Decking in Alexandra Headland
From Potts Point to a queen's headland
The rocky headland between the Maroochy and Mooloolah estuaries was Potts Point, named after John Potts, an overseer employed by William Pettigrew, who lived there from 1880 to 1890 while bullocks hauled timber between Cotton Tree and the Mooloolah River. In 1901 it was renamed Alexandra Headland in honour of Queen Alexandra, wife of King Edward VII. It has 4,235 residents.
Pettigrew's paddock
The land was part of William Pettigrew's 330-acre property, bought in 1864 at the first land sale in the Maroochy District. Pettigrew built a house called Coolaluthin and an overseer's house called Wongotha. Thomas O'Connor bought all of Pettigrew's land in 1903, and in August 1915 the land was subdivided and sold as lots along the ocean front and Buderim Road.
Seaside cottages
Local residents from Woombye and Palmwoods built seaside cottages on the headland in the 1920s. Wikipedia does not describe their condition today, but a suburb that started as a holiday settlement may have older houses with older decks. If you want to extend or replace an old deck, ask a builder to examine the existing posts and bearers before pricing a repair.
The temperance resort
In 1916, Thomas O'Connor proposed the Alexandra Residential Hotel, a temperance hostel built between 1923 and 1928 and opened on 31 December 1928, the first fully integrated resort complex on the Maroochy coast. It failed, was sold to the Presbyterian Church in 1945 and became the Alexandra Park Conference Centre after the Uniting Church redeveloped it in 2004 and 2005.
Between Maroochydore and Mooloolaba
Alexandra Headland has no schools, and the nearest government primary is Mooloolaba State School, with Maroochydore State High School and Mountain Creek State High School for older students. The surf club on Alexandra Parade patrols the beach and has a restaurant and bar. Parks include Alex Bluff Foreshore Park, Cooloolathin Park and Marina Walk.
An older population
At the 2016 census the median age was 45, seven years above the national median, and 32.8 per cent gave no religion. For a deck, that suggests accessibility could matter to many households: wide stairs, handrails, non-slip boards and level thresholds. Ask each builder what slip rating the boards have and whether the stair meets current rules.
The cost of stairs and rails
Sunshine Coast Council says a stair with three or more risers, or a balustrade protecting a fall of one metre or more, can need a permit. A national guide adds that once a balustrade is needed it is priced per lineal metre and can rival the board cost, with glass costing most. Ask for each as its own line.
Potts Point
The rocky headland between the Maroochy and Mooloolah River estuaries was once Potts Point, named for John Potts, overseer to William Pettigrew, who lived on the land from 1880 to 1890. It formed part of Pettigrew's 330 acre property, fenced as a paddock for the bullocks that hauled logs from Cotton Tree to the timber depot at Mooloolaba.
Why is it called Alexandra Headland?
It was renamed in 1901 after Queen Alexandra, wife of King Edward VII.
What was it called before?
Potts Point, after the overseer John Potts.
Where is the surf club?
At 167 Alexandra Parade.
Request a quote
Nearby
Maroochydore
Mooloolaba