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Thriving local economy

Maroochy Shire is the holiday destination for people who are attracted to this region’s beautiful landscape, climate and lifestyle. As one of Australia’s premier tourist destinations with year round sunshine, Maroochy offers a host of first class recreational activities, restaurants, shopping centres and numerous tourist attractions.

Visitors to the Sunshine Coast number more than 1.3 million per annum, contributing more than $650 million to the local economy. The number of visitors in the Maroochy Shire alone is over 800,000 each year.

With South East Queensland emerging as one of the most rapidly growing regions in Australia, the Australian Bureau of Statistics predict that population in the region will swell from 2.46 million currently to 3.4 million by 2021. The Sunshine Coast specifically is predicted to grow from 245,000 to 435,000 people with Maroochy Shire absorbing 60 per cent of this growth – over 230,000 residents by the year 2021.

As one of the Shires in the outer Brisbane area, Maroochy will be under continued pressure, not only from population growth but also from economic growth, from businesses attempting to serve the increasing local population and from those trading with the State capital.

As the largest contributor to the Sunshine Coast economy in tourism, education, manufacturing, agriculture, building, and retail turnover, Maroochy Shire is also the economic powerhouse of the region. With a modern and dynamic University and a wide range of other public and private educational institutions, Maroochy offers visitors, potential residents and investors excellent opportunities, and really is a great place to work, live and play.

Maroochy Shire Council provides the full range of Local Government services including urban planning, building and development approval, community and recreational facilities, environmental protection, garbage collection and recycling services, and roads and parks development and maintenance.

A number of business units have been established to manage the provision of major services to the Shire in line with National Competition Policy reforms. These include Maroochy Water Services, the Sunshine Coast Airport, Image Flat Quarries and Maroochy Beach Caravan Parks.

Maroochy’s beaches are the safest on the Sunshine Coast with lifeguards on patrol all year round at 15 locations.

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