Caloundra is a coastal

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...

and the

central business district A central business district (CBD) is the Commerce, commercial and business center of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides wit ...

of the town of

Caloundra Caloundra ( ) is a coastal town in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the town of Caloundra had a population of 96,305 people. Geography Caloundra is north of the Brisbane central business district. Caloundra is acce ...

in the

Sunshine Coast Region The Sunshine Coast Region is a local government area located in the Sunshine Coast region of South East Queensland, Australia, from which it takes its name. It was created by the amalgamation in 2008 of the City of Caloundra and the Shires o ...

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

, Australia. In the , the suburb of Caloundra had a population of 3,932 people.

Geography

Bulcock Street is the

of the Caloundra urban centre. In the south of the suburb is a headland (Deep Water Point at ) and a sandy beach (Bulcock Beach at ) which face the

Coral Sea The Coral Sea () is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean, South Pacific off the northeast coast of Australia, and classified as an Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia, interim Australian bioregion. The Coral Sea extends down t ...

with the northern tip of

Bribie Island Bribie Island is the smallest and most northerly of three major sand islands forming the coastline sheltering the northern part of Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia. The others are Moreton Island and North Stradbroke Island. Bribie Island is ...

about away. Bulcock Beach is named after

Robert Bulcock Robert Bulcock (21 May 1832 – 10 May 1900) was a member of both the Queensland Legislative Council and the Queensland Legislative Assembly. Early life Bulcock was born in Clitheroe, Lancashire, to Robert Bulcock, an overlooker in a cotton f ...

, who served in both the

Queensland Legislative Assembly The Legislative Assembly of Queensland is the sole chamber of the unicameral Parliament of Queensland established under the Constitution of Queensland. Elections are held every four years and are done by full preferential voting. The Assembly h ...

and the

Queensland Legislative Council Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, ...

and was a resident of Caloundra in 1878.

History

The suburb takes its name from the headland Caloundra Head (in the neighbouring suburb of Kings Beach), which in turn comes from the

Kabi language Gubbi Gubbi, also spelt Kabi Kabi, is a language of Queensland in Australia, formerly spoken by the Kabi Kabi people of South-east Queensland. The main dialect, Gubbi Gubbi, is extinct, but there are still 24 people with knowledge of the Butc ...

words "kal/owen" meaning ''beech tree'' ('' Gmelina leichhardtii'') and "dha" meaning ''place''. In 1883 the first allotments of land in Caloundra were advertised for public auction on 28 August 1883. The map states 'the land is of a sandstone nature, undulating and ridgy, heavily timbered with Gum, Bloodwood, Tea-tree and Oak'. A 1907 map shows several sections from George Street to Ernest St advertised for auction on 7 January 1907 by the Government Land Office. 404 allotments of 'Bulcock Estate' were advertised for auction on 16 August 1917 by Isle, Love and Co, auctioneers, with an edge of the Estate mapped as adjacent to Tripcony's store and the Tramway terminus. In 1919, 29 subdivided allotments of 'Caloundra Heads Estate' were advertised to be auctioned on 20 December 1919 by Cameron Bros. in Brisbane. A map advertising the auction shows the majority of blocks were on Albert Street between King Street and King's Beach. Another undated map shows more blocks of this estate were advertised for auction on King Street towards Ernest Street. Historic building at Caloundra State School

Historic building at Caloundra State School

Caloundra Provisional School opened on 8 March 1899 and became Caloundra State School on 1 June 1912. From 1963 to 1966, it progressively offered secondary schooling on a new site. On 23 January 1967, the new site officially became Caloundra State High School. Our Lady of the Rosary School opened on 29 January 1980 by the Roman Catholic teaching order, the

Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart The Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart, often called the Josephites or Brown Joeys, are a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Mary MacKillop (1842–1909). Members of the congregation use the postnominal initials RSJ (Religious Sis ...

. The Sir Francis Nicklin Memorial Uniting Church was officially opened on Saturday 20 September 1980 by Mike Ahern, the Member of the

for Landsborough. It commemorates former

Queensland Premier The premier of Queensland is the head of government in the Australian state of Queensland. By convention the premier is the leader of the party with a parliamentary majority in the Legislative Assembly of Queensland. The premier is appointed ...

Frank Nicklin Sir George Francis Reuben Nicklin, (6 August 1895 – 29 January 1978) was an Australian politician. He was the Premier of Queensland from 1957 to 1968, the first non- Labor Party premier since 1932. Early life and career Nicklin was born in M ...

, who was previously the Member for Landsborough. Caloundra Christian College opened on 2 February 1983 by the Caloundra CityLife Baptist Church, which meets for worship at the college.

Demographics

In the , the suburb of Caloundra had a population of 3,917 people. In the , the suburb of Caloundra had a population of 3,932 people.

Heritage listings

The suburb of Caloundra has a number of

heritage-listed This list is of heritage registers, inventories of cultural properties, natural and human-made, tangible and intangible, movable and immovable, that are deemed to be of sufficient heritage value to be separately identified and recorded. In ma ...

sites, including: * Tripcony Hibiscus Caravan Park, Bowman Road

Education

Caloundra State School is a government primary (Prep–6) school for boys and girls at 56A Queen Street (). It includes a

special education Special education (also known as special-needs education, aided education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, and SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates their individual di ...

program. In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 608 students with 45 teachers (36 full-time equivalent) and 25 non-teaching staff (17 full-time equivalent). In 2022, the school had 520 students. Caloundra Christian College is a private primary and secondary (Prep–12) school for boys and girls at 7 Gregson Place (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 330 students with 31 teachers (27 full-time equivalent) and 25 non-teaching staff (17 full-time equivalent). In 2021, the school had 426 students with 25 full-time teachers and 9 part-time teachers and 11 full-time, 32 part-time and 21 casual, non-teaching staff. Caloundra State High School is a government secondary (7–12) school for boys and girls at 88 Queen Street (). It includes a special education program. In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 1,209 students with 95 teachers (84 full-time equivalent) and 47 non-teaching staff (33 full-time equivalent). In 2022, the school had 1,422 students with 109 teachers (98 full-time equivalent) and 55 non-teaching staff (41 full-time equivalent). Caloundra is also home to a campus of the Sunshine Coast Institute of TAFE.

Amenities

Caloundra Uniting Church is at 56c Queen Street (). It is also known as the Sir Francis Nicklin Memorial Uniting Church.

Shopping

* Stockland Caloundra * Caloundra Village Shopping Centre

Parks and recreation

* Ben Bennett Botanical Park * Bicentennial Park * (patrolled by

Ithaca–Caloundra City Life Saving Club The Ithaca–Caloundra City Life Saving Club is a Royal Life Saving Club (one of only a few in Queensland) based in Caloundra, Queensland, Australia. History The club started operations in March 1954 with a group of six men whose aim was to fo ...

) and Clarke Place Park * Central Park (includes Caloundra Tennis Centre, which hosts the

Caloundra International The Caloundra International is a tennis tournament held in Caloundra Caloundra ( ) is a coastal town in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the town of Caloundra had a population of 96,305 people. Geography Calou ...

) * Lighthouse Park * Roy Henzell Park

Other facilities

* Caloundra Hospital * Caloundra bus station * Caloundra Golf Club * Council service centre for

* A range of accommodation from backpackers to resort hotels

References

External links

* * {{Sunshine Coast Region Suburbs of the Sunshine Coast Region Caloundra Coastline of Queensland Central business districts in Queensland