Buderim

Team of bullocks hauling a wagon of logs in Ballinger Crescent, 1927

Panoramic views from Buderim to Mooloolaba Beach, 1934

Buderim is an Kabi word meaning honeysuckle or red soil.[2] The name is also said to come from a Yugambeh word Budherahm, meaning sacred or spiritual.[3]

In 1862, Tom Petrie set out from Brisbane with 25 Turrbal and Kabi Kabi men including Billy Dingy and Wanangga to search for cedar in the Maroochy area. They ascended Buderim mountain where they saw forests of fine timber, then had the satisfaction of being the first to cut a cedar tree there.'[4] Buderim was seen as a resource for timbergetters, as huge stands of Beech and Australian Red Cedar grew across the mountain. Some trees were so large they were wasted due to the lack of transport to carry them down to the river for despatch to Brisbane. Once clear felled, the plateau was used for farming. The rich red volcanic soil found on Buderim made the area particularly suited to growing almost everything, from bananas to small crops. The most notable were coffee and (in the 20th century) ginger, the crop which made Buderim famous. The farming pioneer Burnett won awards for the quality of his coffee at shows in London during the late 19th century.

Buderim Mountain Post Office opened on 1 June 1884 (a receiving office had been open from 1874). It was renamed Buderim by 1897.[5]

In the middle of the 20th century the largest ginger processing facility in the southern hemisphere was built, and operated as the Buderim Ginger Factory until 1980 when operations were moved to a new facility near Yandina. As the value of their produce was eroded, many farmers left the land to find work elsewhere.

The Buderim War Memorial Hall and Library was extended in 1966. The extension provided space for the Buderim branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association which moved into the extended facility.[6]

In 2011 the average value of Buderim real estate was $475,000 and, largely due to its altitude, its proximity to the Sunshine Coast beaches and its pleasant climate, has increased to $595,000,[7] and this has pressured many others out of the rural lifestyle, as housing development increased in and around Buderim Mountain. Thanks to the huge leap in real estate values during the first decade of 2000, steep land was developed that was previously deemed too expensive to engineer for housing. Due to these developments, the remainder of the farming land and much of the secondary growth rainforest on the escarpment has disappeared. Substantial rainforest remnants remain, especially in the protected area known as the Foote Sanctuary which provides well-maintained public walking paths and BBQ facilities. There is also access to the Buderim Falls. The area is home to an abundance of native wildlife, notably king parrots and lorikeets. Brush turkeys are also a common sight, as are families of kangaroos and wallabies.

Boarding house built in the Queenslander style, Buderim Mountain, December 1930

Nowadays, the Mountain is notable for the enormous variety of its architectural styles, which range from the classic 'Queenslander' to ultra-modern one-off designs. Some homes, especially those 'on top' with ocean views, sell for seven-figure sums. One celebrated 'mansion', straddling four blocks, has recently been on the market for 'offers close to $20 million'.[8]

First Class Coach on the new Buderim tramway, ca. 1915

Buderim contains a significant heritage relic of the early days in the form of Pioneer Cottage, restored and cared for by the Buderim Historical Society.[9]

Between 1914 and 1935 a small gauge railway ran from Buderim to Palmwoods, to take produce from Buderim farms to market. The railway was closed down in 1935 when improved roads and truck transport made it economically redundant. A substantial section of the old track has been cleared and now provides a fine scenic walking trail running parallel to Mons Road.[10] The magnificent old Krauss steam locomotive which previously hauled the carriages along this track is currently undergoing restoration and is planned for public display in the centre of Buderim, when sufficient funds are raised.[11]

Buderim has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

• 5 Ballinger Crescent: Pioneer Cottage[12]
• 12 Dixon Road: Canambie Homestead[13]
• 10 Orme Road: Buderim House[14]
• Telco Road: Palmwoods-Buderim Tramway[15]

Buderim is not strictly defined, but as at the 2011 census[16] the Australian Bureau of Statistics classifies Buderim based on the boundaries of the following suburbs:

• Buderim
• Kunda Park
• Mons
• Mountain Creek
• Sippy Downs
• Tanawha

Historically, until the 2001 census, a section of Buderim within about 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) of Sunshine Motorway, as well as Mountain Creek, were considered parts of the neighbouring Maroochydore urban centre.

Buderim's suburbs are served by Sunbus Sunshine Coast, who operate a transfer station at Buderim Market Place, and a bus station at University of the Sunshine Coast. Various bus routes connect Buderim to Maroochydore, Caloundra, Nambour and other centres.[17]

Census populations for the Buderim urban centre have been recorded since 1933. Due to a substantial redefinition of Buderim before the 2001 census, the first column records the UC/L population to 1996 and its component parts thereafter; the second records the SLA based on time series data.

According to the 2016 census, Buderim had a population of 29,355, largely made of people of European descent. Buderim has the largest communities of Australians with English (13,685; 32.9%), Irish (4,059; 9.8%), Scottish (3,885; 9.3%), German (1,955; 4.7%), Dutch (586; 2.0%), and Welsh ancestry (313; 1.1%) out of any suburb in Queensland.[18][19]

The University of the Sunshine Coast is located near Buderim at Sippy Downs.

The area is exceptionally well-served for both state and private schools, including:

• Buderim Mountain State School caters for Prep to Year 6.[20] The school opened on 5 July 1875.[21]
• Chancellor State College (secondary 2004; primary 1997)
• Mountain Creek State School (1994)
• Mountain Creek State High School (1995)
• Immanuel Lutheran College (1982)
• Matthew Flinders Anglican College (1989)
• Montessori International College (1982)
• Siena Catholic Primary School (2001)
• Siena Catholic College (1997)
• Sunshine Coast Grammar School (1997)
• Chevallum State School (1921)

A primary school operated in nearby Mons from 7 February 1916 to 31 December 1974.[21]

The Sunshine Coast Regional Council operates a mobile library service which visits Lindsay Road opposite the Post Office and North Buderim Boulevard.[22]

The Buderim branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association meets at the QCWA Rooms at 3 Main Street.[23]

• Bindi Irwin, actress, television presenter and conservationist
• Robert Irwin, conservationist
• Peggy Kelman, OBE Australian pioneer aviator
• Mitch Larkin, Australian Swimmer
• Russell Skerman, Supreme Court Judge
• Edna Walling, landscape designer
• Jessica Watson, OAM, Australian sailor

• List of tramways in Queensland

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Buderim, Queensland.

• University of Queensland: Queensland Places: Buderim
• Buderim Web Site