Tewantin is the business end of Noosa and has always given a sense of being in a country town more than a resort, despite its superb position on the river and Lake Cooroibah. This is probably because it was a country town, the one that, from early last century, linked with Cooroy for arriving visitors, who were then carted off down to the beaches. It has a traditional main street and shopping centre, the administrative offices of the Sunshine Coast Regional Council, art gallery, library and large commercial and industrial estates. With room to expand to the west, it also represents a significant residential area that drifts off into bushland on the roads to Eumundi and Cooroy. Tewantin township was established in 1871 as a riverside port for the vibrant timber industry operating around the lakes. Logs were rafted in from Cootharaba and shipped on to Brisbane, so it was a busy little place long before Noosa was trendy. The old Royal Mail Hotel is testament to its pioneering past. New estates opened up during the 1970s and ‘80s when Tewantin underwent huge expansion. This has slowed, particularly over the past decade, as the former Noosa Council’s zero population growth policies kicked in. All up, Tewantin officially has a land area of 2629 hectares with a density of 4.07 people per hectare at the 2006 census.
Summing up:Tewantin is an old town made new and while being handy to the famous Noosa Heads, is more affordable. It’s a fine place to raise a family and has a long-established primary school and golf club. It is also home to a TAFE campus and sports complex and plenty of shopping centres. While actual waterfront living is limited, the water is never far away.
