MAROOCHYDORE, QUEENSLAND

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A typical modern Queensland coastal resort town which has seen continuous development of high rise tourist resorts, units and housing since the 1950s, extending south to Caloundra. Maroochydore has become the geographical and commercial heart of the Sunshine Coast.
Location: 105 km north of Brisbane.
Origin of name: the name 'Maroochydore' was first recorded by Andrew Petrie during his exploration of the coast in 1842. Derived from 'murukutchi-dha' in the language of the Brisbane River Aboriginal people, who accompanied Petrie, it literally means 'the place of the red bills' (i.e. black swans). The name came into general use in 1884.
Brief history: The first European 'tourist' to visit the Maroochydore area Irishman John Graham, a convict on the run from Moreton Bay prison. He escaped in July 1826 under the delusion that he could row to China from here. He began living with Aborigines where Maroochydore now stands. Three years later he featured prominently in the rescue of Eliza Fraser from Fraser Island. He was given his ticket of leave a year later and disappeared off the pages of history.
Andrew Petrie's exploration stimulated Gov. George Gipps' Bunya Proclamation of 1842.  This prevented settlement or the granting of cattle or timber licences in the Bunya Country which covered much of the Maroochy district. When the Proclamation lapsed, Tom Petrie explored the coastal area for timber resources in 1862. Brisbane sawmill owner William Pettigrew established a depot and wharf at Mooloolah Heads in 1864, and it became the dominant port. He established a timber depot at Cotton Tree. The township of Maroochydore did not develop until the early 1900s and even then, it remained an isolated backwater for beachcombers and fishermen until the 1960s. Extended history.
Natural features: South Pacific Ocean; Eudlo Creek; Maroochy River, Mooloolah River; Alexandra Headland; Mooloolaba Beach; Point Cartwright; Mooloolah River National Park
Built features: localities of Pacific Paradise, Alexandra Headland (Olympia Theme Park)