Sunshine Beach is a coastal town and
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 ...
in 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 ...
,
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 Sunshine Beach had a population of 2,480 people.
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History
The area south of Noosa Headlands was formerly known as Golden Beach but was rarely visited before the 1920s. In 1928, Thomas Marcus Burke gained land there in exchange for building roads and bridges from Tewantin
Tewantin ( ) is a town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Shire of Noosa, Queensland, Australia. Tewantin was the original settlement in the Noosa region and is one of its three major centres today. In the , the locality of T ...
. After World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
it was marketed by his son, Marcus, as Sunshine Beach.
Sunshine Beach State School opened on 25 January 1982.
St Andrew's Anglican Church was built in 1990. It was designed by Hurst & Harris to seat 150 people. It was built from coralite limestone at a cost of $350,000.
Saint Thomas More Primary School is a Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
Primary school
A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...
. It was opened by the Marist Brothers
The Marist Brothers of the Schools, commonly known as simply the Marist Brothers, is an international community of Catholic Church, Catholic religious institute of Religious brother, brothers. In 1817, Marcellin Champagnat, a Marist priest from Fr ...
on Tuesday 30 January 1990 with an initial enrolment of 92 children with Brother Mark May as the first principal.
Sunshine Beach State High School opened on 1 January 1992.
St Thomas More's Catholic Church was built in 1994.
Sunshine Beach Uniting Church was built from concrete blocks in 1997.
Noosa Flexible Learning Centre opened on 23 January 2006.
Although currently and historically within 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 ...
, between 2008 and 2013, the entire Shire of Noosa including Sunshine Beach was within 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 ...
.
Demographics
In the , the suburb of Sunshine Beach had a population of 2,460 people.
In the , the suburb of Sunshine Beach had a population of 2,480 people.
Education
Sunshine Beach State School is a government primary (Prep–6) school for boys and girls at David Low Way (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 799 students with 52 teachers (47 full-time equivalent) and 25 non-teaching staff (18 full-time equivalent). 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.
St Thomas More Primary School is a Catholic primary (Prep–6) school for boys and girls at Ben Lexcen Drive (). It is part of The Noosa District Roman Catholic Parish. It is staffed by the Brisbane Catholic Education Centre and operates in the Marist tradition. In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 765 students with 50 teachers (41 full-time equivalent) and 37 non-teaching staff (21 full-time equivalent).
Montessori Noosa is a private primary (Prep–5) school for boys and girls at 2 Bicentennial Drive (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 40 students with 3 teachers and 2 non-teaching staff (1 full-time equivalent).
Sunshine Beach State High School is a government secondary (7–12) school for boys and girls at 45 Ben Lexcen Drive (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 1,401 students with 112 teachers (103 full-time equivalent) and 50 non-teaching staff (39 full-time equivalent). It includes a special education program.
Noosa Flexible Learning Centre is a Catholic secondary (7–12) school for boys and girls at 2 Girraween Court (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 88 students with 8 teachers (6 full-time equivalent) and 12 non-teaching staff (10 full-time equivalent).
Amenities
Noosa Aquatic Centre is at 6 Girraween Court (). It has swimming pools and gym facilities with associated classes and group fitness sessions.
Sunshine Beach Surf Lifesaving Club is off the bend along the beachfront on the corner of Dule St and Belmore Terrace, and is fringed by Ed Webb Park at its rear. (). Volunteers from the club patrol the beach to protect the public while swimming and surfing.
Sunshine Beach Surf Life Saving Club began patrols in the season of 1980/81 making it one of the youngest surf life saving clubs in Australia.
There are a number of churches in Sunshine Beach:
* St Andrew's Anglican Church, Bicentennial Drive ()
* St Thomas More's Catholic Church, 75 Ben Lexcen Drive ()
* Sunshine Beach Uniting Church, 6 Grasstree Court ()
References
External links
*
{{Noosa Shire
Suburbs of Noosa Shire, Queensland
Towns in Queensland
Beaches of Queensland