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MAROOCHYDORE
COTTON TREE
Where the river meets the sea, Cotton Tree is increasingly being hailed as the new Noosa. It has a caravan park not unlike the old Noosa Woods, a prime esplanade park, a main street dining precinct and the Maroochydore Surf Club around the corner. Although it officially comes under Maroochydore’s 4558 postcode, anyone who lives in Cotton Tree will declare its independence, as it was once a township complete with picture theatre, in its own right. A legacy of the glory days is that it has a main street, King Street, and a post office, supermarket, butcher, bottle shop, laundromat and hardware store among its cafes and boutiques. These stores also serve thousands of holidaymakers who turn the camping ground into Tent City every holiday season. There are more coffee shops than restaurants as this is a brunch destination. You’ll be hard pressed to find a spot in the morning but after 1pm the place is all but deserted. It’s also the centre of the club district with the RSL, Surf and Bowls Clubs all within its radius. A few of the early holiday houses dating from the time when only a gravel road connected it to Alexandra Headland and Mooloolaba, still squat among the apartments blocks along the river esplanade. The original homes on the ocean front have all but disappeared. In the 1960s, it was a popular family swimming hole complete with a slippery slide in the bay in front of the Boathouse Restaurant, but the whim of the river and shifting sands continue to change the lay of the land. Summing up: Cotton Tree, with its flat streets, breakfast hub and abundance of units and townhouses, is made for active retirees and downsizers. It’s possible to live without a car here, as all the ingredients for an easy life are within easy walking distance (cycle if you’re in a hurry) including the Sunshine Plaza, patrolled surf beach, cafes and restaurants and heated Olympic pool, library and bowls club. |
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