Sunshine Coast, Queensland
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Sunshine Coast Queensland |
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The Glass House Mountains from Mary Cairncross Reserve;
Hastings Street at Noosa Heads, Maroochydore's urban centre; Rainbow Beach, Currimundi Beach in Caloundra; The Big Cow in Nambour, Steve Irwin at Australia Zoo |
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 Sunshine Coast
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| Coordinates | 26°39′S 153°04′E / 26.650°S 153.067°ECoordinates: 26°39′S 153°04′E / 26.650°S 153.067°E | ||||||||
| Population | 302,122 (2015) (9th) | ||||||||
| • Density | 185.01/km2 (479.17/sq mi) | ||||||||
| Area | 1,633 km2 (630.5 sq mi) (2011 urban) | ||||||||
| Location | 100 km (62 mi) from Brisbane | ||||||||
| LGA(s) | |||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Buderim, Caloundra, Glass House, Kawana, Maroochydore, Nicklin, Noosa | ||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | |||||||||
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Sunshine Coast is a peri-urban area and the third most populated area in the Australian state of Queensland. Located 100 km (62 mi) north of the state capital Brisbane in South East Queensland on the Pacific Ocean coastline, its urban area spans approximately 60 km (37 mi) of coastline and hinterland from Pelican Waters to Tewantin. The estimated urban population of Sunshine Coast as at June 2015 was 302,122, making it the 9th most populous in the country.
The area was first settled by Europeans in the 19th century with development progressing slowly until tourism became an important industry. The area has several coastal hubs at Caloundra, Kawana Waters, Maroochydore and Noosa Heads. Nambour and Maleny have developed as primary commercial centres for the hinterland, although Maleny falls outside the urban area defined by the ABS that this article refers to.
James Cook on the deck of HM Bark Endeavour in 1770 became the first known white settler to sight the Glass House Mountains, located south-west of Caloundra.
In the 1820s, the Sunshine Coast saw its first white inhabitants: three castaways (Finnegan, Pamphlet and Parsons) who shared the life of the local (Kabi Kabi) Aborigines for eight months. Thereafter, during the 1830s to 1840s, the district became home to numerous runaway convicts from the Moreton Bay (Brisbane) penal colony slightly to the south.
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Wikipedia