lifestyle
The People Stories and Faces That Make This Place Special
Residents in neighborhoods from Buderim to Mooloolaba continue to shape daily life through their routines and shared histories.
How we reported this
A retired school principal in Buderim has spent the past decade recording oral histories of families who settled along the Maroochy River before 1980.
The effort gained fresh attention this month because the Sunshine Coast population grew by 3.8 percent in the year to June 2025, bringing new arrivals who want to understand the area beyond its beaches and cafes.
Volunteers gather each Thursday at the Buderim Pioneer Cottage to scan photographs and at the Mooloolaba Surf Club to interview long-time surf lifesavers about changes along the Esplanade since the 1990s.
Council records show the project has collected 62 interviews and 1,140 photographs since it began in 2021, with storage costs covered by a $47,000 annual grant from the state government.
Daily routines that anchor the region
One vendor at Eumundi Markets has sold handmade brooms every Saturday for 19 years, drawing regulars who stop to hear how the surrounding farmland has changed since the Pacific Motorway extension opened in 2008.
Another resident runs a weekly walking group that starts at Cotton Tree Park and ends at the Caloundra Street Library, where participants leave and take books that often contain handwritten notes about local fishing spots.
Next steps for residents and visitors
Anyone can add a story by booking a 45-minute slot through the Sunshine Coast Libraries website or by dropping by the Maroochydore branch on Monday mornings before 10am, when the recording equipment is set up in the community room.