The Shire of Maroochy was a

local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a federated state, state, province, division (politica ...

about north of

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

in the Sunshine Coast region of South East

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 Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. The shire covered an area of , and existed as a local government entity from 1890 until 2008, when it amalgamated with its neighbours to the north and south to form 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 ...

History

In 1842,

Andrew Petrie Andrew Petrie (June 1798 – 20 February 1872) was a Scottish-Australian pioneer, architect and builder in Brisbane, Queensland. Early life Andrew Petrie was born in June 1798 in Fife, Scotland, to parents Walter Petrie and Margaret (''née'' ...

explored the coast north of Brisbane and discovered the Mary River with a small party including two Aboriginal men from the

Brisbane River The Brisbane River (Turrbal language, Turrbal: ) is the longest river in South East Queensland, Australia. It flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay on the Coral Sea. John Oxley, the first European to explore the ...

region who spoke the Yuggera language. Their name for the local black swan was "Muru-kutchi" or "red-bill". Petrie hence named the area Maroochy. The area was originally incorporated as part of the

Caboolture Divisional Board The Shire of Caboolture was a local government area located in the Australian state of Queensland on the northern urban fringe of the capital, Brisbane, and south of the Sunshine Coast. The Shire covered an area of , of which approximately o ...

on 11 November 1879 under the ''Divisional Boards Act 1879''. On 5 July 1890, Maroochy split away and was proclaimed as a Maroochy Division in its own right, with an area of and headquarters at

Nambour Nambour is a rural town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Nambour had a population of 12,145 people. Geography Nambour is north of the state capital ...

. It did not initially contain

Buderim Buderim ( ) is a town in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. It sits on a mountain which overlooks the southern Sunshine Coast communities. The name "Buderim" is usually believed to be derived from a local Gubbi Gubbi people, ...

Kenilworth Kenilworth ( ) is a market town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Warwick (district), Warwick District of Warwickshire, England, southwest of Coventry and north of both Warwick and Leamington Spa. Situated at the centre of t ...

. The first elections were held on 13 September for three councillors, each of whom represented one subdivision. By 1895, council chambers had been erected firstly on Blackall Terrace and then at Station Square adjacent to the

Nambour railway station Nambour railway station is located on the North Coast line in Queensland, Australia. It serves the town of Nambour in the Sunshine Coast Region. History The railway connection from Brisbane to Nambour opened in January 1891. At that time, the ...

, where they were to continue meeting until 1978. With the passage of the ''Local Authorities Act 1902'', Maroochy became a shire council on 31 March 1903. The first land sale in

Maroochydore Maroochydore ( ) is a coastal town in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the urban area of Maroochydore had a population of 63,673 people. The city was subdivided from the Cotton Tree reserve by Surveyor Thomas O'Conno ...

in 1908 allowed along the coast to be opened up, allowing for the development of the towns of Alexandra Headland and Mooloolaba. The council commenced supplying electricity in 1927, and a hospital was opened in 1930. With the start of major development in

South East Queensland South East Queensland (SEQ) is a Bioregion, bio-geographical, Megalopolis, metropolitan and Statistics, statistical Regions of Queensland, region of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland in Australia, with a population of ...

in the late 1950s, Maroochy Airport (now

Sunshine Coast Airport Sunshine Coast Airport (formerly Maroochydore Airport) is an Australian international airport located in Marcoola, north of Maroochydore, roughly centrally located along the coast of the Sunshine Coast Region. It is approximately north o ...

, the major regional facility) was opened in 1961. The Shire grew rapidly from this point onwards. Fires were a persistent problem in the hinterland region, and on

Anzac Day Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia, New Zealand and Tonga that broadly commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders "who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations" and "the contribution and ...

in 1948, a fire significantly damaged the Shire Chambers. In 1978, the Shire moved its offices to a new location in Bury Street, Nambour, with the old facility in Civic Square remaining as a civic hall. On 15 August 1986 a fire damaged this beyond repair—it was bulldozed three years later to make way for the new Centenary Square development. In 2000, Queensland police arrested a man for using a computer and a radio transmitter to take control of the Maroochy Shire wastewater system and release sewage into parks, rivers and property. On 15 March 2008, under the ''Local Government (Reform Implementation) Act 2007'' passed by the

Parliament of Queensland The Parliament of Queensland is the Unicameralism, unicameral legislature, legislative body of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland. As provided under the Constitution of Queensland, the Parliament consists o ...

on 10 August 2007, the Shire of Maroochy merged with the

Shire of Noosa The Shire of Noosa () is a Local government in Australia, local government area about north of Brisbane in the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Sunshine Coast district of South East Queensland, Australia. The shire covers an area of . It existed as ...

and the

City of Caloundra The City of Caloundra was a local government area about north of Brisbane in the Sunshine Coast region of South East Queensland, Australia. The shire covered an area of ; it existed as a local government entity from 1912 until 2008, when it a ...

to form the

Structure

The Shire was subdivided into 12 numbered divisions, each of which returned one councillor, and an elected mayor.

Towns and localities

The Shire of Maroochy included the following settlements: * Alexandra Headland * Belli Park * Bli Bli *

Bridges A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somet ...

* Burnside *

Chevallum Chevallum is a rural locality in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Chevallum had a population of 467 people. Geography Part of the western boundary of the suburb is marked by the Bruce Highway. Eudlo Creek, a tributar ...

* Coes Creek * Coolabine * Cooloolabin * Coolum Beach * Cotton Tree * Diddillibah * Doonan¹ * Dulong * Eerwah Vale¹ * Eudlo * Eumundi * Flaxton * Forest Glen * Gheerulla *

Highworth Highworth is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Swindon, England, about north-east of Swindon town centre. The 2021 Census recorded a population of 8,258. The town is notable for its Queen Anne and Georgian buildings, dating ...

* Hunchy *

Ilkley Ilkley is a spa town and civil parish in the City of Bradford in West Yorkshire, in Northern England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, Ilkley civil parish includes the adjacent village of Ben Rhydding and is a ward within ...

* Image Flat *

* Kiamba * Kidaman Creek² * Kiels Mountain * Kulangoor * Kuluin * Kunda Park * Kureelpa * Landers Shoot * Mapleton *

Marcoola Marcoola is a coastal town Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality and landscape of mixed-tenure in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. Geography The locality is bounded to the east by the Coral Sea and to the west by the ...

Maroochy River The Maroochy River is a river in South East Queensland, Australia. The river rises from the eastern slopes of the Blackall Range and flows east through Eumundi before entering the sea at Cotton Tree, Maroochydore. Other populated centres in t ...

Mons Mons commonly refers to: * Mons, Belgium, a city in Belgium * Mons pubis (mons Venus or mons veneris), in mammalian anatomy, the adipose tissue lying above the pubic bone * Mons (planetary nomenclature), a sizable extraterrestrial mountain * Batt ...

* Montville * Mooloolaba * Mount Coolum *

Mountain Creek Mountain Creek is a ski resort in Vernon Township, New Jersey, Vernon Township, Sussex County, New Jersey, Sussex County, New Jersey, United States. It is located on New Jersey Route 94 in the New York Metropolitan Area, from the George Wash ...

* Mudjimba *

* Ninderry * North Arm * Obi Obi * Pacific Paradise * Palmwoods * Parklands * Peregian Beach¹ * Peregian Springs * Perwillowen * Point Arkwright * Rosemount * Sippy Downs * Tanawha * Towen Mountain * Twin Waters * Valdora * Verrierdale * West Woombye * Weyba Downs * Woombye * Yandina Creek * Yandina * Yaroomba ¹ - split with the

² - split with the

Population

Chairmen and mayors

* 1927: J. T. Lowe * 1952–1967: David Low * 1967–1982: Eddie De Vere * 1982–1985: Don Culley * 1985–1994: Fred Murray * 1994–1997: Bob King * 1997–2000: Don Culley * 2000–2004: Alison Grosse * 2004–2008: Joe Natoli

Sister cities

* Tatebayashi,

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

Xiamen Xiamen,), also known as Amoy ( ; from the Zhangzhou Hokkien pronunciation, zh, c=, s=, t=, p=, poj=Ē͘-mûi, historically romanized as Amoy, is a sub-provincial city in southeastern Fujian, People's Republic of China, beside the Taiwan Stra ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

References

External links

University of Queensland: Queensland Places: Maroochy and Maroochy Shire

Annual reports Maroochy Hospitals Board

State Library of Queensland State Library of Queensland (State Library) is the state public reference and research library of Queensland, Australia, operated by the Government of Queensland, state government. The Library is governed by the Library Board of Queensland, whi ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maroochy Shire Sunshine Coast, Queensland Former local government areas of Queensland 2008 disestablishments in Australia Populated places disestablished in 2008