Peregian Beach is a slender beachside township on the Sunshine Coast, 110 km north of central Brisbane and 10 km south of Noosa Heads. It is thought that the name was an Aboriginal word meaning emus or mangrove seeds.
A short distance inland from Peregian Beach there are dunes and sandy swamp land. Originally a haven for coastal flora and wildlife, the area was little fitted for grazing or agriculture and was accessed by a few sandy tracks. In the late 1950s the State Government entered into a public / private sectors arrangement for tourist development of the Sunshine Coast, involving the building of a coastal road and generous provisions for coastal land subdivision. Alfred Grant Pty Ltd promoted the Peregian Beach development, which was taken over by T.M. Burke after the 1961 credit squeeze. (Burke had also planned and promoted Sunshine Beach and Marcus Beach, immediately to the north).
Peregian Beach is both a resort and a retirement town. The Noosa/Lake Weyba National Park is immediately inland, and there is a foreshore reserve along the town's entire length. There are a shopping centre, a hotel and a caravan park near its midpoint. The Peregian Beach Community College (2002) is just beyond Peregian Beach's border with Weyba Downs. Peregian Beach's census populations have been:
Census Date | Population |
---|---|
1981 | 1491 |
1996 | 2913 |
2006 | 3111 |
2011 | 3531 |
Peregian Springs entry