Mooloolaba 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 separ ...

of Maroochydore 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 con ...

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 , establishe ...

, Australia. It is located north of the state capital,

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

, and is part of the Maroochydore urban centre. In the , Mooloolaba had a population of 7,730 people.

Geography

Mooloolaba Esplanade at Mooloolaba, Queensland

Mooloolaba is bounded on the east by 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 ...

, on the south by the

Mooloolah River The Mooloolah River is a river in South East Queensland, Australia. The river rises from the eastern slopes of the Blackall Range and flows east-northeast, similar to the Maroochy River to the north. The mouth of the river is at southern Moolo ...

, on the north by Alexandra Headland and to the west by

Buderim Buderim ( ) is an urban centre on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. It sits on a mountain which overlooks the southern Sunshine Coast communities. In the , the urban area of Buderim had a population of 54,483. The name "Buderim" i ...

. Mooloolaba Harbour (near the mouth of the Mooloolah River, ) is the home of a large fleet of fishing vessels, as well as being the northern base for the pilot vessels that control shipping through Moreton Bay and the

Port of Brisbane Port of Brisbane is the shipping port and coastal suburb of the City of Brisbane, on the east coast of Queensland, Australia. In the , Port of Brisbane had no residents living in the suburb. The port is the largest in the state of Queensland. ...

. Due to its sheltered location in the lee of

Point Cartwright Point Cartwright is a rocky headland at the mouth of the Mooloolah River in Queensland, Australia, renowned for its scenic beauty and landmark lighthouse, Point Cartwright Light. It is located 14 km north of Caloundra. History The headland w ...

, it is an all-weather harbour favoured by recreational sailors. The esplanade facing Mooloolaba beach is a centre for tourist activity, containing the Sea Life marine park (), as well as many souvenir and clothing shops, bookshops, galleries and restaurants. Behind the apartments facing the Mooloolaba Beach () are camping grounds, backpacker hostels and canal villas. It is also a tourism destination, with

cruise ships Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports-of-call, where passengers may go on tours known as "sho ...

regularly anchoring outside the port. Mooloolaba is serviced by coach from Brisbane, by train and connecting bus via Nambour,

Woombye Woombye is a town and locality in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Woombye had a population of 3,246 people. Geography Woombye is located on the Sunshine Coast hinterland in Queensland, Australia, approximately n ...

, Landsborough station, and by air from the

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 ...

History

Mooloolaba derives from the Aboriginal word ''mulu'', meaning snapper fish, or ''mulla'' meaning Red-bellied Black Snake. Originally known as Mooloolah Heads, the name was changed to Mooloolaba by Thomas O'Connor in 1919 when he subdivided land for sale there. A

Methodist church Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...

hall was opened on Saturday 28 January 1933. Mooloolaba Provisional School opened on 2 May 1933. On 24 January 1938 it became Mooloolaba State School. In September 1954

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 archdio ...

Reginald Halse performed a

stump-capping ceremony Queenslander architecture is a modern term for a type of residential housing, widespread in Queensland, Australia. It is also found in the northern parts of the adjacent state of New South Wales, and shares many traits with architecture in oth ...

for the new Anglican church at Mooloolaba. St Elizabeth's Anglican Church was dedicated on 2 November 1954 by Archbishop Halse. Its closure on 2 April 2006 was approved by Venerable R N Gowty, Archdeacon of Wide Bay. The congregation had dwindled to 17 people and a property developer offered a sum for the block in First Avenue (approx ) described as "safely estimated to be in the millions" to combine the church land with other parcels to build a high-rise residential development. The plan was to combine St Elizabeth's with St Peter's Anglican in Maroochydore and have only one Anglican church in the area. In the , Mooloolaba had a population of 7,730 people.

Education

Mooloolaba State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at the corner Meta and Douglas Streets (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 677 students with 45 teachers (39 full-time equivalent) and 20 non-teaching staff (15 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. There are no secondary schools in Moloolaba. The nearest secondary school is

Mountain Creek State High School Mountain Creek State High School (MCSHS) is a co-ed secondary school and is the largest school on Queensland's Sunshine Coast. It is located in the suburb of Mountain Creek, which is situated 96 kilometres (60 mi) north of Brisbane. Structu ...

in neighbouring Mountain Creek.

Amenities

The Sunshine Coast Regional Council operates a mobile library service which visits Moondarra Drive. The Mooloolaba Uniting Church is at 6 Meta Street (). The Greek Orthodox Parish of the Sunshine Coast meets at the Uniting Church at 6 Meta Street once a month.

Sports

Mooloolaba is also home to the Mooloolaba Triathlon and the Sydney to Mooloolaba Yacht Race. It is also home to various on beach events.

In popular culture

Mooloolaba featured in the fourth season of ''

The Amazing Race ''The Amazing Race'' is an adventure reality game show franchise in which teams of two people race around the world in competition with other teams. The ''Race'' is split into legs, with teams tasked to deduce clues, navigate themselves in fore ...

''. Evangelist Peter Foxhall and Pastor Bill Furler pioneered an

Assemblies of God The Assemblies of God (AG), officially the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, is a group of over 144 autonomous self-governing national groupings of churches that together form the world's largest Pentecostal denomination."Assemblies of God". ...

church at the Mooloolaba Surf Lifesaving Club in the mid-1980s. The town was also the home of the Christian pop/rock band Newsboys and is mentioned in their song "RSL 1984" from ''

In the Hands of God ''In the Hands of God'' is the thirteenth studio album by Christian band Newsboys. It was released on 5 May 2009, being the last album the band released before the departure of singer and founding member Peter Furler. It also features the retu ...

''. It is the fourth town mentioned in the original Australian version of the song " I've Been Everywhere". In August and September 2015, the town garnered media attention when a French woman recorded a video claiming to have had a one-night stand with a male resident of Mooloolaba, asking him to come forward. It turned out to have been a promotional advert for the town, masterminded by a British social media expert - the woman was a French university student and actress.

References

External links

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