Warana is a coastal suburb 12 km north of Caloundra. It is one of four suburbs in the Kawana Waters coastal residential project begun in 1960 by Alfred Grant Pty Ltd in conjunction with Queensland Government and the Landsborough Shire Council. The name was proposed by Alfred Grant, relying on a doubtful source for Aboriginal words and their meanings: one of Justine Kenyon's editions of The Aboriginal Word Book (Lothian, Melbourne) apparently stated that Warana meant 'blue sky'. The name seems to have had considerable acceptance, as Brisbane's Warana Festival began in 1961.
Kawana Estates, associated with L.J. Hooker, took over the Kawana Project, and subdivisions began in Warana in about 1978.
Warana has a wide foreshore reserve behind its beach. Most housing lies between the foreshore and Nicklin Way. On the west (inland) side of Nicklin Way there is the Wyuna Canal, along which there are the Kawana Waters Nursing Home and The Palms residential estate. Further South in Nicklin Way is the Warana Village shopping centre which backs on to an industrial estate with technology, warehouse and small-business uses.
Warana's census populations have been:
| census date | population |
|---|---|
| 2006 | 3501 |
| 2011 | 3512 |
Kawana Waters entry
