Call for stories, photos and ephemera

Sunshine Coast real estate and tourism history

Call for stories, photos and ephemera
Information and Sales Office, Kawana Estates Development, Parkana Crescent, 1966 | Picture Sunshine Coast

Did you live or work on the Sunshine Coast in the 1960s and 1970s?

Professional historian and this year’s Sunshine Coast Council Historian-in-Residence Jane Harding is seeking community contributions for a research project exploring the adoption of the name Sunshine Coast and the real estate development occurring along the coast from Caloundra to Noosa in the 1960s.

If you or your family have stories, photos, or marketing materials connected to the region’s real estate boom  during the 1960s and 1970s, your memories could help fill important gaps in the historical record.

What we are looking for

Real estate ephemera

Ephemera and promotional material relating to the naming of the Sunshine Coast and real estate development, in particular:

  • Sunshine Beach, Sunrise Beach, Castaways Beach, Marcus Beach and Peregian Beach (T. M. Burke)
  • Suncoast / Mudjimba / Marcoola (Rex Testro and Felix Parry
  • Currimundi (Cooinda Heights), Buddina, Bundilla, Banyandah Gardens, Pt Cartwright Park, Kawana Waters developments (Alfred Grant)

This includes items such as:

  • Brochures, flyers, postcards, sales kits, maps, or advertisements
  • Photographs of sales offices, display homes, sales signage, or promotional events

Even if your items seem small, incomplete, or well worn, they may be historically significant.

Tourism ephemera

We are also seeking tourism brochures, souvenirs, postcards or promotional materials from any era.

Personal memories and oral histories

We would love to hear from you if you:

  • worked in local real estate or development
  • were involved in the naming of Sunshine Coast or the places or suburbs developed in the 1960s and 1970s
  • participated in marketing campaigns
  • bought a house in one of these new developments
  • or simply remember these developments occurring around you.

Personal accounts greatly enrich our understanding of this pivotal period.

Why your contribution matters

Local history is built not only from official archives, but from the memories, materials, and perspectives held within the community. Your items and stories may help illuminate how the Sunshine Coast grew, how its identity was shaped, and how the region was promoted to future residents and visitors.

Get in touch

If you have material to share, stories to tell, or would like to be involved email Jane Harding.