Between Maroochydore and Mooloolaba is a chunk of beachfront land so coveted that a few decades ago, it was dubbed the “Golden Triangle”. The base of the triangle is along Buderim-Mooloolaba Road and it then flows down the slopes to peak at the waterfront. Alexandra Headland’s appeal is in its natural elevation, not just the rocky headland that gives it its name, but also the streets behind where homeowners can claim a slice of ocean views courtesy of the lay of the land.
The beach has always been popular among surfboard riders and there’s also a section patrolled by the famous Alexandra Headland Surf Lifesaving Club. Originally called Potts Point, it was renamed to honour Queen Alexandra, wife of Queen Victoria’s son Edward VII in 1915, the same year that the first land subdivisions took place. And there is only one headland, although it is often erroneously referred to as Alexandra Headlands.
The first cottages cropped up in the 1920s as holiday homes for residents of Palmwoods and Woombye and later in the decade, Alexandra Hostel, a pioneering integrated resort complex, opened opposite the surf club. This was later purchased by the Presbyterian Church and as Alexandra Park, became something of a landmark over the next seven decades. Its big old colonial-style white building surrounded by green lawns was used for children’s camps and conferences until it was demolished in the 1990s and replaced by the Alex Shores housing estate and resort. Alexandra Park’s bushland sanctuary was preserved as part of the deal and is now an unexpected forest retreat hidden behind the esplanade.
An abundance of high-rise buildings and unit developments, particularly along the front, means it is one of the most densely populated areas on the Sunshine Coast, with 23.6 people per hectare at the 2006 census. Some original, and lots of new, architect-designed homes can be found in the cluster of streets that run off the base of the triangle.
Summing up: Alexandra Headland is a tourist centre with a beach and a collection of leisure-based shops. It doesn’t have a post office, school or town centre but is only 3.5 kilometres from the Sunshine Plaza. It’s a lifestyle destination for holidaymakers and young singles and for families who can afford it, there is a limited number of houses in the hilly streets behind the beach.
