Tanawha (pronounced /'tæn-uh-wuh/) is a rural

locality Locality may refer to: * Locality, a historical named location or place in Canada * Locality (association), an association of community regeneration organizations in England * Locality (linguistics) * Locality (settlement) * Suburbs and localitie ...

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. It is a suburb of

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, ...

. The name ''Tanawha'' is believed to be a

Māori language Māori (; endonym: 'the Māori language', commonly shortened to ) is an Eastern Polynesian languages, Eastern Polynesian language and the language of the Māori people, the indigenous population of mainland New Zealand. The southernmost membe ...

word referring to a legendary New Zealand monster. In the , Tanawha had a population of 1,312 people.

Geography

Tanawha is in the

Sunshine Coast Sunshine Coast may refer to: * Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia **Sunshine Coast Region, a local government area of Queensland named after the region **Sunshine Coast Stadium * Sunshine Coast (British Columbia), geographic subregion of the Br ...

hinterland and is part of the

urban centre. It is home of the Tanawha Tourist Drive. The

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 ...

passes through from south-east to north-west, and the

Sunshine Motorway The Sunshine Motorway is a thirty-three kilometre Australian motorway on the Sunshine Coast region of Queensland, just north of Brisbane. It was initially a tolled motorway before these were removed in 1996 after excessive complaints regarding t ...

runs to the east. The eastern boundary includes a short length of the Bruce Highway and a short length of the Sunshine Motorway.

History

The locality is believed to be named using a Maori language word referring to a legendary New Zealand monster

Taniwha In Māori mythology, taniwha () are large supernatural beings that live in deep pools in rivers, dark caves, or in the sea, especially in places with dangerous currents or deceptive breakers (giant waves). They may be considered highly respecte ...

. Tanawha Tourist Drive was the former

until 16 November 1989 when the Tanawha Deviation opened to traffic. Frank Cunning (son of William Cunning junior, a pioneer of the Tanawha district) was a local timber cutter. He operated sawmills at Kiel Mountain (1960), Forest Glen (1968) and

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 ...

(1973). He cut timber for railway sleepers. He also had a cattle property along Sippy Creek. Bellingham Maze opened in 1993 and has added more attractions over time. The Maroochy Regional Bushland Botanic Garden was opened on 1 December 2001. Calvary Christian Church was built from brick in 2009.

Demographics

In the , Tanawha had a population of 1,327 people. In the , Tanawha had a population of 1,312 people.

Education

There are no schools in Tanawha. The nearest government primary schools are: *

Chancellor State College Chancellor State College is a public, co-educational, P-12, school located in the Buderim suburb of Sippy Downs, in Queensland, Australia. It is administered by the Department of Education, with an enrolment of 2,922 students and a teaching ...

in neighbouring Sippy Downs to the east *

Buderim Mountain State School Buderim Mountain State School is a heritage-listed state school and war memorial at 8–42 Main Street, Buderim, Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Department of Public Works (Queensland) and built from 1936 to 194 ...

in neighbouring

to the north-east * Chevallum State School in neighbouring

Chevallum Chevallum is a rural locality in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Chevallum had a population of 467 people. Geography Part of the western boundary of the suburb is marked by the Bruce Highway. Eudlo Creek, a tributar ...

to the west * Eudlo State School in Eudlo to the south-west, * Glenview State School in neighbouring Glenview to the south. The nearest government secondary school is Chancellor State College in neighbouring Sippy Downs.

Amenities

Calvary Christian Church is at 212 Crosby Hill Road (). It is affiliated with the

Australian Christian Churches The Australian Christian Churches (ACC), formerly Assemblies of God in Australia, is a network of Finished Work Pentecostal churches in Australia affiliated with the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, which is the largest Pentecostal denomina ...

Attractions

Amaze World (formerly known as the Bellingham Maze) provides a maze, puzzle-oriented games and

mini-golf Miniature golf (also known as minigolf, putt-putt, crazy golf, and by several other names) is an offshoot of the sport of golf focusing solely on the putting aspect of its parent game. The aim of the game is to score the lowest number of poi ...

at 274 Tawawha Tourist Drive ().The Maroochy Regional Bushland Botanic Garden is located in Tanawha, showcasing plants that are native to the

. It is on Palm Creek Road ().

References

{{Sunshine Coast Region Suburbs of the Sunshine Coast Region Buderim Localities in Queensland