Caloundra ( ) is a coastal town in the

Sunshine Coast Region The Sunshine Coast Region is a local government area located in the Sunshine Coast region of South East Queensland, Australia, from which it takes its name. It was created by the amalgamation in 2008 of the City of Caloundra and the Shires o ...

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

, Australia. In the , the town of Caloundra had a population of 96,305 people.

Geography

Caloundra is north of the

Brisbane central business district Brisbane City is the central suburb and central business district of Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia. It is also colloquially referred to as the "Brisbane CBD", "the city", or simply "town". The CBD is located on a point ...

. Caloundra is accessible from

Landsborough railway station Landsborough railway station is located on the North Coast railway line, Queensland, North Coast line in Queensland, Australia. It serves the town of Landsborough, Queensland, Landsborough in the Sunshine Coast Region. History In 1998, constr ...

, away, and the Caloundra bus station.

Bribie Island Bribie Island is the smallest and most northerly of three major sand islands forming the coastline sheltering the northern part of Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia. The others are Moreton Island and North Stradbroke Island. Bribie Island is ...

is located across the Pumicestone Passage to the south. Caloundra marks the coastal northern extent of the

Moreton Bay Marine Park The Moreton Bay Marine Park was established in 1993 to protect ecologically significant habitats in Moreton Bay. The marine park extends from Caloundra south to the southern tip of South Stradbroke Island. The marine park's border extends up to t ...

History

Caloundra lies within the Aboriginal

Gubbi Gubbi The Kabi Kabi people, also spelt Gubbi Gubbi, Gabi Gabi, and other variants, are an Aboriginal Australian people native to South Eastern Queensland. During the Australian frontier wars of the 19th century, there were several mass killings o ...

(Kabi Kabi, Cabbee, Carbi, Gabi Gabi) language region. The name ''Caloundra'' is from the Gubbi Gubbi language ''Cullowundoor'' with ''Kal Owen'' meaning 'beech tree' (''

Gmelina leichhardtii ''Gmelina leichhardtii'', the white beech, is a tree of eastern Australia. Scattered individuals or small groups of trees naturally occur from the Illawarra district of New South Wales (34½° S) to near Proserpine in tropical Queensland. T ...

'') and ''Dha'' meaning 'place'. Caloundra Head was previously known as Petrie Point and Point Wickham (or Wickham Point). Point Wickham takes its name from

John Clements Wickham John Clements Wickham (21 November 17986 January 1864) was a Scotland, Scottish explorer, naval officer, magistrate and administrator. He was first lieutenant on during its Second voyage of HMS Beagle, second survey mission, 1831–1836, un ...

, who did a hydrographic survey of the northern section of Moreton Bay in 1846 and was later the Government Resident of Moreton Bay from 1853 to 1859. Point Wickham was in use by 1860, where it was noted on official maps. In an 1892 map it is named "Caloundra Head (Wickham Point)" and at some time later the use of Caloundra Head became dominant and the use of the name Point Wickham seems to have discontinued. In 1875,

Robert Bulcock Robert Bulcock (21 May 1832 – 10 May 1900) was a member of both the Queensland Legislative Council and the Queensland Legislative Assembly. Early life Bulcock was born in Clitheroe, Lancashire, to Robert Bulcock, an overlooker in a cotton f ...

, an English immigrant who founded a Brisbane newspaper and later represented the Brisbane electorate of Enoggera in the

Legislative Assembly of Queensland The Legislative Assembly of Queensland is the sole chamber of the unicameral Parliament of Queensland established under the Constitution of Queensland. Elections are held every four years and are done by full preferential voting. The Assembly ...

from 1885 until 1888, bought of land in the region. A town was surveyed in the 1870s, and land sales commenced in 1883. The first allotments of land in Caloundra were advertised for public auction on 28 August 1883. The map states 'the land is of a sandstone nature, undulating and ridgy, heavily timbered with Gum, Bloodwood, Tea-tree and Oak'. A 1907 map shows several sections from George Street to Ernest St advertised for auction on 7 January 1907 by the Government Land Office. With its proximity to beaches, the area became popular with tourists and a number of hotels and guest houses were set up to accommodate them. In 1917, Bulcock's son, Robert Bulcock Jr, who was a councillor in the

Shire of Landsborough Shire () is a traditional term for an administrative division of land in Great Britain and some other English-speaking countries. It is generally synonymous with county (such as Cheshire and Worcestershire). British counties are among the oldes ...

, subdivided part of the land into 404 lots. This area became known as Bulcock Beach. 404 allotments of 'Bulcock Estate' were advertised for auction on 16 August 1917 by Isle, Love and Co, auctioneers, with an edge of the Estate mapped as adjacent to Tripcony's store and the Tramway terminus. In 1919, 29 subdivided allotments of 'Caloundra Heads Estate' were advertised to be auctioned on 20 December 1919 by Cameron Bros. in Brisbane. A map advertising the auction shows the majority of blocks were on Albert Street between King Street and Kings Beach. Another undated map shows more blocks of this estate were advertised for auction on King Street towards Ernest Street. On Saturday 29 December 1934, Caloundra Methodist Church was opened and dedicated by the President of the Methodist State Conference, C. C. Truman. It was the first church in Caloundra. The Caloundra 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 ...

was established in July 1937. St Andrew's Anglican Church was dedicated on Sunday 22 January 1939 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 ...

William Wand John William Charles Wand, (25 January 1885 – 16 August 1977) was an English Anglican bishop. He was the Archbishop of Brisbane in Australia before returning to England to become the Bishop of Bath and Wells and, later, Bishop of London. ...

. The construction of the church had been strongly encouraged by Wand who holidayed at Caloundra with his friend

Queensland Governor The governor of Queensland is the representative of the monarch, currently King Charles III, in the state of Queensland. In an analogous way to the governor-general at the national level, the governor performs constitutional and ceremonial func ...

Leslie Wilson. The Governor also attended the church's dedication. On 10 December 1966 the foundation stone of the new church was laid Archbishop

Philip Strong :''Both the subject and his father sometimes used ''Warrington Strong'' as a surname.'' Sir Philip Nigel Warrington Strong (11 July 18996 July 1983) served as the fourth Bishop of New Guinea from 1936 to 1962 and the fifth Anglican Anglican Ar ...

, who opened and dedicated the new church on 8 December 1967. The new church was consecrated in 1974. The first female councillor was Miriam Westaway, who represented Division 5 from 29 April 1961 to 30 March 1973. She was one of the first teachers at Caloundra State School. She was active in community groups such as the RSL Women's Auxiliary and a founder of the Caloundra Branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association and the local branch of the

Red Cross The organized International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 16million volunteering, volunteers, members, and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the area became key to Australian defence due to defensive positions along the beaches. Radar stations and machine gun pits were mounted, and Australian and US armed forces came to the area. From the early 1950s onwards, Caloundra experienced a boom in development and population, and by 1968, it had come to dominate the Shire of Landsborough so completely that the council chambers were relocated to Caloundra. The Caloundra Library opened in 1986 with a major refurbishment in 2017.

Demographics

In the , the locality of Caloundra had a population of 271 people. In the , the suburb of Caloundra had a population of 3,917 people. In the , the town of Caloundra had a population of 96,305 people.

Heritage listings

Caloundra has a number of

heritage-listed This list is of heritage registers, inventories of cultural properties, natural and human-made, tangible and intangible, movable and immovable, that are deemed to be of sufficient heritage value to be separately identified and recorded. In ma ...

sites, including: * Tripcony Hibiscus Caravan Park, Bowman Road,

Caloundra (suburb) Caloundra is a coastal Suburbs and localities (Australia), suburb and the central business district of the town of Caloundra in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the suburb of Caloundra had a population of 3,932 people. ...

Caloundra Lighthouses Caloundra Lighthouses are a heritage-listed pair of lighthouses at 3 Canberra Terrace, near Arthur Street, Kings Beach, Queensland, Kings Beach, Caloundra, Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. The first, known as the Old Caloundra Lig ...

, 6 Arthur Street and 3 Canberra Terrace, Kings Beach *

Kings Beach Bathing Pavilion Kings Beach Bathing Pavilion is a heritage-listed public bathing, changing rooms at Ormonde Terrace, Kings Beach, Queensland, Kings Beach, Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Clifford Ernest Plant and built in 1937 ...

, Ormonde Terrace, Kings Beach

Suburbs

Caloundra is not strictly defined, but the boundary used by the

Australian Bureau of Statistics The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) is an List of Australian Government entities, Australian Government agency that collects and analyses statistics on economic, population, Natural environment, environmental, and social issues to advi ...

for census purposes and the urban zone defined by the

Sunshine Coast Regional Council The Sunshine Coast Region is a Local government in Australia, local government area located in the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Sunshine Coast region of South East Queensland, Australia, from which it takes its name. It was created by the amalg ...

(formerly the

Caloundra City Council The City of Caloundra 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 ; it existed as a local government entity from 1912 until 2008, when it a ...

) almost exactly coincide. This region is bounded roughly by Currimundi Creek, Rainforest Drive and the Mooloolah River to the north, Beerwah State Forest and

Bruce Highway The Bruce Highway is a major highway in Queensland, Australia. Commencing in the state capital, Brisbane, it passes through areas close to the eastern coast on its way to Cairns in Far North Queensland. The route is part of the Australian Natio ...

to the west, the Pumicestone Passage (separating the area from

) and the ocean to the east, and Bells Creek to the south. The

central business district A central business district (CBD) is the Commerce, commercial and business center of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides wit ...

(CBD) for the area is located on Bulcock Street,

Caloundra Caloundra ( ) is a coastal town in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the town of Caloundra had a population of 96,305 people. Geography Caloundra is north of the Brisbane central business district. Caloundra is acce ...

The Caloundra urban centre consists of the following suburbs: * Aroona *

Banya Banya may refer to: Places Australia * Banya, Queensland, a locality in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia Bulgaria * Banya, Blagoevgrad Province, a thermal spa and mountain resort in southwest Bulgaria * Banya, Burgas P ...

* Baringa * Battery Hill * Bells Creek *

* Caloundra West * Corbould Park * Currimundi (part) * Dicky Beach * Gagalba * Golden Beach * Kings Beach * Little Mountain * Nirimba * Meridan Plains (part) * Moffat Beach * Pelican Waters * Shelly Beach

Climate

Transport

The region of the Sunshine Coast, including Caloundra, is serviced by the

Sunshine Coast Airport Sunshine Coast Airport (formerly Maroochydore Airport) is an Australian international airport located in Marcoola, north of Maroochydore, roughly centrally located along the coast of the Sunshine Coast Region. It is approximately north o ...

, located at . A smaller

regional airport A domestic airport is an airport that handles only flights within the same country. Domestic airports do not have customs and immigration facilities and so cannot handle flights to or from a foreign airport. These airports often have short r ...

is also located at Caloundra. Caloundra's suburbs are served by

Kinetic Group Kinetic Group (stylised as K''I''NET''I''C; formerly known as AATS Group) is an Australian-based multinational bus company that wholly owns a number of bus operations in Australia and New Zealand, including the SkyBus business, which operates ...

, who operate the Caloundra bus station in Cooma Terrace. Bus routes 600, 602, 603, 605, 607, 609 connect Caloundra to

Kawana Waters Kawana Waters is an urban centre on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia, between Caloundra and Maroochydore along the Coral Sea coast. It was originally the estate development name and has passed into common usage, but it is not official ...

Maroochydore Maroochydore ( ) is a coastal town in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the urban area of Maroochydore had a population of 63,673 people. The city was subdivided from the Cotton Tree reserve by Surveyor Thomas O'Conno ...

Buderim Buderim ( ) is a town in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. It sits on a mountain which overlooks the southern Sunshine Coast communities. The name "Buderim" is usually believed to be derived from a local Gubbi Gubbi people, ...

and Landsborough. Of residents aged 15 and over, 0.5% report using public transport to commute to work.

on the

Sunshine Coast line The Sunshine Coast Line is the current marketing name of what originally was the Tendring Hundred Railway, a branch off the Great Eastern Main Line in the East of England. It links to the seaside resorts of and, via a branch, . The line is par ...

has regular services to

Roma Street railway station Roma Street railway station is a commuter and long-distance passenger train station located in the Brisbane central business district, central business district of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is the junction station for the North Coast ...

in Brisbane, operated by

Queensland Rail Queensland Rail (QR) is a railway operator in Queensland, Australia. Queensland Rail is owned by the Queensland Government, and operates both Commuter rail, suburban and Regional rail, interurban rail services in South East Queensland, as well ...

. There are several bus companies providing coach services from Caloundra to

Brisbane Airport Brisbane Airport is an international airport serving Brisbane, the capital of the Australian state of Queensland. The airport services 31 airlines flying to 50 domestic and 29 international destinations, total amounting to more than 22.7 mill ...

Industry

Tourism

Caloundra has a variety of

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 (geology), rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle beach, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological s ...

es, providing amenity to the local residents and tourists. * Golden Beach is protected by

to the east, and is used for swimming, windsurfing, boating and fishing. At low tide, Golden Beach and Bribie Island are relatively close. *Bulcock Beach is a still water beach, has board-walks, piers and numerous restaurants, and is situated opposite the northern end of Bribie Island. The Des Dywer walking track is an

oceanway A greenway is usually a shared-use path along a strip of undeveloped land, in an urban or rural area, set aside for recreational use or environmental protection. Greenways are frequently created out of disused railways, canal towpaths, utility ...

that starts at Bulcock beach and follows the coastline on cliffs and boardwalks. The walking track ends at Moffat Beach north-east of Bulcock, and is about a one-hour walk. Bulcock Beach is patrolled by volunteer lifesavers from

Ithaca–Caloundra City Life Saving Club The Ithaca–Caloundra City Life Saving Club is a Royal Life Saving Club (one of only a few in Queensland) based in Caloundra, Queensland, Australia. History The club started operations in March 1954 with a group of six men whose aim was to fo ...

. * Kings Beach, named for Allan King who ran a guest house in the area in 1888, is the main beach of Caloundra. Kings Beach is patrolled all year round by Metropolitan – Caloundra Surf Life Saving Club and has a picnic and children's play area. Kings Beach also has a swimming pool which, whilst built to be separate from the ocean, is fed directly from seawater. * Shelly Beach is not a swimming beach, with the danger of wild rough waves and rocks. However, the northern and southern ends are safer for more advanced or supervised swimmers. Locals often find these places appropriate as, not only is it remote from the crowds of the adjacent King's Beach, but local council laws allow dogs on the sand. On low tide, shells and rock pools can be found along the beach. Shelly is surrounded by residential housing with a maximum of five storeys. * Moffat Beach is not a patrolled beach, but Dicky Beach, located one kilometre north, has a surf lifesaving club and is patrolled year-round. Moffat Beach is surrounded by residential housing, cafes, a post office, a newsagent, parkland and apartments. *The surf beaches are Kings Beach and Dicky Beach which commence at the eastern end of Bulcock Beach, namely **Happy Valley (full east/south-east exposure) – officially Happy Valley is part of and shown on maps as Bulcock Beach. **Kings Beach (E/SE) **Shelly Beach(E/NE) **Moffat Beach (E/NE) **Dicky Beach (E/NE) *On Caloundra's outskirts is

Aussie World Aussie World is a privately owned, medium-sized, family theme park on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. It has over 30 rides and attractions. It is located at 1 Downunder Drive, just off the Bruce Highway at Palmview. It has been r ...

, located at the Glenview turnoff on the

. *Corbould Park Racetrack – home of Sunshine Coast Turf Club which holds an important race meet during the Queensland Winter Racing Carnival, with the

Group 3 Group 3 may refer to: * Group 3 element, chemical element classification * Group 3 (motorsport), FIA classification of cars used in auto racing and rallying * Group 3, the third tier of races in worldwide Thoroughbred horse racing * Group 3 image ...

Sunshine Coast Guineas and Listed Caloundra Cup.

Amenities

The

Sunshine Coast Council The Sunshine Coast Region is a local government area located in the Sunshine Coast region of South East Queensland, Australia, from which it takes its name. It was created by the amalgamation in 2008 of the City of Caloundra and the Shires of ...

operates a public library at 8 Omrah Avenue. The Caloundra branch of the

meets at 17 Kalinga Street. St Andrew's Anglican Church is at 46 Upper Gay Terrace, Kings Beach (). Some of the church's locum staff of retired priests are part of the

Progressive Christianity Progressive Christianity represents a range of related perspectives in contemporary Christian theology and practice. It is a postmodern theological approach, which developed out of the liberal Christianity of the modern era, although progressive C ...

movement. Caloundra Uniting Church also has links to the Progressive Christianity movement.

Awards

Caloundra has won the Australian Tidy Town Award in 2012. The Queensland Tourism Industry Council named Caloundra the 2023 Queensland Top Tourism Town.

Notable residents

, pastoralist and

politician * James C. Moffat, chemist and pastoralist

References

External links

*
Caloundra Regional Art Gallery Artabase page

Caloundra Tourism
{{authority control Coastal cities in Australia Queensland in World War II Coastline of Queensland