The suburb is bounded by Mudjimba Beach on the Coral Sea to the east, the David Low Way to the north and north-west, and Ocean Drive to the south.[4]
There are two main residential areas in the suburb, one in the north-east beside the beach and the one along Najoor Road in the west of the suburb. The southern part of the suburb is a protected area within the Maroochy River Conservation Park. There are various small areas of marshland throughout the suburb.[4]
Mudjimba Island sits about 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) off the coast. (26°36′53″S153°06′53″E / 26.6147°S 153.1147°E / -26.6147; 153.1147 (Mudjimba Island)).[5] The island forms part of the suburb and is protected as part of the Maroochy River Conservation Park. The island is known as Old Woman Island, and is associated with an Aboriginal legend of two women who stranded on the island who gathered the Midyam berries as food.[5]
History
The name Mudjimba is derived from the Kabi language word midyim/mudjim for a local plant, the Midyam (Austromyrtus tenuifolia) bush, which has sweet white berries with green spots. The Kabi legend is that two women were stranded on Mudjimba island and gathered the berries as food.[2][6]
The Mudjimba Residents Association was established on 13 October 1960.[7]
The initial development of the area as a beachside suburb was under the name Surfrider Estate.[7]
Mudjimba Rural Fire Brigade was established in February 1985 with Harry Stuart the first fire warden.[7]
Mudjimba Surf Life Saving Club was founded in 1996.[7]
HMAS Brisbane, 1995
In January 2003, the Queensland Government decided to sink the decommissioned HMAS Brisbane off the Sunshine Coast to become an artificial reef and dive site. On 31 July 2005 the ship was scuttled in approximately 2.8 nautical miles (5.2 km; 3.2 mi) off the coast of Mudjimba in 27 metres (89 ft) of water.[8] The ship was filled with 200 to 250 tonnes (200 to 250 long tons; 220 to 280 short tons) of concrete, and 38 small charges were detonated to breach the hull.[9] The ship sank in two minutes and ten seconds, coming to rest with the keel embedded a metre into the seabed and facing the ocean currents, and the uppermost part of the ship 3 metres (9.8 ft) below sea level.[8][9][10] A 2009 study of the value of protected areas estimated that the wreck had contributed A$18 million to the Sunshine Coast economy.[11] In July 2010, the Queensland Government was forced to step up patrols of the wreck site because people were illegally using the dive exclusion zone as a fishing site.[12] As part of celebrations for the tenth anniversary of the ship's scuttling, 92.7 MIX FM conducted the world's first live underwater radio broadcast from the wreck on 31 July 2015.[13]
Only a small fraction of residents, approximately 0.2%, rely on public transport for their daily commute to work or school, while households typically have an average of 2 vehicles each.[14]
Although a buffer of coastal bushland has been maintained along the foreshore, Mudjimba Beach (26°36′54″S153°06′07″E / 26.6150°S 153.1019°E / -26.6150; 153.1019 (Mudjimba Beach)) can be accessed from Mudjimba Esplanade via a series of paths through the bushland.[25][4] It is known as a good beach break for surfing.[26] Mudjimba Island is also known as a surfing area but only for expert surfers; a boat is recommended to access the island.[27]
^ ab"Nature, culture and history". Ex-HMAS Brisbane Regional Park. Queensland Government. Department of National Parks, Sport and Racing. 10 February 2014. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
