Rainbow Beach, Queensland
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Rainbow Beach Queensland |
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Rainbow Beach, Queensland, 2013
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 Rainbow Beach
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| Coordinates | 25°54′S 153°5′E / 25.900°S 153.083°ECoordinates: 25°54′S 153°5′E / 25.900°S 153.083°E | ||||||||||||||
| Population | 1,103 (2011 census) | ||||||||||||||
| Established | 1969 | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 4581 | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation | 14 m (46 ft) | ||||||||||||||
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| LGA(s) | Gympie Region | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Gympie | ||||||||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Wide Bay | ||||||||||||||
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Rainbow Beach is a coastal town in the Wide Bay–Burnett region of Queensland, Australia, east of Gympie. At the 2011 census, Rainbow Beach had a population of 1,103. It is a popular tourist destination, both in its own right and as a gateway to Fraser Island.
The town's name derives from the rainbow-coloured sand dunes surrounding the settlement; according to the legends of the Kabi people, the dunes were coloured when Yiningie, a spirit represented by a rainbow, plunged into the cliffs after doing battle with an evil tribesman. Much of the sand colors stem from the rich content of minerals in the sand, such as rutile, ilmenite, zircon, and monazite. A black dune of ilmenite sands, overgrown by dune vegetation can be found north west of the main town. This is currently being removed for sale in China with complete removal expected to take two years.
The Cooloola Section of the Great Sandy National Park borders the town to the south. A number of walking tracks through the national park depart from the southern outskirts of Rainbow Beach. This includes the northern end point of the Cooloola Great Walk.
By road, Rainbow Beach is located 75 kilometres (47 mi) from the Bruce Highway town of Gympie, and 239 kilometres (149 mi) from the Queensland state capital, Brisbane.
Originally known as Black Beach, Rainbow Beach was renamed after the coloured sands located near the town which lies to the south of Fraser Island on Wide Bay. It was gazetted as late as 1969 when it was established to service the local sandmining industry. Until that time there was no road to Rainbow Beach, with the only access being via boat from Tin Can Bay.
Sandmining ceased in 1976 and the economic focus changed to recreation and tourism.
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