The first high rise building on the Sunshine Coast

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Maroochy Sands Holiday Inn

One of the Sunshine Coast’s best-known buildings turned 50 in 2021. Maroochy Sands Holiday Inn, on the corner of Aerodrome Road and Sixth Avenue in Maroochydore, was the first high-rise building opened on the Sunshine Coast and is still a landmark for locals and visitors alike.

The Maroochy Sands complex was officially opened on 3 April 1971 by Hon. John D. Herbert, MLA, Minister for Labour and Tourism. It was designed by Colin Balchin & Associates and constructed by Kinkora Court Developments Pty Ltd at a cost of approximately $1 million during 1970-71. At the time, it was the tallest building and the first high rise in the Sunshine Coast Council area. This development reflected the changing architectural trend on the Gold Coast for holiday

accommodation, which was moving away from flats, boarding houses and hotels to seaside resort-style developments, and introduced this trend to the Sunshine Coast.

The development included fifty 2 and 3 bedroom self-contained apartments, shops, covered car

parking and a terraced resort style swimming pool. The pool was open to the public and was

serviced by a small food shop serving hamburgers and drinks. The restaurant, for many years

recognised as the best Chinese restaurant on the Coast, also opened to the pool area for special

celebrations such as Chinese New Year. Mark Gacesa, well known architectural designer from

Ultraspace, redeveloped the pool area in the late 1990s and the pool was relined and the surrounds renovated again in 2021 to ensure it continues to be a well utilised asset in the building.

In 2010, a major refurbishment, designed and managed by Sprout Architects of Maroochydore,

commenced. This included the redesign of the balconies, installation of panels and screens on the façade and sides, and decorative geometrical features to bring the building in line with more current architecture. This complemented the original design of the building and provided much better amenity for owners and residents but retained the building’s original mix of commercial and residential lots.

In the last three years, two new Hitachi lift (or lifts) have been installed by Orbitz Elevators, and a

new public access and security system supplied by Hikvision Australia (Pty) Ltd and installed by

Winters Edge Networks has been installed. Both these projects demonstrate the capacity to retrofit new equipment and technologies to older buildings and are important investments in maintaining the building, keeping up with the market, and ensuring that this 1970s-vintage apartment block continues to prosper in the 2020s and beyond.

Written by Ruth Wade, Chair of the Body Corporate Committee