CALOUNDRA, QUEENSLAND

---

A beach resort town to the north of Brisbane at the southern end of the Sunshine Coast resort area. Once a major Qld retirement town, it has now home to a mixture of young commuters from Brisbane and retirees, with migration occurring chiefly from Brisbane, New South Wales and Victoria, as well as an increasingly popular spot for holiday makers.
Location: 91 kilometres north of Brisbane
Origin of Name: derived from Caloundra Head, which from the Aboriginal word "cullowundoor", taken from Kabi language "kal-owen" indicating beech tree (Gmelina leichhardtii) and "dha" place.
Brief History: The Blackall Range was occupied by the Gubbi-Gubbi people prior to European investigation. They gathered once every few years on the banks of Obi Obi Creek at Baroon Pocket to feast on Bunya nuts. The first European settlers arrived in 1862. With a £2000 reward from the Queensland government, explorer William Landsborough purchased 2372 acres of what is now Golden Beach, on Pumicestone Passage, in 1882. It was during the 1880s that Caloundra began to acquire its reputation as a seaside resort. The first hotel was built in 1885 on Shelley Beach.
Natural features: South Pacific Ocean; Blackall Range; Caloundra Road Environmental Park; Mooloolah River National Park; Caloundra Beach; Bullock Beach; Golden Beach; Moffat Beach; Deep Water Point; Pumicestone Passage; Bribie Island (south); Lamerough estuary; Bells Creek estuary
Built features: Lamerough Canal
Heritage features: Walk of Stars (tributes to Australian rock figures); Ben Bennett Botanical Park; Queensland Air Museum; Caloundra Regional Art Gallery; Propeller from the SS Dicky (ran aground on Dicky Beach, February 1893); Caloundra Lighthouse; Corbould Park Racecourse