Mooloolah,  

together  

with  

the  

hinterland  

known  

as  

the

Mooloolah   

Valley,   

is   

on   

the   

Mooloolah   

River,   

80   

km

north  

of  

central  

Brisbane  

and  

20  

km  

inland  

from  

the

coastal  

town  

of  

Caloundra.  

It  

is  

thought  

that  

the  

name

was  

derived  

from  

an  

Aboriginal  

word  

referring  

to  

the

dark  

coloured  

fish  

which  

were  

plentiful  

at  

the  

mouth  

of

the  

Mooloolah  

River.  

It  

is  

situated  

in  

the  

area  

taken  

up

for  

the  

Mooloolah  

plains  

grazing  

run  

and  

the  

Maradan

grazing  

run  

in  

the  

1860's,  

and  

for  

timber  

cutting  

in  

the

nearby  

hills.  

In  

1868  

a  

Cobb  

&  

Co  

coach  

service  

from

Brisbane  

to  

Gympie  

followed  

a  

track  

that  

had  

a  

stopping

place at Mooloolah.

Mooloolah  

was  

connected  

by  

the  

North  

Coast  

railway

line  

to  

Brisbane  

in  

1891,  

and  

the  

route  

coincided  

with

the   

coach   

crossing   

at   

Mooloolah.   

The   

line   

was   

laid

through  

hills  

south  

of  

Mooloolah,  

and  

there  

is  

a  

100  

mtr

railway   

tunnel   

which   

is   

listed   

on   

the   

Queensland

Heritage register.

Pugh's  

Queensland  

Directory  

(1904)  

recorded  

only  

a

blacksmith  

and  

a  

carpenter  

at  

Mooloolah,  

along  

with

dairy  

workers  

and  

fruit  

growers.  

By  

1925  

there  

were  

the

Mooloolah   

Hotel   

(1911),   

a   

public   

hall   

(c1905),   

two

storekeepers,  

two  

sawmills  

and  

the  

railway  

refreshment

room.

In   

the   

1980's   

the   

town's   

population   

began   

to   

grow,

doubling   

to   

nearly   

1000   

between   

1986   

and   

2000.

Mooloolah  

has  

a  

primary  

school  

(1894),  

local  

shops,  

a

Church  

of  

England,  

a  

public  

hall  

and  

an  

environmental

park.  

The  

State  

Forest  

and  

Dularcha  

National  

Park  

are

a few kilometres southward.