staff (26 full-time equivalent). It includes a special education program. Despite the name, Coolum Beach Christian College is in neighbouring Yandina Creek.

Amenities

The

Sunshine Coast Regional Council The Sunshine Coast Region is a local government area located in the Sunshine Coast district of South East Queensland, Australia. It was created by the amalgamation in 2008 of the City of Caloundra and the Shires of Maroochy and Noosa. It cont ...

operates a public library at 6 Park Street. Coolum Beach Uniting Church is at 22-26 Elizabeth Street (corner of Heathfield Road, ). Holy Spirit Anglican Church is 25 Beach Road (corner of Perry Street, ).

Attractions

Coolum Beach is a popular day trip and holiday destination. The town is focused around the beach which is patrolled by life savers and offers swimming and surfing, in its day it is known as one of the best breaks in Queensland. Parks, a boardwalk, esplanade shops, and the surf lifesaver club surround the beach. Over the last five years Coolum Beach has seen heavy development, with new buildings for retail business and holiday apartments. Lows Lookout is a tourist attraction at the top of Grandview Drive on Toboggan Hill ().

Public transport

Sunbus Sunbus was an Australian bus operator in the Australian state of Queensland. It operated in 5 regional areas across the state under contract to the Government of Queensland under the TransLink banner. As of 2022 Sunbus has changed its name as ...

, a division of

TransLink Translink (or TransLink) may refer to: * TransLink (British Columbia), the public transport operator in Vancouver, Canada * Translink (Northern Ireland) Translink is the brand name of the Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company (NITHCo), a ...

operates local buses. The nearest railway station is

Yandina Railway Station Yandina railway station is located on the North Coast line in Queensland, Australia. It serves the town of Yandina in the Sunshine Coast Region. History Yandina station opened on 30 December 1890, serving as the line's terminus for a period. ...

from where there are

Queensland Rail Queensland Rail (QR) is a railway operator in Queensland, Australia. Owned by the Queensland Government, it operates local and long-distance passenger services, as well as owning and maintaining approximately 6,600 kilometres of track and relate ...

trains to

Roma Street railway station Roma Street railway station is located in the Brisbane central business district, Queensland, Australia. It is the junction station for the North Coast railway line, Queensland, North Coast, Main Line railway, Main, Gold Coast railway line, Go ...

as well as a line to

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line r ...

and North Gympie.

Notable people

Notable people who are from or have lived in Coolum include: *

Essena O'Neill Essena O'Neill (born 3 November 1996) is a former internet celebrity from Coolum, Australia, who made national and international headlines when quitting social media in 2015. Social media In late October 2015, then eighteen-year-old model an ...

, internet celebrity who left social media * Julian Wilson, professional surfer competing in the

World Surf League The World Surf League (WSL) is the governing body for professional surfers and is dedicated to showcasing the world's best talent in a variety of progressive formats. The World Surf League was originally known as the International Professional ...

Men's Tour

References

External links

* *Historical Aerial Images o
Coolum Beach
sourced at AeroStock {{Sunshine Coast Region Suburbs of the Sunshine Coast Region Beaches of Queensland Towns in Queensland