Sunshine Coast (Queensland)

The eastern border of the Sunshine Coast area is the coast of the Coral Sea . Most of the area is a plain , on which there are individual mountains, from 200 to 550 meters high ( Glass House hills ). On the west side, the area is bordered by the Blackall Range mountain range, whose individual peaks reach 800 meters. This ridge is part of the Great Dividing Range . It retains a significant amount of moisture coming from the coast. Also in these mountains two main rivers of the region originate - the Mulula ( English Mooloolah River ) and the Maroochy ( English Maroochy River ).

Prior to the arrival of Europeans, the Australian aborigines of the Andyumbi tribes ( English Undumbi ), Nalbo ( English Nalbo ), Dallambarra ( English Dallambarra ), gabi-gabi ( English Gubbi Gubbi ) traditionally lived in the region of Caloundra.

The first European to sail past the shores of Caloundra was James Cook . This was in May 1770 , during his first circumnavigation of the world. Cook gave names to several local landmarks, including the Glass House Hills , a small area west of Caloundra, which stands out against the general plain background with its sharp peaks. After Cook, there were other researchers, including Matthew Flinders , who explored the area. In July 1799, Flinders climbed Mount Birwa ( Eng. Mount Beerwah ) to explore the area. ^[2]

In the late 1820s, the first European settlers appeared in the area. They were fugitive convicts who began to live here with local aborigines. In 1868, the government opened for the settlement of land in the area, which were previously inaccessible.

The Sunshine Coast Local Government Area was formed on March 15, 2008 after the merger of Noosa County, Maroochy County and Caloundra .

The Sunshine Coast is Queensland 's third most populated area after Brisbane and the Gold Coast . If you move north along its coastal zone, you can see how one area replaces another - Golden Beach, Caloundra , Buddina, Muloolaba, Alegzandra Hedland, Maruchidor. The districts merge into one settlement resembling a big city. Locals use the name "Sunshine Coast" in relation to the densely populated central part of the district, including Caloundra, Mooloolaba and Maroochydore.

In 1996, the University of the Sunshine Coast was opened in the small town of Sippy Downs , an hour's drive from Brisbane . At its three faculties (arts and social sciences, business and science) 3,500 students acquire knowledge. ^[3]

The subtropical climate with hot and humid summers, warm and dry winters makes Sunshine Coast an attractive holiday destination. Without a doubt, the main advantage of the area is its coast . It is thanks to its beaches that it gained wide fame. On the coast are numerous hotels and holiday homes. Local cuisine is famous for seafood and a wide variety of tropical fruits and nuts , which are grown here. In contrast to the south coast of the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Costa tourism industry is designed for "local" tourists who come here to relax from Brisbane and neighboring Queensland's inland areas.

Due to the high coastal waves, the coast of Sunshine Costa is very popular among surfers. Surfing is the most popular sport for local youth; numerous surfing clubs are located here. And in recent years, a new direction of surfing has been gaining more popularity - kitesurfing . An interesting fact is the statistics, according to which sharks most often attack precisely surfers. ^[4] Skydiving and paragliding , boating on various types of boats, boat trips and yachting are also popular activities.

The main tourist destinations of the Sunshine Coast are Mooloolaba ( Eng. Mooloolaba ), Maroochydore ( Eng. Maroochydore ), Noosa Heads ( Eng. Noosa Heads ).

Attractions

• Australia Zoo named after Stephen Irwin ( born Australia Zoo ) - one of the most famous zoos in the world, was organized in 1970 by Steve's parents. The zoo is famous for unique shows with live crocodiles and a large number of rare Australian wild animals that cannot be seen in other zoos in the world.
• The Underwater World Aquarium is a large oceanarium and exhibition of marine inhabitants of the Coral Sea .
• National Parks - Sunshine Coast has more national parks than any other Queensland region. In coastal and inland areas, five separate parks have been identified, including:
  • Mapleton Falls National Park
  • Kondalilla National Park
  • Noosa National Park
  • Great sandy
    • Kutaraba Lake
• Golf clubs - there are many golf courses in the Sunshine Coast - this type of course is usually located on the coast, where there is sandy soil, little water and trees. Fields include North Lakes, Pacific Harbor , Noosa Springs , Peregian Springs , Twin Waters ), Hyatt Regency Cool ( Hyatt Regency Coolum ), Pelican Waters ( English Pelican Waters ).
• Amusement Park "Australian World" and Pub "Itamoga" ( Eng. Aussie World with the Ettamogah Pub ) - "Itamoga" translated from the language of the Aboriginal people means "a place with good drink."
• Big pineapple .

Education

Water

The lack of water in the rivers and lakes of the Sunshine Coast area forces local governments to impose various restrictions on its use. To provide the region with fresh water, artificial reservoirs are created.

The region’s largest reservoir is Lake Baroon, located 25 kilometers east of Mooloolaba. The reservoir was created in 1988 as a result of the construction of a large dam . The average depth of the lake is 15 meters, with a maximum filling it can hold up to 61 million m³ of water. ^[5] Lake Barun is fed by several small rivers, originating in the nearby mountains of the Blackall Range Range.

Of the smaller reservoirs, the Kooluleibin Dam ( Eng. Cooloolabin Dam ) - 13.6 million m³ of water and the Wappa Dam - 4.6 million m³ of water located on the Maruchi River, as well as the Iven Dam located on the Mulula River -Meddock ( born Ewen Maddock Dam ) - 16.7 million m³. ^[6]

In 2006, the construction of the on the Mary River south of ^7] was announced, but in 2009 the project was canceled by the Minister of the Environment Peter Garrett due to protests by local residents and a potential violation ecological situation in the region ^[8] .

Transport

For residents of Sunshine Costa, motor transport is the main mode of transport. The area is connected to Brisbane via the Bruce Highway . This highway is at its busiest on weekends when Brisbane and its suburbs go to the beaches to relax (there is no beach in Brisbane). The main highways connecting Sunshine Coast’s inland areas are the Nicklin Way and the Sunshine Motorway . By road from Brisbane to Caloundra 80 kilometers, to Mooloolaba 87 kilometers, to Maroochydore 91 kilometers, to Noosa Heads 120 kilometers.

The area is also connected to Brisbane by the Sunshine Coast railway line , which in turn is part of the large North Coast railway line . The North Coast Railroad begins in Brisbane and runs north along the Queensland coast and ends in Cairns , the state’s northernmost major city. In the central part of the region, the railway runs 17 kilometers from the coast, which can be reached by bus . An internal bus service connects the main settlements of the Sunshine Costa, here you can also take a taxi.

5 kilometers north of Maroochydore is a small local airport - Sunshine Coast . The main directions of the airport are flights to Sydney (average flight time is 1 hour 30 minutes) and Melbourne (2 hours 20 minutes). In the southern part of the Sunshine Coast area, there is another small airport - Caloundra Airport. The nearest major international airport is Brisbane Airport .

According to the Köppen classification, the Sunshine Coast is located in the subtropical climate zone . ^{[9] The} sunny coast is one of the “rainiest” areas of the subtropical part of Queensland , with an average of about 1350 mm of rainfall per year here. Even in the winter months it rains quite often. Against this background, it is difficult to distinguish, the usual for the rest of Queensland, the dry season and the rainy season. According to statistics, the winter months, July, August, September and October can be considered a relatively “dry” period. In summer, during the day, the temperature can exceed 28 ° C, and by night it drops to 20 ° C. During winter, the daytime temperature fluctuates around 21 ° C, and the average nighttime temperature is around 10 ° C.

Statistical data from year to year can vary greatly. For example, there are very dry winters when there is practically no rain. In such years, restrictions on the use of water are introduced, and the risk of forest fires also increases sharply. Due to the proximity of residential areas to forests, such fires cause great damage to private property. In other years, heavy rains can lead to flooding as a result of the river’s flood in the area.

• Sunshine Coast Regional Council - Sunshine Coast Regional Council
• SunshineCoast-Australia - Detailed Description of the Sunshine Coast Area
• Sunshine Coast Tourism Board - Sunshine Coast Tourist Information
• University of the Sunshine Coast - Sunshine Coast University
• Australia Zoo - Australia Zoo
• UnderWater World - Underwater World Aquarium
• Aussie World - Australian World Amusement Park
• Sunshine Coast Airport - Sunshine Coast Airport
• Queensland Water Restrictions (link not available) - Queensland Water Commission
• SunWater Storage Levels - Queensland Reservoir Water Levels .
• Australian climate zones - Australian climate zones