Coolum Beach

History

The town's name originated from the indigenous term "gulum" or "kulum," meaning "blunt" or "headless," in reference to Mount Coolum's shape. The Coolum district encompasses the traditional land of the 'Inabara' or 'Yinneburra' clan from the Undanbi tribe, which was a subset of the larger group known as Kabi Kabi (or Gubbi Gubbi). In December 1923, land in the Mt Coolum Beach Estate second section went to auction, following the successful sale of portions in the first section, and one month after the official opening of the Moreton Central Sugar Mill Cane Tramway extension to Coolum. All lots were described as having an uninterrupted view of the Pacific Ocean. In 1931, the Coolum Beach branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association were donated a block of land and purchased the adjacent block at 7–9 Coolum Terrace (). In 1965, a former school building was moved onto the block which was replaced with a new building in 1990. In 2013, the CWA decided that the hall was under-utilised and that its increasing property value should be realised to support other projects. The property was sold into private ownership on 21 September 2013 for $660,000. Holy Spirit Anglican Church was dedicated on 14 November 1970. It was consecrated by Archbishop Felix Arnott on 5 November 1977. Coolum State High School opened on 29 January 1985. In 2002, Coolum hosted the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, replacing the 2001 meeting that was postponed and moved from Brisbane in the wake of the September 11 attacks. Along with a number of other regional Australian newspapers owned by NewsCorp, the Coolum News newspaper ceased publication in June 2020.

Geography

Coolum Beach has the following mountains (from north to south): * Mount Peregian (Mount Emu) () * Toboggan Hill () * Eurungunder Hill () Coolum Beach has the following coastal features (from north to south): * Peregian Beach (), extending south from Peregian Beach to the north-east * Coolum Beach (), along the mid-coastline of the suburb However, Mount Coolum (to the south of the suburb) dominates the landscape. The Yandina-Coolum Road enters from the west.

Most-observed species

• Torresian Crow

  Corvus orru Bonaparte, 1850 · Aves
  6,231
• Rainbow Lorikeet

  Trichoglossus haematodus (Linnaeus, 1771) · Aves
  6,071
• Australian Magpie

  Gymnorhina tibicen (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  5,909
• Welcome Swallow

  Hirundo neoxena Gould, 1842 · Aves
  5,837
• Willie-wagtail

  Rhipidura leucophrys (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  5,328
• Magpie-lark

  Grallina cyanoleuca (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  5,244
• Lewin's Honeyeater

  Meliphaga lewinii (Swainson, 1837) · Aves
  5,123
• Brown Honeyeater

  Lichmera indistincta (Vigors & Horsfield, 1827) · Aves
  4,679