The Sunshine Coast Continues To Mature

It’s no secret that the Sunshine Coast continues to advance at a rapid rate. On the doorstep of Asia and the Pacific Rim, it is not only a local and national destination, but an international one as well. Its Gross Regional Product has almost doubled over the last decade to AUD $16 billion. With a current population of 317,000, it has developed into Australia’s ninth largest metropolitan area whilst at the same time balancing this growth and retaining its’ natural beauty, clean air, and small-town charm. Mountain Creek, recently designated as the Sunshine Coast’s most family-friendly suburb, sits at the geographical centre of all that it offers.

Mountain Creek Named Coast’s Most Family-Friendly Suburb…Respected local publication My Weekly Preview recently announced the results of a study by CoreLogic research, commissioned by Aussie Home Loans, proclaiming Mountain Creek as the Sunshine Coast’s most family-friendly suburb. Their findings were based on statistical analysis, including a percentage of family households of 55%, an upper 25% house value of $662, 027, a lower 25% house value of $535,420, average land area of 596m2 and 233 sales in 2017. Undoubtedly the prestigious Mountain Creek school catchment and proximity to community amenities, shopping, transport and beaches only adds weight to the raw data. Strong demand for rental properties across the whole Sunshine Coast, coupled with Mountain Creek’s popularity, point to significant opportunities for robust rental returns for local investors. Whilst many families would love to buy into the Mountain Creek dream, the economic reality is that a large proportion will look to rent first, with the added benefit for investors being that renters often become buyers in the long term.

Maroochydore’s New CBD To Deliver Significant Economic Benefits…According to Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, “Maroochydore’s new city centre will cement the Sunshine Coast as one of Queensland’s, and Australia’s, best performing regional economies”. Situated within a ten-minute drive of Mountain Creek, it will feature prime commercial office space, exclusive retail, public plazas, community facilities, dining and entertainment, waterways and parks, residential apartments, a premium hotel and convention and exhibition facilities. World-class innovative design will set the Maroochydore CBD apart from other regional cities, and many State capitals. Highlights include:

• A CBD-scale underground waste collection system, an Australian first.
• Smart-city technology featuring a high-speed, high-quality underground fibre optic network that will enable free WI-FI, Smart Signage travel information to pedestrians and Smartphone apps to assist in parking.
• Clean energy for all council infrastructure, including community facilities and lighting, provided by Australia’s fifth largest solar farm.
• Priority for pedestrians, cyclists and public transport with plans for the future provision of passenger and light rail into the city heart.

Developments In Mooloolaba And Alexandra Headland…The beach resorts of Mooloolaba and Alexandra Headland, within 5-10 minutes’ drive of Mountain Creek, continue to progress at pace. At Mooloolaba, a proposed development that encompasses a supermarket, shopping centre, hotel, bar, indoor sport and recreation complex and aged care facility will include 700 much needed council controlled car parking spaces, plus another 300 attached to the residential component. In Alexandra Headland, council has approved an application for a massive development of 318 two-bedroom units on land owned by the Uniting Church.

Harmony And Aura…South of Mountain Creek, two master-planned residential developments are set to house a large proportion of the Sunshine Coast’s future population growth. Harmony, otherwise known as Palmview, will feature a grand linear park the length of 10 football fields, 60 kilometres of biking and hiking trails, and will house 17,000 new residents over the next 15 to 20 years. Aura will feature a 90ha city centre, 200 kilometres of biking and hiking trails and a South Bank-style parkland, known as People’s Place. It will lead to the construction of homes for 50,000 residents and target the creation of 20,000 direct jobs. Although both estates will unquestionably be high quality in their own right, and will lead to economic opportunities for Mountain Creek locals, their location and huge scale will further highlight the advantages of the central positioning of Mountain Creek and its sense of community.

Other Major Infrastructure…

• Plans are being developed to deliver a proposed light rail system by 2025, linking Caloundra, Kawana, Mooloolaba, Alexandra Headland and the Maroochydore CBD.
• Designated an International Airport in 2016, funding and approval has been secured for the Sunshine Coast Airport to commence a $347 million expansion to have a new runway operating in 2020 to enable direct flights from Asia and the Western Pacific.
• Sunshine Coast Council plans to link Maroochydore directly to global communications systems in Asia, the Pacific and the United States via a proposed undersea broadband cable by 2020, estimated to bring $700 million to the Sunshine Coast economy every year.
• The University of the Sunshine Coast is Australia’s fastest growing University.
• The Sunshine Coast University Hospital is a $1.8 billion investment providing 4,600 jobs.