Mooloolaba is bounded on the east by the Coral Sea, on the south by the Mooloolah River, on the north by Alexandra Headland and to the west by Buderim. Mooloolaba Harbour is the home of a large fleet of fishing vessels, as well as being the northern base for the pilot vessels that control shipping through Moreton Bay and the Port of Brisbane. Due to its sheltered location in the lee of Point Cartwright, it is an all-weather harbour favoured by recreational sailors. The esplanade facing Mooloolaba beach is a centre for tourist activity, containing the UnderWater Worldmarine park, as well as many souvenir and clothing shops, bookshops, galleries and restaurants. Behind the apartments facing the beach are camping grounds, backpacker hostels and canal villas. It is also a tourism destination, with cruise ships regularly anchoring outside the port. Mooloolaba is serviced by coach from Brisbane, by train and connecting bus via Nambour, Woombye, Landsborough station, and by air from Sunshine Coast Airport.
History
Mooloolaba derives from the Aboriginal word mulu, meaning snapper fish, or mulla meaning Red-bellied Black Snake. Originally known as Mooloolah Heads, the name was changed to Mooloolaba by Thomas O'Connor in 1919 when he subdivided land for sale there. A Methodist Church hall was opened on Saturday 28 January 1933. Mooloolaba Provisional School opened on 2 May 1933. On 24 January 1938 it became Mooloolaba State School. In September 1954 ArchbishopReginald Halse performed a stump-capping ceremony for the new Anglican church at Mooloolaba. St Elizabeth's Anglican Church was dedicated on 2 November 1954 by Archbishop Halse. Its closure on 2 April 2006 was approved by Venerable R N Gowty, Archdeacon of Wide Bay. The congregation had dwindled to 17 people and a property developer offered a sum for the block in First Avenue described as "safely estimated to be in the millions" to combine the church land with other parcels to build a high-rise residential development. The plan was to combine St Elizabeth's with St Peter's Anglican in Maroochydore and have only one Anglican church in the area. In the, Mooloolaba had a population of 7,730 people.
Education
Mooloolaba State School is a government primary school for boys and girls at the corner Meta and Douglas Streets. In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 677 students with 45 teachers and 20 non-teaching staff. It includes a special education program. There are no secondary schools in Moloolaba. The nearest secondary school is Mountain Creek State High School in neighbouring Mountain Creek.
Mooloolaba is also home to the Mooloolaba Triathlon and the Sydney to Mooloolaba Yacht Race. It is also home to various on beach events.
In popular culture
Mooloolaba featured in the fourth season of The Amazing Race. Evangelist Peter Foxhall and Pastor Bill Furler pioneered an Assemblies of God church at the Mooloolaba Surf Lifesaving Club in the mid-1980s. The town was also the home of the Christian pop/rock band Newsboys, and is the fourth town mentioned in the original Australian version of the song "I've Been Everywhere". In August and September 2015, the town garnered media attention when a French woman recorded a video claiming to have had a one-night stand with a male resident of Mooloolaba, asking him to come forward. It turned out to have been a promotional advert for the town, masterminded by a British social media expert - the woman was a French university student and actress.
