Kiels Mountain, Queensland


Kiels Mountain is a rural locality in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the, Kiels Mountain had a population of 664 people.

Geography

The Bruce Highway defines the western boundary of the locality. The mountain of the same name is central to the locality and rises to.
Eudlo Creek passes through the southeast tip of Kiels Mountain. Numerous creeks form on the slopes of the mountain, all of which are eventually tributaries of the Maroochy River.
The land use is principally rural residential.

History

The mountain is named after Heinrich "Henry" August Keil who settled on the eastern slopes in 1880. Henry Keil was the son of one of the early Lutheran missionaries/settlers of Brisbane. The Keils were prominent Salvationists during the early growth of the Salvation Army on the Sunshine Coast, and were known for their charity to the local Aborigines.
Kiels Mountain school was built on land near the corner of Preston and Diddillibah Roads, between Woombye and Diddillibah. It opened on 23 September 1918 and closed on 15 April 1962.
On 7 December 2003, 13-year-old Daniel Morcombe disappeared while waiting for a bus on Nambour-Connection Rd , near the Kiel Mountain Road overpass at Woombye. An arrest was made in August 2011 in connection with his death. His remains were discovered near the Glass House Mountains.
At the 2011 Australian Census the suburb recorded a population of 657.

Spiritual retreat

At the summit of Kiels Mountain is Avatar's Abode, a spiritual retreat dedicated to Meher Baba who stayed there in 1958. Avatar's Abode is the oldest and longest-running Eastern retreat in Queensland. A large private school, Suncoast Christian College, and its associated Christian Outreach Centre is located by the juncture of the Kiels Mountain road and the old Bruce Highway.

Education

There are no schools in Kiels Mountain. The nearest primary schools are in Woombye and Kuluin. The nearest secondary schools are in Nambour and Maroochydore.