Tanawha, Queensland

Geography

Tanawha is in the Sunshine Coast hinterland and is part of the Buderim urban centre. It is home of the Tanawha Tourist Drive.

The Bruce Highway passes through from south-east to north-west, and the Sunshine Motorway runs to the east. The eastern boundary includes a short length of the Bruce Highway and a short length of the Sunshine Motorway.

History

The locality is believed to be named using a Maori language word referring to a legendary New Zealand monster Taniwha.

Tanawha Tourist Drive was the former Bruce Highway until 16 November 1989 when the Tanawha Deviation opened to traffic.

Frank Cunning (son of William Cunning junior, a pioneer of the Tanawha district) was a local timber cutter. He operated sawmills at Kiel Mountain (1960), Forest Glen (1968) and Nambour (1973). He cut timber for railway sleepers. He also had a 100 ha cattle property along Sippy Creek.

Bellingham Maze opened in 1993 and has added more attractions over time.

The Maroochy Regional Bushland Botanic Garden was opened on 1 December 2001.

Calvary Christian Church was built from brick in 2009.

Demographics

• In the , Tanawha had a population of 1,327 people.
• In the , Tanawha had a population of 1,312 people.

Education

There are no schools in Tanawha. The nearest government primary schools are:

• Chancellor State College in neighbouring Sippy Downs to the east
• Buderim Mountain State School in neighbouring Buderim to the north-east
• Chevallum State School in neighbouring Chevallum to the west
• Eudlo State School in Eudlo to the south-west
• Glenview State School in neighbouring Glenview to the south The nearest government secondary school is Chancellor State College in neighbouring Sippy Downs.

Amenities

Calvary Christian Church is at 212 Crosby Hill Road (). It is affiliated with the Australian Christian Churches.

Attractions

Amaze World (formerly known as the Bellingham Maze) provides a hedge maze, puzzle-oriented games, and mini-golf at 274 Tawawha Tourist Drive ().

The Maroochy Regional Bushland Botanic Garden is located in Tanawha, showcasing plants that are native to the Sunshine Coast. It is on Palm Creek Road ().

| Bellingham Maze, 2015 03.jpg | Bellingham Maze, 2015 | Spiders web art, Maroochy Bushland Botanical Gardens, 2018.jpg | Spiders web art, Maroochy Bushland Botanical Gardens

References

References

1. Tent, Jane. (March 2020). "Oh what a difference a vowel makes!". Placenames Australia.
2. {{cite QPN. 49239. Tanawha. locality in Sunshine Coast Region
3. "Tanawha, Queensland".
4. Whittington, Dorothy. (2020-12-25). "Flashback: The roads that paved the way for Coast's future".
5. (23 June 2015). "Coast history: Timber godsend for pioneers". [[Sunshine Coast Daily]].
6. (2019-01-09). "Backward Glance – Timber getters and sawmills".
7. (2021-09-21). "Bellingham Maze and Mini Golf Review".
8. "Maroochy Regional Bushland Botanic Garden".
9. Blake, Thom. "Calvary Christian Church".
10. {{Census 2016 AUS
11. {{Census 2021 AUS
12. {{Queensland Globe
13. (2022-09-14). "Sunshine Coast".
14. "Amaze World".
15. "Bellingham Maze".
16. (2019-07-29). "Visitor information".