Sunshine Coast History

When talking about the history of the Sunshine Coast region you come to realise that its come such a long way within such a short period of time when compared to other regions of Australia. Yet, with what breif history there is, it actually goes quite deep and does well today as a tourist destination to mask its earlier more humble beginnings.

In being located between Brisbane  the corporate heart of Queensland  and, the road to Gympie gold, the Sunshine Coast has evolved quite distinctively over the years. With this location for settlement it showcases kilometres of pristine beaches, undulating hinterland forests and an adornment of lakes and rivers. These attributes ensure that the Sunshine Coast has become increasingly frequented by a mixture of holiday makers and those looking to set up permanent residence.

However, all those years ago, it wasnt these beautifully stunning natural features that initially attracted settlers to the region. The main industry was that of timber, not tourism  although it is hard to believe! This was what built the foundation of the North Coast of Brisbane. The timber logs felled in the Sunshine Coast region were instrumental in the creation of a significant amount of Australia 's more earlier and archaic infrastructure.

The array of timbers included red cedar, bunya, kauri pines, beech, tallow-wood and bloodwood. These were used for firewood, railway bridge girders and sleepers, fence posts, house materials, telegraph posts and even livestock water troughs and highly scented oils for perfumes.

With the quick felling of trees and the clearing of rich volcanic soil for agriculture and grazing purposes was the even quicker establishment of settlements which became prolifically interspersed throughout the surrounding hinterland and coastline. Townships were popping up everywhere from Mooloolah in the south to Noosa in the north.

However, Eurpoean claims date back to 1860 where Lieutenant Bligh acquired 16,000 acres in which he named Caroora. Yet, there was actually very minimal settlement until around 30 years later when the Protestant Unity Group settled at Skyring Creek at Cooran. From here the railway was opened from Cooran to Gympie in 1889 with a link from Cooran to Cooroy opening 2 years later.

At around this time Pomona was established and later became the administrative centre of the Noosa Shire in 1910. It remained this way until 1982 when it relocated to its new council chambers in Tewantin on the banks of the Noosa River.

During this period the Landsborough Shire Coucil was meeting in chambers that have now been converted into an Historical Museum which is well worth the look if youre after a very comprehensive and accurate look at the region's history.

Now, after all the tree felling and at the start of the new millennium, the Sunshine Coast 's future is still reliant on trees, however, this time its in the preserving; not harvesting of them!