Maroochydore ( ) 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 urban area of Maroochydore had a population of 63,673 people. The city 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 depot at what is now Wharf Street. Its name comes from the Yuggera language word ''Muru-kutchi'', meaning red-bill and referring to the

black swan The black swan (''Cygnus atratus'') is a large Anatidae, waterbird, a species of swan which breeds mainly in the southeast and southwest regions of Australia. Within Australia, the black swan is nomadic, with erratic migration patterns dependent ...

, which is commonly seen in the area. Maroochydore is a major commercial area of the Sunshine Coast with most shopping precincts located in the central business district. It is home to the Sunshine Plaza shopping centre and the Sunshine Coast's major bus interchange for Translink services operated 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 ...

. Maroochydore is also a venue of major surf sport carnivals, and is a popular holiday point from which to travel the rest of Queensland.

Geography

The boundaries of the Maroochydore as a locality are well-defined. As a town, Maroochydore does not have strict boundaries. 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 Horton Parade,

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 ...

. Maroochy Waters is a waterfront, residential estate located in Maroochydore adjacent to the

Maroochy River The Maroochy River is a river in South East Queensland, Australia. The river rises from the eastern slopes of the Blackall Range and flows east through Eumundi before entering the sea at Cotton Tree, Maroochydore. Other populated centres in t ...

, Australia. It is one of the last canal projects to be built in Queensland with direct access to the river system and the

Coral Sea The Coral Sea () is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean, South Pacific off the northeast coast of Australia, and classified as an Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia, interim Australian bioregion. The Coral Sea extends down t ...

Council has an annual dredging program to replenish the sand beaches. The canals plus all infrastructure were built in three stages in the late 1970s, mid 1980s, and the early 1990s. The deep water canal plays a role in flood relief and the land is higher than Maroochydore CBD which has recorded floods in the last 30 years. The canal's main reach, which extends for more than one km, was the training ground for 1992 Olympic K–1 1000 m gold medalist Clint Robinson.

History

Maroochydore Post Office opened on 4 October 1922 (a

receiving office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...

had been open from 1891 until 1898, and from 1916). Our Lady Star of the Sea (Stella Maris) Catholic Church was officially opened 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 ...

James Duhig on Sunday 15 October 1950. It replaced an earlier church which had become inadequate for the growing congregation. The 1950 church could seat 170 people in the nave and a further 150 people on the verandahs on either side of the church. Timber from the recently demolished St Joseph's Catholic Church in

Nambour Nambour is a rural town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Nambour had a population of 12,145 people. Geography Nambour is north of the state capital ...

was used to construct the Maroochydore church to reduce the costs. The architect was

Frank Cullen Frank Cullen (2 February 1909 – 2 November 1991) was an Australian architect, who designed over 200 churches, schools, monasteries, convents and other church related buildings in Queensland and Northern New South Wales, Australia. Early life ...

and the contractor was K. D. Morris. The Maroochydore Library opened in 1975. Horton Park Golf Club is in Maroochydore. The club relocated to Bli Bli in May 2015 and changed names to Maroochy River Golf Club. The relocation of the golf course allowed the Sunshine Regional Council to develop the old golf course into a new city centre for the region known as Sunshine Central. The redevelopment is next to Sunshine Cove, a new sustainable residential and commercial development that has revitalized the general town centre and the development won the award from the Urban Development Institute of Australia for the best residential property Development at its annual Australian awards night in 2016. File:StateLibQld 1 91264 Haul of fish on the beach at Maroochydore, Queensland, 1907.jpg, Fish haul, 1907 File:StateLibQld 2 198743 Camping at Maroochydore, Queensland, 1932.jpg, Camping, 1932 File:Cotton Tree Post Office Maroochydore Queensland.tiff, Cotton Tree Post Office

Demographics

In the , the urban area of Maroochydore had a population of 56,308 people. In the , the urban area of Maroochydore had a population of 63,673 people. The 2016 and 2021 statistics include the following suburbs from north to south: coastal strip of Coolum Beach, Point Arkwright, Yaroomba, coastal part of Mount Coolum,

Marcoola Marcoola is a coastal town Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality and landscape of mixed-tenure in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. Geography The locality is bounded to the east by the Coral Sea and to the west by the ...

, Mudjimba (including Mudjima Island), the eastern part of Bli Bli, Pacific Paradise, Twin Waters,

, Kuluin, Alexandra Headland, and Mooloolaba.

Heritage listings

Cotton Tree 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: * Cotton Tree Parade: Cotton Tree Caravan Park

Transport

Maroochydore's suburbs are served by

, who operate from outside the Sunshine Plaza in the CBD. Various bus routes connect Maroochydore to

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, ...

, Coolum, Kawana Waters,

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 ...

and

Noosa The Shire of Noosa () is a local government area about north of Brisbane in the Sunshine Coast district of South East Queensland, Australia. The shire covers an area of . It existed as a local government entity from 1910 until 2008, when it w ...

. Maroochydore is accessible via train and connecting bus via

, Woombye and Landsborough stations on the Nambour & Gympie North Line has regular services to

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

, 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 also coach services from Sunshine Plaza 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 ...

Sunbus Volvo B12BLE with Bustech VST body

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 ...

is located just north of the urban centre in

. It offers domestic flights to state capital cities around Australia. There are plans to create a new railway line that would extend from the current Gympie North line. The proposed line would connect

, Kawana Waters and Maroochydore with

and would terminate at the Sunshine Coast Airport. A light rail system has also been proposed, which would leave from the Maroochydore CBD and connect the local regional hubs before terminating at Caloundra.

Amenities

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 ...

operates a public library at 44 Sixth Avenue, Cotton Tree. The Maroochydore 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 ...

meets at 104 Memorial Avenue.

Education

The main state secondary school in the town is

Maroochydore State High School Maroochydore State High School (commonly abbreviated as 'MSHS') is a co-educational, state secondary school located on the Sunshine Coast in the town of Maroochydore, Queensland, Australia. It has grown from an enrolment of 200 students in its ...

(1964). Other schools in the area include: * Bli Bli State School (1901) * Kuluin State School (1987) * Maroochydore State School (1921) * Mooloolaba State School (1933) * Mountain Creek State School (1994) * Mountain Creek State High School (1995) * Pacific Paradise State School (1992) * Immanuel Lutheran College (1982) * Stella Maris Catholic Primary School (1980) *Siena Catholic College (1997)

Media

Newspapers

Along with a number of other regional Australian newspapers owned by

NewsCorp The original incarnation of News Corporation (abbreviated News Corp. and also variously known as News Corporation Limited) was an American multinational mass media corporation founded and controlled by media mogul Rupert Murdoch. Formerly inc ...

, the '' Kawana/Maroochy Weekly'' newspaper ceased publication in June 2020.

Television

Maroochydore is served by 3 major free-to-air commercial television networks: * Seven Queensland –

Seven Network Seven Network (stylised 7Network, and commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is an Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, ...

owned and operated *

WIN Television WIN Television is an Australian television broadcasting, Australian television network owned and operated by WIN Corporation that is based in Wollongong, New South Wales. WIN commenced transmissions on 18 March 1962 as a single television stat ...

–

Nine Network Nine Network (stylised 9Network, and commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of the five main free-to-air television ...

affiliate * Ten Queensland –

Network 10 Network 10 (commonly known as the 10 Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Paramount Global's UK & Australia division and is one of the five national free-to-a ...

owned and operated *

ABC Television ABC Television most commonly refers to: *ABC Television Network of the American Broadcasting Company, United States, or *ABC Television (Australian TV network), a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Australia ABC Television or ABC ...

SBS Television The Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) is an Australian hybrid-funded public service broadcaster. About 80 percent of funding for the company is derived from tax revenue. SBS operates six TV channels ( SBS, SBS Viceland, SBS World Movies, SBS ...

Of the three major commercial networks: *

Seven News Seven News (stylised 7NEWS) is the television news service of the Seven Network and, as of 2021, the highest-rating in Australia. National bulletins are presented from Seven's high definition studios in South Eveleigh, Sydney, while its flags ...

airs a half-hour local bulletin for the Sunshine Coast, airing each weeknight at 6pm. It is produced and broadcast from studios in the city. *

WIN News ''WIN News'' is a local television news service in parts of regional Australia, produced by WIN Television. 14 regional bulletins and news update services are presented from WIN's headquarters in Wollongong, and until 2021 included production ...

airs a half-hour statewide news bulletin for Regional Queensland, airing each weeknight at 5:30pm. Select local stories from the Sunshine Coast is inserted into this bulletin, although local weather remains intact at the end of the bulletin as an opt-out window. It is produced from a newsroom in the city and broadcast from studios in

Wollongong Wollongong ( ; Dharawal: ''Woolyungah'') is a city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The name is believed to originate from the Dharawal language, meaning either 'five islands/clouds', 'ground near water' or 'sound ...

. A dedicated local WIN News bulletin for the Sunshine Coast was broadcast until 30th June 2021. *

airs short regional

10 News First 10 News First (set to rebrand as 10 News on 30 June 2025) is an Australia, Australian television newscast, produced by Network 10. The network's flagship news program airs at 5PM on weekday evenings covering local, national and world news, inc ...

updates throughout the day, broadcast from studios in Hobart. Maroochydore also falls under the Brisbane television license area, allowing residents to receive Brisbane stations BTQ, QTQ and TVQ.

Radio

Maroochydore is served by a variety of local commercial and community radio stations such as ABC Sunshine Coast, 91.9 Sea FM, 92.7 Mix FM, 91.1 Hot FM and Zinc 96.1. The town also falls under the Brisbane metropolitan radio license area and can also receive Brisbane stations.

Sport

All four football codes are popular in Maroochydore. The Maroochydore Multi Sports Complex is home to both the AFL and soccer and has hosted

AFL Women's AFL Women's (AFLW) is Australia's national semi-professional Australian rules football in Australia, Australian rules football competition for women's Australian rules football, female players. The 2017 AFL Women's season, first season of the l ...

premiership matches and AFL pre-season matches. The Maroochydore Australian Football Club (Roos) (founded 1969) competes in the

Queensland Australian Football League The Queensland Australian Football League (QAFL or "Q-A-F-L") is an Australian rules football competition organised by the AFL Queensland, contested by clubs from South East Queensland. Founded in 1903 it was previously known as the Queens ...

(QAFL) competition, the state's premier semi-professional level and also fields women's and junior sides. The Maroochydore Football Club (Swans) (founded 1968) play in the Football Queensland Premier League 2 and also fields women's and junior sides. The Maroochydore Rugby League Club (Swans) (founded 1972) competes in the Sunshine Coast Gympie Rugby League and also fields women's and junior sides. The Maroochydore Rugby Union (Swans) (founded 1974) competes in the Sunshine Coast Rugby Union competition and also fields junior sides. Cricket is also popular and the Maroochydore Cricket Club is based at Elizabeth Daniels Park.

In popular culture

Maroochydore is the sixth town mentioned in the original (

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

n) version of the song "

I've Been Everywhere Ive or IVE may refer to: Music * Ive (group), a South Korean girl group * I've Sound (aka "I've"), a Japanese musical group People * Ive (given name), a Croatian and Slovenian given name * Bert Ive (1875–1939), British-born Australian cinema ...

References

External links

University of Queensland: Queensland Places: Maroochydore
{{authority control 1903 establishments in Australia Populated places established in 1903 Coastline of Queensland Tourism in Queensland Suburbs of the Sunshine Coast Region Towns in Queensland