It was already obvious by the late 1970s, that Mooloolaba was getting too popular for its own good and that it simply was not going to be big enough to accommodate all the people who wanted to settle in this prime part of the world.
Expansion was possible in only one direction and so, with a cry of “go west young man, go west”, Mooloolaba housing opportunities were extended by a new estate named Mountain Creek.
From 1980, homes began springing up at the eastern end of Karawatha Drive (a number of art union properties among them set the tone for housing style) and quickly established it as a green, quiet and safe suburb to raise a family.
Seizing on the prospect of living in a fully serviced new estate close to Mooloolaba – they continue to share the same 4557 postcode - the families kept coming, and Mountain Creek grew rapidly over the next two decades.
The population more than doubled between 1991 and 2006, although at the last census, density was still only 8.28 people per hectare.
Residential development continued west, with tentacles of urban streets spreading both north and south from Karawatha Drive, which remains the major thoroughfare.
The opening of the Sunshine Motorway in 1988 provided an eastern boundary for Mountain Creek, which also came to embrace other estates such as Buderim Meadows, Buderim Pines, Glenfields and, more recently, Brightwater and Bellflower in the south.
While the motorway also put it within a quick drive of the University of the Sunshine Coast, Mountain Creek had meanwhile established its own reputation as a quality education precinct.
Mountain Creek State High, which opened with 360 students in 1995, has become widely acknowledged as one of the best schools on the Sunshine Coast. It now has more than 2000 students, and for many local families, represents one very good reason to move to the area.
Sharing its location in Lady Musgrave Drive is the Mountain Creek State School and the Mooloolaba campus of the Sunshine Coast Institute of TAFE.
The growing population has also supported construction of facilities so that Mountain Creek now has its own shopping complex and a tavern with a sound reputation for dining, as well as smaller neighbourhood shopping centres.
Headland Park golf course, the Mooloolaba tennis club and public swimming pools are also part of the package, while Sunshine Plaza and Kawana Shoppingtown are both within 10 minutes drive, as is the Sunshine Coast Private Hospital.
Ready access to the Sunshine Motorway also puts both the Bruce Highway and the Sunshine Coast Airport within an easy drive.
Summing up: Mountain Creek is on Mooloolaba’s doorstep and offers peace and quiet with wide, leafy suburban streets, quality homes and ready access to the beach, shopping centres, childcare, sports and medical facilities and the Sunshine Motorway.
