QLDPort & river
Mooloolaba
A timber landing at Mooloolah Heads became a beach resort.
1860sTimber depot at the river mouth
WHAT STARTED IT
The mouth of the Mooloolah River, sheltered by Point Cartwright, gave a place to ship timber to Brisbane. From the 1860s William Pettigrew kept a timber depot here, sending logs by steamer from a wharf run by James Low.
WHAT SUSTAINED IT
The river bar and silt hampered shipping, and when Pettigrew moved his business to Maroochydore the settlement stalled, with fishing and fruit growing taking over. Surveyor Thomas O’Connor laid out allotments on Pettigrew’s former land, and when they were first sold in 1921 the name Mooloolaba was adopted to set the resort apart from Mooloolah on the railway.
TURNING POINTS
1864William Pettigrew sets up a timber depot and wharf at the river mouth.
1891Pettigrew opens a sawmill at Maroochydore, and the depot declines.
1921The first allotments are sold and the name Mooloolaba is adopted.
1922Mooloolaba Surf Club is formed.
1938The Mooloolaba Hotel is built on the Esplanade.
WHAT IT DOES NOW
A beach and harbour suburb within the Maroochydore urban area. Its harbour holds a commercial fishing fleet, marinas and a base for the pilot boats serving the Port of Brisbane.