41 new things coming to the Sunshine Coast soon
DEVELOPMENT is well and truly booming on the Sunshine Coast with new approvals and construction happening every day.
Business
Don't miss out on the headlines from Business. Followed categories will be added to My News.
DEVELOPMENT is well and truly booming on the Sunshine Coast with new approvals and construction happening every day.
There's so much it can be overwhelming, so we've done up a categorised list of more than 25 new things coming to the Sunshine Coast.
BIG TICKET ITEMS
Solar Farm
The $48.5 million solar farm project is being constructed on Yandina-Coolum Rd, Valdora.
Almost 58,000 photovoltaic solar panels will be installed generating at its peak, enough electricity to power 5000 homes.
The project should be operational by early-2017.
Maroochydore CBD
The 53-hectare SunCentral Maroochydore CBD development is a 20-year project that plans to create a "city heart" in Maroochydore.
The vision for the CBD includes delivering fully approved and serviced land for commercial, retail, residential, civic, cultural and community uses, building publically accessible waterways, delivering a new road network to provide additional capacity to the existing road network within Maroochydore, providing interconnected public open space and establishing a central Sunshine Coast location for regional arts and entertainment.
Kawana Hospital
It may feel like it's been coming forever but the Sunshine Coast University is expected to finally open in April next year.
The $1.8 billion Kawana health facility was supposed to be open in November 2016 but that was delayed in March.
The hospital will offer a range of free public hospital services and will open with about 450 beds, with ability to grow to more than 738 beds and then to 900 beds beyond 2021 if needed.
New runway at airport
Sunshine Coast Council is hoping The New Runway Project will be open and operating in 2020.
The project will deliver a new 2450m x 45m runway, runway end taxiway loops, an expanded apron and terminal facilities, a new air traffic control tower and associated infrastructure.
The project will enable direct flights to more destinations across Australia, Asia and the Western Pacific.
Caloundra South
The 2300-plus hectare site bordered by the Bruce Hwy to the west, Bells Creek Rd in the south and nestled in amongst Pelican Waters and Bellvista is where Stockland will create a city the size of Gladstone.
Twenty thousand homes will house 50,000 residents as part of the $5 billion, 30-year project which will see 700 hectares of land dedicated to conservation and environmental protection.
FOOD
Spirit House
A private dining room with its own bar is the latest addition being planned as wildly successful Yandina restaurant Spirit House continues its evolution.The 20-seat dining room will have its own chef, a courtyard and bar and will be open by Christmas if plans come together.
Moto Bar
Opening soon in Noosa Junction, Moto plans to bring custom motorbikes, craft beers, food and coffee to a quiet corner of the Junction.
They have no exact open date yet, but it's guaranteed to be close as they add the finishing touches to the fit out of the store.
Alex Surf Club
Alex Surf Club's Bluff Bar is being extended to the north and nippers will have a new training room soon.
Inside the club, the main bar will be widened, increasing seating by a third, and the gaming room will be repositioned and expanded.
The Cooking School Noosa
Noosa Restaurant Wasabi will start running cooking classes from August 4.
Somehow we don't think all the lessons in the world are going to get us up to this Japanese restaurants amazing standards but any excuse to spend time in the glorious premises is good enough for us.
If you want to take part in the classes running throughout August and September you'd better be quick with four already sold out.
McLeod Brewing Co
Another brew pub is set to open on the Sunshine Coast Hinterland as Maleny Mountain Wines' new owner Ryan McLeod rolls out plans to expand into craft beer and open McLeod Brewing Co.
The winery already had planning approval for the new offering, and eight taps would be installed at its existing eight-metre high wine barrel-shaped showroom, Mr McLeod said.
ENTERTAINMENT
Zoo animals
A group of spider monkeys will be making a new home at Wildlife HQ in Woombye in October.
The group of three boy spider monkeys will be sent over from Auckland Zoo.
Bowling alley
Spinners Bar and Bowl is set to open soon on Bulcock St.
It will offer five lanes, freshly baked pizza, a fully licensed bar, coffee, snacks, five lanes, night glow lighting, flat screen TVs, a jukebox, arcade games, dance floor and shoe hire and will hopefully open 12 hours a day, seven days a week.
Noosa International Film Festival
A huge number of entries have been received for Australia's newest film festival - The Noosa International Film Festival.
The festival will showcase short films from Australia and overseas when it is held in November.
Aussie World
A brand new kids ride is set for opening later this year to replace Tykes Trolleys. Another ride is also on the way, which will be the first of its kind in an Australian theme park first.
It's anticipated that the first ride will open in October, with the second opening before the end of the year.
There are also further announcements to be made later this year with some exciting developments due 2017.
Australian Event Awards
New to the Sunshine Coast in 2016, the Australian Event Awards will be held at the Novotel Twin Waters Resort.
SBS television show
A new television show will be shot on location on the Sunshine Coast later this year.
Peter Kuruvita's Coastal Kitchen will feature on SBS later this year and shot all over the region with local producers.
RETAIL
David Jones
Well, not officially but we live in eternal hope and the jungle drums are beating on a possible Plaza expansion.
Bli Bli Village Central
The $20 million Bli Bli Village Central development has been given the nod by the Sunshine Coast Council. The development will stretch along land from roughly the Bli Bli roundabout to Castlegreen Ct, next to the Bli Bli Riverside Markets shopping centre. When completed, it will comprise a health precinct, offices, complimentary retail stores, and a tavern, with parking for 174 vehicles. Bli Bli residents might never have to leave town.
Kawana Shopping World
New cinemas, new undercover parking and new shops are proposed for Kawana Shoppingworld.
Construction is expected to start in late 2017.
Peregian IGA
The White's will open their fourth IGA store on the Sunshine Coast in Peregian Beach.
The store is set for completion in September
Howards Storage World
Howards Storage World will open on Dalton Dve within two months in the retail complex next to Bunnings.
SPORT
Active sports theme park
Plans are in place to next year start construction of a $400 million "active sports theme park" off the Steve Irwin Way on land identified as a home for Australia's first surfing wave pool.
Sanad Capital Pty Ltd released a video trailer promoting the park which has been designed to feature an extreme water sports facility.
Sport facility
Planning is ongoing for a new high performance sports facility at Lake Kawana, near the Sunshine Coast Stadium. While in the pipelines, the proposed hub would cover 11,000 sq m of land at the northern end of Lake Kawana. It's the brainchild of a consortium of Coast business people and has gathered plenty of support from the sporting community.
Basketball court
Two new indoor basketball courts should be finished by the end of the year.
The additional courts at the Maroochydore Basketball Stadium on Syd Lingard Drive will provide extra room for Coast roots basketball as well as places for bigger teams such as the Brisbane Bullets to train.
The Ironman 70.3 World Championships
The Sunshine Coast will host 3000 of the world's top athletes after beating international rivals to become the home of the 2016 Ironman 70.3 World Championships.
The event is predicted to bring more than $30 million to the Sunshine Coast economy.
Mooloolaba will be the first site in the southern hemisphere to host the race which is scheduled for September this year.
Netball team
The Sunshine Coast will have a team in the new-look national netball league next year.
The new, as yet un-named team, would play under the Storm brand.
It would play out of the University of the Sunshine Coast as part of three-way deal with the Storm and the Sunshine Coast Council which has become major sponsor.
Skate Park
Council will begin construction on the Alexandra Headland skate park in 2017.
After community consultation, a draft design will be presented to the community for further feedback at the end of this year.
Isle Of Man Tourist Trophy style event
The Sunshine Coast could host a motorbike race, drawing more than 16,000 people to the region next year.
Sunshine Coast Council has received an expression of interest from an overseas promoter to bring an Isle Of Man Tourist Trophy style event to the Sunshine Coast in 2017.
The Wild Women On Top Coastrek
The Wild Women on Top Coastrek will come to the Sunshine Coast for the first time in 2017.
The 30km and 60km treks are open to both men and women but teams of four must be made up with at least two women.
Australasian Police and Emergency Services Games
For the first time ever the Sunshine Coast will host the Australasian Police and Emergency Services Games in October.
Surf Life Saving is being offered for the first time too.
SERVICES
Childcare centre
Little Village Early Learning on King St in Buderim has been in construction for nine months and will officially open in mid-August.
The facility includes seven indoor 'studios' for kids of different ages, a kitchen for full meal catering, an indoor/outdoor playground, water play and toddler crawl areas, a bike track, fruit and vegetable garden, compost patch, and a sand and mud 'kitchen'.
Qantas
The Coast is getting some new air services. Qantas, which currently flies between the Coast and Sydney, will begin flying direct from the Sunshine Coast to Melbourne four times a week from December 16. The flights will run Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday for the six weeks of the school holidays with a view to becoming permanent. Qantas is also going to run two more return flights a week between the Coast and Sydney from October.
Bus route
Bus routes 600 and 607 will be changed from 2017 and a new bus route will be implented ahead of the opening of the new health precinct.
New route 611 (Maroochydore to the SCUH) will operate generally every 30 minutes on weekdays and hourly on weekends, including major stops at Mooloolaba and Kawana.
Existing route 607 (Caloundra to USC via Kawana) woul also be upgraded to run generally every half hour between 5am and 9pm and will also stop at the SCUH servicing the hospital during core operating hours.
University courses
The University of the Sunshine Coast will offer four new programs in 2017.
- Bachelor of Laws/Bachelor of Environmental Management.
- Bachelor of Midwifery
- Bachelor of Recreation and Outdoor Environmental Studies
- Master of Professional Practice (Performing Arts)
Cruise ships
The Seabourn Encore will visit the Sunshine Coast for the first time during its maiden Australian season in 2017.
The cruise ship will stop at Mooloolaba on January 31 for the very first time.
RESIDENTIAL
The Cosmopolitan
Sunshine Coast councillors unanimously voted to approve the Cosmopolitan proposal, a 143-unit complex bordered by The Esplanade and Memorial Ave which will deliver more than 1100 sq m of commercial space.
Aqua View Apartments
This eight-storey development will feature 31 apartments looking from the hillside towards the ocean.The project, to be completed by Brisbane husband-and-wife developers Alex Yuan and Stella Sun, will cost about $15 million and is expected to be built by December next year.
Birtinya at Oceanside
This residential precinct will offer house and land, terrace homes, townhouses and apartments when it is finished. Construction will be largely completed over the next 12 months.
Ocean Verge Apartments
Murphy Builders will construct 40 boutique apartments on Verney Street at Kings Beach.
The apartments would be a mix of two and three-bedroom residences.
The Hedge
The Park Avenue Group launched a $55 million residential apartment project in Buddina.
The beachside project adjoins the newly-upgraded Kawana Shoppingworld which has been earmarked for major improvements in the coming years including cinema complex and new specialty shops.
Construction on the one, two and three bedroom apartments is expect to be completed by 2017.
Kon-Tiki
The Kon-Tiki development on the corner of Maroochy Boulevard and Plaza Parade should be finished in December this yea.
The development will have office space as well as room for restaurants and gyms.
The European large SUV that has close links with Lamborghini and Bentley
The Volkswagen Touareg large SUV shares its lineage with an Audi, Lambo and Bentley.
Share tips: experts’ buy, hold and sell recommendations
A mixed bag of share tips this week has something for everyone, just like global financial markets last week. See their suggestions.