Maroochydore is an urban centre on the Sunshine Coast

Sunshine Coast, Queensland

The Sunshine Coast is an urban area in South East Queensland, north of the state capital of Brisbane on the Pacific Ocean coastline. Although it does not have a central business district, by population it ranks as the 10th largest metropolis in Australia and the third largest in...

, Queensland

Queensland

Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total 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

Sunshine Plaza

Sunshine Plaza is a large regional shopping centre located in Maroochydore, Queensland. Major retailers included in the centre are Coles, Woolworths, Myer, Kmart, Target, Homeart, and a 12-screen Birch Carroll & Coyle cinema...

 shopping centre and the Sunshine Coast's major bus interchange for TransLink services on Sunshine Coast. Maroochydore is also a venue of major surf sport carnivals, and is a popular holiday point from which to travel the rest of Queensland

Queensland

Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...

.

The name Maroochydore comes from the Yuggera language word 'Muru-kutchi', meaning red-bill: the name of the black swan, commonly seen in the area.

Maroochydore is the sixth town mentioned in the original (Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

n) version of the song "I've Been Everywhere

I've Been Everywhere

The song "I've Been Everywhere" was written by Geoff Mack in 1959 and made popular by the singer Lucky Starr in 1962.The song listed Australian towns...

".

Geography

Maroochydore is not strictly defined, but the boundary used by Sunshine Coast Regional Council (formerly the Maroochy Shire) includes a region from the southern boundary of Sunshine Coast Airport

Sunshine Coast Airport

Sunshine Coast Airport is an Australian airport serving Sunshine Coast, Queensland. It is the gateway to holiday destinations such as Noosa, Maroochydore, Mooloolaba and Caloundra...

 to the Mooloolah River

Mooloolah River

The Mooloolah River is a river in South East Queensland, Australia. The river rises from the eastern slopes of the Blackall Range and flows east-northeast, similar to the Maroochy River to the north. The mouth of the river is at southern Mooloolaba. The catchment area covers 221 km2.Addlington...

 at Mooloolaba

Mooloolaba, Queensland

Mooloolaba is a suburb and tourist resort township on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia. It is located north of the state capital, Brisbane, and is part of the Maroochydore urban centre.- Etymology :...

 and Kawana Way. This corresponds to the historic Australian Bureau of Statistics

Australian Bureau of Statistics

The Australian Bureau of Statistics is Australia's national statistical agency. It was created as the Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics on 8 December 1905, when the Census and Statistics Act 1905 was given Royal assent. It had its beginnings in section 51 of the Constitution of Australia...

 urban centres of Maroochydore–Mooloolaba and Mudjimba. The central business district

Central business district

A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...

 (CBD) for the area is located on Horton Parade, Maroochydore

Maroochydore (suburb)

Maroochydore is a suburb of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia, and is the central suburb of the Maroochydore urban centre.Maroochydore contains a popular surf beach. The Maroochy River's southern bank forms a virtually unbroken stretch of parkland and picnic spots in the area...

.

The Maroochydore urban centre consists of the following suburbs:

• Alexandra Headland
  Alexandra Headland, Queensland
  Alexandra Headland is a suburb of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia, located in the Maroochydore urban centre between Maroochydore CBD and Mooloolaba....
  
  
• Bli Bli
  Bli Bli, Queensland
  Bli Bli is a locality and hamlet on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. A few kilometres inland from the Maroochydore urban area, Bli Bli rises above the wetlands which were, for many years, the home of the Sunshine Coast sugar cane industry. Whilst this industry is all but gone, State Govt...
  
   (part)
• Buderim
  Buderim (suburb)
  Buderim is a major suburb of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia, comprising 63% of the Buderim urban centre by population....
  
   (section within about 1 km of Sunshine Motorway
  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 1993 after excessive complaint regarding any such need of a toll.-Overview:The Sunshine Motorway...
  
  )
• Kuluin
  Kuluin, Queensland
  Kuluin is a suburb of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia, located in the Maroochydore urban centre west of Maroochydore CBD.-External links:*...
  
  
• Maroochydore
  Maroochydore (suburb)
  Maroochydore is a suburb of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia, and is the central suburb of the Maroochydore urban centre.Maroochydore contains a popular surf beach. The Maroochy River's southern bank forms a virtually unbroken stretch of parkland and picnic spots in the area...
  
  
• Mooloolaba
  Mooloolaba, Queensland
  Mooloolaba is a suburb and tourist resort township on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia. It is located north of the state capital, Brisbane, and is part of the Maroochydore urban centre.- Etymology :...
  
  
• Mountain Creek
  Mountain Creek, Queensland
  Mountain Creek is a suburb of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia, and forms part of the Buderim urban centre. It contains Mountain Creek State High School....
  
  
• Mudjimba
  Mudjimba, Queensland
  Mudjimba is a suburb of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia, and forms part of the Maroochydore urban centre. Mudjimba gets its name from the local plant, the Midyam bush....
  
  
• Pacific Paradise
  Pacific Paradise, Queensland
  Pacific Paradise is a suburb of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia, on the north bank of the Maroochy River. It forms part of the Maroochydore urban centre, and is located north of Maroochydore CBD via Sunshine Motorway. The suburb contains Pacific Paradise State School....
  
  
• Twin Waters
  Twin Waters, Queensland
  Twin Waters is a suburb of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia, and forms part of the Maroochydore urban centre. It is located on the north bank of the Maroochy River. It was originally part of the suburb of Mudjimba and contains a significant canal estate.-External links:*...
  
  

The current ASGC, applicable to the 2001 and 2006 censuses, has placed all of Buderim and Mountain Creek under the Buderim SLA.

Transport

Maroochydore's suburbs are served by Sunbus Sunshine Coast, who operate a bus interchange at Sunshine Plaza

Sunshine Plaza

Sunshine Plaza is a large regional shopping centre located in Maroochydore, Queensland. Major retailers included in the centre are Coles, Woolworths, Myer, Kmart, Target, Homeart, and a 12-screen Birch Carroll & Coyle cinema...

 in the CBD. Various bus routes connect Maroochydore to Buderim, Coolum, Kawana

Kawana, Queensland

Kawana is an urban centre on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia, between Caloundra and Maroochydore along the Coral Sea coast. The suburbs are connected by the Nicklin Way arterial road....

, Caloundra, Nambour

Nambour, Queensland

The area now known as Nambour, was first settled in 1870. The town was then called Petrie's Creek. In 1890 the Maroochy Divisional Board was established...

 and Noosa

Noosa, Queensland

The Shire of Noosa was a Local Government Area located about north of Brisbane in the Sunshine Coast region of South East Queensland, Australia...

.

Nambour Station on the Nambour / Gympie North Line has regular services to Brisbane

Brisbane

Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...

, operated by QR Citytrain

CityTrain

Citytrain is the brand name of urban, suburban and inter-urban electric passenger railway services in South East Queensland, Australia. Its network, centering in Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, is approximately in route length...

. There are also coach services from Sunshine Plaza to Brisbane Airport

Brisbane Airport

Brisbane Airport is the sole passenger airport serving Brisbane and the third busiest in Australia, after Melbourne and Sydney Airports. Brisbane Airport has won many awards. Located in the suburb with the same name, the airport serves the city of Brisbane and the surrounding metropolitan area...

.

Sunshine Coast Airport

Sunshine Coast Airport

Sunshine Coast Airport is an Australian airport serving Sunshine Coast, Queensland. It is the gateway to holiday destinations such as Noosa, Maroochydore, Mooloolaba and Caloundra...

 is located just north of the urban centre in Marcoola

Marcoola, Queensland

Marcoola is a suburb on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia. It includes the developments of Town of Seaside and Mount Coolum Shores as well as being a popular destination for tourists....

. It offers domestic flights to state capital cities around Australia.

Population

Census populations for the Maroochydore urban centre have been recorded since 1933, and for Mudjimba since 1981.

Year	Population (Total)	Population (Maroochydore)	Population (Mudjimba)
1933	630	630
1947	2,164	2,164
1954	2,655	2,655
1961	3,068	3,068
1966	4,106	4,106
1971	6,374	6,374
1976	10,283	10,283
1981	18,444	17,460	984
1986	22,099	20,635	1,464
1991	30,856	28,509	2,347
1996	40,766	36,406	4,360
2001	47,951	39,458	8,493
2006	49,743	39,123	10,620

Education

The main state secondary school in the town is Maroochydore State High School

Maroochydore State High School

Maroochydore State High School is a co-educational, state secondary school located on Queensland's Sunshine Coast in the town of Maroochydore, approximately 100 kilometres north of Brisbane....

 (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
  Mountain Creek State High School
  Mountain Creek State High School is a co-educational, state secondary school. It is the largest school on Queensland's Sunshine Coast and one of the largest in the state...
  
   (1995)
• Pacific Paradise State School (1992)
• Immanuel Lutheran College (1982)
• Stella Maris Catholic Primary School (1980)

External links

• University of Queensland: Queensland Places: Maroochydore