Shire of Maroochy | |||||||||||||
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 Location withinQueensland | |||||||||||||
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| Country | Australia | ||||||||||||
| State | Queensland | ||||||||||||
| Region | Sunshine Coast | ||||||||||||
| Established | 1890 | ||||||||||||
| Council seat | Nambour | ||||||||||||
| Area | |||||||||||||
• Total | 1,162.7 km2 (448.9 sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Population | |||||||||||||
| • Total | 151,599 (2006 census)[1] | ||||||||||||
| • Density | 130.385/km2 (337.696/sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Website | Shire of Maroochy | ||||||||||||
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TheShire of Maroochy was alocal government area about 100 kilometres (62 mi) north ofBrisbane in theSunshine Coast region ofSouth EastQueensland,Australia. The shire covered an area of 1,162.7 square kilometres (448.9 sq mi), and existed as a local government entity from 1890 until 2008, when it amalgamated with its neighbours to the north and south to form theSunshine Coast Region.
In 1842,Andrew Petrie explored the coast north of Brisbane and discovered theMary River with a small party including twoAboriginal men from theBrisbane River 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.[2]
The area was originally incorporated as part of theCaboolture Divisional Board on 11 November 1879 under theDivisional Boards Act 1879. On 5 July 1890, Maroochy split away and was proclaimed as aMaroochy Division in its own right, with an area of 1,265 square kilometres (488 sq mi) and headquarters atNambour.[3][4] It did not initially containBuderim orKenilworth. 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 theNambour railway station, where they were to continue meeting until 1978.
With the passage of theLocal Authorities Act 1902, Maroochy became a shire council on 31 March 1903. The first land sale inMaroochydore in 1908 allowed 8.1 square kilometres (2,002 acres) along the coast to be opened up, allowing for the development of the towns ofAlexandra Headland andMooloolaba. The council commenced supplying electricity in 1927, and a hospital was opened in 1930. With the start of major development inSouth East Queensland in the late 1950s, Maroochy Airport (nowSunshine Coast Airport, 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 onAnzac Day 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 theLocal Government (Reform Implementation) Act 2007 passed by theParliament of Queensland on 10 August 2007, the Shire of Maroochy merged with theShire of Noosa and theCity of Caloundra to form theSunshine Coast Region.
The Shire was subdivided into 12 numbered divisions, each of which returned one councillor, and an elected mayor.
The Shire of Maroochy included the following settlements:
1 - split with theShire of Noosa
2 - split with theCity of Caloundra
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1933 | 12,918 |
| 1947 | 15,014 |
| 1954 | 17,869 |
| 1961 | 19,071 |
| 1966 | 21,455 |
| 1971 | 25,522 |
| 1976 | 35,266 |
| 1981 | 53,428 |
| 1986 | 61,629 |
| 1991 | 84,442 |
| 1996 | 111,798 |
| 2001 | 129,429 |
| 2006 | 151,599 |
26°37′50″S152°57′32.9″E / 26.63056°S 152.959139°E /-26.63056; 152.959139
