fbpx

KidsKonnect

Sunshine Coast Facts & Worksheets

The Sunshine Coast is in Southeast Queensland and one of the top tourist destinations in Australia

Search for Worksheets

Worksheets /Social Studies /Geography /Sunshine Coast Facts & Worksheets

Premium
Not ready to purchase a subscription? Click to download the free sample version   Download sample

The Sunshine Coast is in Southeast Queensland. It is one of the top tourist destinations in Australia, which boasts its rural hinterlands, beach resorts, and surf sites. Additionally, it is sunny almost all year round. It attracts more than 3.2 million visitors a year.

See the fact file below for more information on the Sunshine Coast or alternatively, you can download our 27-page Sunshine Coast worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

ABOUT SUNSHINE COAST 

  • The Sunshine Coast has an area of 312 450 hectares. In 1967, the district was defined as “the area contained in the Shires of Landsborough, Maroochy, and Noosa but excluding Bribie Island.” It is 62 miles north of the center of Brisbane, encompassing the Coral sea coastline. The urban area spans 37 miles of coastline and hinterland from Pelican Waters to Tewantin. 
  • The district had an estimated urban population of 333 436 in June 2018. It is the third most populated area in Queensland and 9th in Australia. Seventy-three percent of the Sunshine Coast residents were born in Australia. Two percent are Indigenous Australians, and the others were born in England (6.2 %), New Zealand (4.5%), South Africa (1.0%), Germany (0.7%), and Scotland (0.6%)
  • The most common spoken language was English, but some residents speak German, French, Italian, Afrikaans, and Dutch. 
  • Thirty-four percent of the residents have no religious affiliation, but those who have are Catholic, Anglican, and Uniting Church. 
  • The Sunshine coast has four major rivers, Noosa River, Maroochy River, Mooloolah River, and the Stanley River. 
  • It also has several lakes, such as  Lake Cootharaba and Lake Weyba, and dams, namely  Ewen Maddock Dam, Wappa Dam, and Baroon Pocket Dam. 
  • Sunshine Coast has a humid subtropical climate. Summers are generally hot, and winters have warm days and cooler nights. 

HISTORY

  • The original inhabitants in the Sunshine Coast Queensland are the Aboriginal Australians of the Wakka Wakka People and Gubbi Gubbi language group, also known as Kabi Kabi, who arrived in the region 30,000 years ago. 
  • The two tribes had the same class restrictions. They were also friendly and intermarried with one another. They were nomadic, gathering food as they moved from one campsite to another. 
  • In 1770, records showed that the British Explorer James Cook had the first sighting of the Glass House Mountains while on the deck of HM Bark Endeavour. It was the first known sighting of the region. 
  • In the 1820s, the first white settlers arrived at Moreton Islands. The former convicts, John Finnegan, Thomas Pamphlett, and Richard Parsons, became hopelessly lost fetching cedar and lived with the Kabi Kabi for eight months.
  • Years later, more runaway convicts from Moreton Bay Penal Settlement found their homes here. 
  • The region’s primary industries during this time were timber and cattle. It began to grow in the 1860s and 1870s when small jetties and ports were built, later becoming Sunshine Coast towns. During this time, the district began to develop its reputation for fresh, locally produced fruit and dairy farming. 
  • On October 17, 1867, ‘Brisbane Courier’ revealed the story of the discovery of gold by James Nash.  The news started the gold rush in Gympie. Records showed that Maryborough was emptied when the news broke and its neighboring towns of Brisbane, Rockhampton, and Gladstone. 
  • The Gold rush gave way to the construction of roadways and a railway to create more accessible access to the goldfields. 

TOURIST ATTRACTIONS 

  • After World War II, the Sunshine Coast tourism industry started to grow. It developed a reputation as a desirable holiday destination because of its beautiful weather and excellent surfing site. 
  • In the early 1960s, the area was officially named “Sunshine Coast.” It soon became the fastest-growing region and the most popular tourist destination. The Sunshine Coast notably boasts its hinterlands, where its scenic views, lookouts, and activities are a must-experience for anyone who wants to visit the Sunshine Coast. The following are some of the popular tourist destinations on the Sunshine Coast. 
  • Noosa National Park encompasses  4000 hectares of paperbark forests, immaculate beaches, rainforests, dunes, and heathlands.
  • Glass House Mountains National Park was popular with nature lovers and hikers. It is also one of the sacred places for the Gubbi Gubbi people who used the area for holy ceremonies. According to legend, the highest peak, Mount Beerwah, gave birth to the smaller surrounding mountains. Mount Tibrogargan is the Father peak. 
  • Noosa North Shore is an endless stretch of powdery, white sand and gently rolling dunes. Popular with 4WD enthusiasts and beachfront campers who visited for the stunning sea vistas and mostly uncrowded stretches of sand. 
  • Coolum Beach is a popular destination for surfers. Many beginners take the surfing lessons at the surfing school in the area. There are many health food cafes and restaurants, but the most distinctive landmark is Mount Coolum, a dome shape 208 meters above the coast, a volcanic rock, famous for fitness enthusiasts and nature lovers. They can hike the 800-meter track to the summit for the fascinating views of the coast. 

Sunshine Coast Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about Sunshine Coast across 27 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use worksheets that are perfect for teaching about Sunshine Coast which boasts its rural hinterlands, beach resorts, and surf sites.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Sunshine Coast Facts
  • Sunshine Coast vs Gold Coast
  • Becoming Top Destination
  • About Sunshine Coast
  • Sunshine Coast’s Must See 
  • Unscramble Me
  • The People in Sunshine Coast 
  • The Old Sunshine Coast
  • Visit Sunshine Coast 
  • A Perfect Spot 

Link/cite this page

If you reference any of the content on this page on your own website, please use the code below to cite this page as the original source.

Link will appear as Sunshine Coast Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, January 19, 2022

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

Related Resources