Decking in Caloundra
The southern gateway
Caloundra is a coastal town 90 kilometres north of the Brisbane CBD, with 96,305 people in the 2021 census. It marks the northern extent of the Moreton Bay Marine Park, and Bribie Island lies across the Pumicestone Passage to the south. The Landsborough railway station is 21 kilometres away. Its CBD is on Bulcock Street, and the town is not strictly bounded.
The beech tree place
The name comes from the Gubbi Gubbi word Cullowundoor, where kal owen means beech tree, Gmelina leichhardtii, and dha means place. The headland was once Petrie Point and then Point Wickham, after John Clements Wickham, who surveyed northern Moreton Bay in 1846. Robert Bulcock bought 277 acres in 1875, and the first town lots went to auction in 1883.
Bulcock Beach and boom years
Bulcock's son subdivided 404 lots in 1917, known as Bulcock Beach. Hotels and guest houses opened for tourists, and in World War II radar stations and machine-gun pits stood on the beaches. From the early 1950s the town boomed, and by 1968 it dominated the Shire of Landsborough so completely that council chambers moved here. Older cottages in the beachside streets may have older decks.
Heritage by the sea
Heritage-listed places include the Caloundra Lighthouses at Arthur Street and Canberra Terrace, the Kings Beach Bathing Pavilion on Ormonde Terrace and the Tripcony Hibiscus Caravan Park on Bowman Road. If your house is near heritage or character-listed streets, ask the council whether extra rules apply, and ask each builder who is responsible for finding that out.
Salt, wind and timber
A deck on the headland or facing the passage takes wind, sun and salt. National guidance says hardwood needs oiling to hold its colour and that pine needs a coating from day one. Ask each business which board suits an exposed site, what finish is included and how often you will need to recoat. Compare the answers over ten years, not just on day one.
Quote lines
A good quote names the board, the posts, footing depth, fixings, stair details and finish. Ask each business how the deck connects to the house, and what flashing is used where it meets the wall. Water that gets behind the connection is the usual enemy. Put each answer in the contract and keep a copy.
Licensed and approved
Queensland requires a licence for building work above $3,300, and the QBCC lists licence holders publicly. Sunshine Coast Council lists decks over 10 square metres, 5 metres on a side or 1.0 metre above the surface below among those needing a permit. Ask who lodges the application, and whether its fee is inside the price.
Beech tree place
Wikipedia traces the name Caloundra to the Gubbi Gubbi word Cullowundoor, where Kal Owen means beech tree and dha means place. Caloundra Head was once called Petrie Point and Wickham Point. The area lies in the Gubbi Gubbi, also written Kabi Kabi, language region.
What does Caloundra mean?
Wikipedia says it comes from the Gubbi Gubbi word for the beech tree place.
Which heritage sites are in Caloundra?
Among them the Caloundra Lighthouses, the Kings Beach Bathing Pavilion and the Tripcony Hibiscus Caravan Park.
How far is Caloundra from Brisbane?
About 90 kilometres north of the CBD.
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Nearby
Mooloolaba
Maroochydore