| Shire of Noosa Queensland |
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Location within Queensland |
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| Population: | 51,962(2006 census)[1] | ||||||||||||
| Established: | 1910 - 2008 | ||||||||||||
| Area: | 868.7 km² (335.4 sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Council Seat: | Tewantin | ||||||||||||
| Region: | Sunshine Coast | ||||||||||||
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The Shire of Noosa was a Local Government Area located about 130 kilometres (81 mi) north of Brisbane in the Sunshine Coast region of South East Queensland, Australia. The shire covered an area of 868.7 square kilometres (335.4 sq mi), and existed as a local government entity from 1910 until 2008, when it amalgamated with the Shire of Maroochy and City of Caloundra to form the Sunshine Coast Region.
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The Noosa area was originally home to several Aboriginal groups. These primarily include the Undumbi tribe to the south, the Dulingbara to the north, and the Gabbi Gabbi to the west.
Although much of the culture and presence of the traditional owners of the Noosa district has been lost during the short period of white settlement, there still exist many subtle reminders. These include:
The name Noosa comes from the local Aboriginal word (Noothera or Gnuthuru in the Kabi Kabi language) for shadow or shady place.[2]
Although reports of the area can be traced back to Captain Cook's voyages in May 1770, European settlement in the region did not proceed for almost a century. This early settlement was primarily driven firstly by timber logging and then secondly a gold rush in the Gympie area, north of Noosa. The difficulty of transport in the region, which persisted to the 1920s and beyond, was one major reason for this.
In 1871, the Government laid out a port at Tewantin, which was duly surveyed and by 1877 contained two hotels, a boarding house, school, police station and telegraph office. In 1872, the Noosa Heads and coastal region north to Peregian Beach was set aside as an Aboriginal Mission, however this was cancelled in 1878 and land was opened for selection on 15 January 1879. With the advent of the railway, Tewantin declined in importance.[3]
In the last 50 years Noosa has been transformed from an isolated fishing village to a popular tourist destination. Although this has had its costs the shire is known for its generally greener approach to development. Most development in Noosa has been restrained. Noosa has no high rise buildings, due both to local community pressure and to council planning action, and much remaining native forest. 34.8 per cent of the Noosa district consists of National Parks, Conservation Parks, State Forests, and other generally protected land.
The popularity of Noosa comes from the fact that is it one of Australia's few North facing beaches located on the East Coast, hence Noosa Beach is relatively protected from on-shore wind and storms.
The area was originally incorporated as part of the Widgee Divisional Board on 11 November 1879 under the Divisional Boards Act 1879. Noosa was created as a separate shire under the Local Authorities Act 1902 in 1910, with an initial population of 2,000. The first elections were held on 22 April 1910 and resulted in James Duke becoming the first shire chairman. The original headquarters for the Shire were constructed in Pomona in 1911 on a site now used (since 1985) by the Cooroora Historical Society and Noosa Museum.[3]
In the early 1970s, development commenced with Queensland Government backing in the area around Noosa Sound. In 1980, the Shire Chambers moved to Pelican Street, Tewantin. Following the election of Noosa's first green mayor, Noel Playford, in 1988, Noosa's first strategic plan was gazetted, and in 1990 development was limited to four storeys. In 1993, a major Council and community complex covering 9 hectares (22.2 acres) opened at Wallace Park, Noosaville.
On 15 March 2008, under the Local Government (Reform Implementation) Act 2007 passed by the Parliament of Queensland on 10 August 2007, the Shire of Noosa merged with the Shire of Maroochy and the City of Caloundra to form the Sunshine Coast Region. Noosa's mayor, Bob Abbot, won the mayoralty of the new Council over Maroochy's Joe Natoli with 70% of the combined vote.[4]
The council consisted of an elected mayor and nine councillors—three representing Division One, which covered the vast majority of the Shire's area, and two representing each of Divisions 2 (Tewantin and northern beaches), 3 (Noosaville) and 4 (southern beaches).
The Shire of Noosa contains both a cluster of suburbs—none of which are actually called Noosa—and a hinterland region which is more rural in focus.
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Noosa: Coastal Region: |
Hinterland: |
* Split with Shire of Maroochy
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1933 | 5,768 |
| 1947 | 5,925 |
| 1954 | 6,296 |
| 1961 | 6,117 |
| 1966 | 6,673 |
| 1971 | 7,746 |
| 1976 | 10,825 |
| 1981 | 17,071 |
| 1986 | 20,328 |
| 1991 | 29,378 |
| 1996 | 41,171 |
| 2001 | 47,321 |
| 2006 | 51,962 |
Directly elected:[5]
Elected by fellow councillors:
The Noosa Film Festival was held in Noosa between September 2 and 8 in 1999.[6] A number of festivals are also held in Noosa including the Noosa Festival of Surfing.
Noosa Arts Theatre is a flourishing and widely reputed centre for performing arts in the area. In particular the theatre's July 2011 production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, directed by Eileen Walder is set to receive rave reviews. The annual Noosa Longweekend is a popular and extremely large event held in areas around Noosa in June/July of each year, featuring performing, visual and creative arts performances and workshops for all ages. The recently developed The J Centre in Noosa Heads has become another centre for live theatre and musical performances, as well as a secondary campus for the University of the Sunshine Coast.