Golden Beach is a coastal suburb of

Caloundra Caloundra ( ) is a coastal town and the southernmost town in the Sunshine Coast Region in South East Queensland, Australia. Geography Caloundra is north of the Brisbane central business district. Caloundra is accessible from Landsborough ra ...

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 co ...

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. It is located within the

urban centre directly southwest of the

Caloundra CBD Caloundra is a coastal 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 3,917 people. Geography Bulcock Street is the ...

. In the , Golden Beach had a population of 5,575 people.

Geography

Golden Beach is a coastal suburb with the Pumicestone Passage forming its eastern boundary. It is mostly fully developed with low density residential housing. A canal from the passage passes through the suburb from east to west leading into the canal developments of the neighbouring suburb of Pelican Waters. The long sandspit at the northern tip of

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 i ...

protects Golden Beach from 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 Fren ...

. However, this section of the Pumicestone Passage is very narrow and very shallow (less than ) with shifting sand and mud banks, which makes the northern sandspit highly dynamic in shape through natural processes of sand/mud buildup and erosion. During storms, waves may cross over the sandspit from the Coral Sea into the Pumicestone Passage, with the potential to break through the sandspit to create new entrances to Pumicestone Passage. The creation of new entrances would impact on Golden Beach and Pelican Waters, which would then be exposed more directly to the stronger wave action of the

as opposed to the calmer waters of the Pumicestone Passage. In December 2020 wild weather began creating channels from the ocean through the northern sandspit into Pumicestone Passage.

History

Settlement of Golden Beach dates from the late 19th century, with land used mainly for farming and grazing. Development of the suburb started from the 1950s, with rapid growth from the 1960s into the 1980s. The suburb was named by the Caloundra Golden Beach Ltd, the developers of the area. Golden Beach State School opened on 24 January 1983. In the , Golden Beach had a population of 5,575 people.

Education

Golden Beach State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at Gregory Street (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 657 students with 51 teachers (44 full-time equivalent) and 33 non-teaching staff (23 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 Golden Beach; the nearest secondary school is Caloundra State High School in neighbouring

References

External links

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