Mudjimba is a 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, and forms part of the

Maroochydore Maroochydore ( ) is a coastal town in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. The town 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 de ...

urban centre. In the , Mudjimba had a population of 2,540 people.

Geography

The suburb is bounded by Mudjimba Beach on the

Coral Sea The Coral Sea () is a marginal sea of the South Pacific off the northeast coast of Australia, and classified as an interim Australian bioregion. The Coral Sea extends down the Australian northeast coast. Most of it is protected by the Fre ...

to the east, the

David Low Way David Low Way is a Australian road connecting the many coastal townships of the Sunshine Coast with the two large city centres of Maroochydore in the south and Noosa Heads in the north. The route is an alternative coastal route to the Sunshine ...

to the north and north-west, and Ocean Drive to the south. There are two main residential areas in the suburb, one in the north-east beside the beach and the one along Najoor Road in the west of the suburb. The southern part of the suburb is a protected area within the

Maroochy River Conservation Park The Shire of Maroochy was a local government area about north of Brisbane in the Sunshine Coast region of South East Queensland, Australia. The shire covered an area of , and existed as a local government entity from 1890 until 2008, when it ...

. There are various small areas of marshland throughout the suburb. Mudjimba Island sits about off the coast. (). The island forms part of the suburb and is protected as part of the Maroochy River Conservation Park. The island is known as Old Woman Island, and is associated with an Aboriginal legend of two women who stranded on the island who gathered the Midyam berries as food.

History

The name ''Mudjimba'' is derived from the

Kabi language Kabi Kabi, also spelt Gabi-Gabi/Gubbi Gubbi, is a language of Queensland in Australia, formerly spoken by the Kabi Kabi people of South-east Queensland. The main dialect, Kabi Kabi, is extinct, but there are still 24 people with knowledge of th ...

word ''midyim/mudjim'' for a local plant, the Midyam ('' Austromyrtus tenuifolia'') bush, which has sweet white berries with green spots. The Kabi legend is that two women were stranded on Mudjimba island and gathered the berries as food. The Mudjimba Residents Association was established on 13 October 1960. The initial development of the area as a beachside suburb was under the name ''Surfrider Estate.'' Mudjimba Rural Fire Brigade was established in February 1985 with Harry Stuart the first fire warden. Mudjimba Surf Life Saving Club was founded in 1996. HMAS Brisbane

In January 2003, the

Queensland Government The Queensland Government is the democratic administrative authority of the Australian state of Queensland. The Government of Queensland, a parliamentary constitutional monarchy was formed in 1859 as prescribed in its Constitution, as amended fr ...

decided to sink the decommissioned ''HMAS Brisbane'' off the Sunshine Coast to become an

artificial reef An artificial reef is a human-created underwater structure, typically built to promote marine life in areas with a generally featureless bottom, to control erosion, block ship passage, block the use of trawling nets, or improve surfing. Many re ...

and

dive site Recreational dive sites are specific places that recreational scuba divers go to enjoy the underwater environment or for training purposes. They include technical diving sites beyond the range generally accepted for recreational diving. In this c ...

. On 31 July 2005 the ship was

scuttled Scuttling is the deliberate sinking of a ship. Scuttling may be performed to dispose of an abandoned, old, or captured vessel; to prevent the vessel from becoming a navigation hazard; as an act of self-destruction to prevent the ship from being ...

in approximately off the coast of Mudjimba in of water. The ship was filled with of concrete, and 38 small charges were detonated to breach the hull. The ship sank in two minutes and ten seconds, coming to rest with the keel embedded a metre into the seabed and facing the ocean currents, and the uppermost part of the ship below sea level. A 2009 study of the value of

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

s estimated that the wreck had contributed A$18 million to the Sunshine Coast economy. In July 2010, the

was forced to step up patrols of the wreck site because people were illegally using the dive exclusion zone as a fishing site. As part of celebrations for the tenth anniversary of the ship's scuttling, 92.7 MIX FM conducted the world's first live underwater radio broadcast from the wreck on 31 July 2015. In the , Mudjimba had a population of 2,540 people.

Education

There are no schools in Mudjimba. The nearest primary school is Pacific Paradise State School in neighbouring

Pacific Paradise Pacific Paradise is a suburb of Maroochydore in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Pacific Paradise had a population of 2,190 people. Geography Pacific Paradise is bounded to the south by the Maroochy River, to the s ...

to the west. The nearest secondary school is

Maroochydore State High School Maroochydore State High School (commonly abbreviated as 'MSHS') is a co-educational, state secondary school located on Queensland's Sunshine Coast in the town of Maroochydore, approximately north of Brisbane. It has grown from an enrolment of 2 ...

to the south.

Transport

Sunshine Coast Airport Sunshine Coast Airport (formerly Maroochydore Airport) is an Australian international airport located at the northern end of the Sunshine Coast and approximately north of centre of Brisbane, within South East Queensland agglomeration. I ...

is located adjacent to the suburb; the

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 ...

depot is near the airport.

Amenities

Mudjimba Community Hall is 41 Cottonwood Street (). The hall is operated by the Mudjimba Residents' Association and is available for hire. Mudjimba Surf Life Saving Club is at 20 Mudjimba Esplanade (). Mudjimba Rural Fire Station is at Cottonwood Street (). The brigade is operated by volunteers. North Shore Multi Sports Complex and North Shore Community Centre at 701 David Low Way (). A range of sporting and recreational activities are available. North Shore Football Club has a soccer field at 53 Nojoor Road (). Mudjimba War Memorial is at Power Memorial Park on the foreshore opposite 11 Mudjimba Esplanade (). The park also has beach access, car parking, barbeque facilities, toilets and a children's playground. The Mudjimba RSL sub-branch is at 43 Cottonwood Street (). It coordinates the annual dawn service on

Anzac Day , image = Dawn service gnangarra 03.jpg , caption = Anzac Day Dawn Service at Kings Park, Western Australia, 25 April 2009, 94th anniversary. , observedby = Australia Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Cook Islands New ...

at the war memorial.

Attractions

The Mystery of Old Woman Island - Flickr - PaulBalfe

Although a buffer of coastal bushland has been maintained along the foreshore, Mudjimba Beach () can be accessed from Mudjimba Esplanade via a series of paths through the bushland. It is known as a good

beach break 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 shells ...

for surfing. Mudjimba Island is also known as a surfing area but only for expert surfers; a boat is recommended to access the island. Ex-HMAS Brisbane is a dive site (). The wreck site has been colonised by

sponge Sponges, the members of the phylum Porifera (; meaning 'pore bearer'), are a basal animal clade as a sister of the diploblasts. They are multicellular organisms that have bodies full of pores and channels allowing water to circulate through t ...

soft coral Alcyonacea, or soft corals, are an order of corals. In addition to the fleshy soft corals, the order Alcyonacea now contains all species previously known as "gorgonian corals", that produce a more or less hard skeleton, though quite different f ...

s, and

hard coral Scleractinia, also called stony corals or hard corals, are marine animals in the phylum Cnidaria that build themselves a hard skeleton. The individual animals are known as polyp (zoology), polyps and have a cylindrical body crowned by an oral di ...

s, while over 200 different species of fish have been sighted in the area. It is a restricted access area requiring a dive permit. Commercial dive tours are available and can provide transport, equipment, guides and permits. A walking track through the Maroochy River Conservation Park commences at Cottonwood Street (corner Coolibah Street, . It passes through a variety of natural vegetation types and includes boardwalks and bridges to traverse the paperbark swamp. The Mudjimba Beach Holiday Park on Cottonwood Street () provides cabins and site for caravans and campers.

References

External links

* * {{Sunshine Coast Region Suburbs of the Sunshine Coast Region Maroochydore Beaches of Queensland