We used to holiday at Alexandra Headland and Mooloolaba in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Visiting the area again in 2013 it is very different from the quiet seaside location of the past.
The beach is still the focal point but it is now bordered with large buildings overlooking the water.
The beach is not just sand but has a number of rocky areas and pools waiting to be explored at low tide.
Childhood memories include people camped above the foreshore. Today a caravan park is located between part of the Esplanade and the beach.
We used to have swimming lessons in the river. The area is now the home to marinas and boats.
Along the river and system of canals there are some small coves but they are not suitable for swimming.
Along the river towards the spit shipping boats are moored watched over by hopeful pelicans.
A reminder of the dangers of the sea can be found on the spit - a memorial to fishermen who lost their lives at sea.
The breakwater provides a view of modern Mooloolaba.
The changing weather conditions show the different character of the beach. The sea can be relatively calm one day or quite rough when it is windy.
The Mooloolaba Surf Club is an impressive building and a community focal point on the foreshore.
Revisiting Mooloolaba after a long absence was an interesting experience. I rather miss the atmosphere of the old Mooloolaba, however times change and so do we. As a child a holiday on the beach was swimming three times a day. The beach is still there and obviously still popular and enjoyed by a new generation. Only the surroundings have changed.
It was interesting to go back and visit Mooloolaba again although there were no shops where we could buy a Paul's Have a Heart - a special ice cream treat that we were sometimes allowed to enjoy after a swim at Mooloolabs more than fifty years ago.
Website providing information on history of Moloolaba:
Mooloolaba - Queensland Places (includes postcards and postcard folders with images of Mooloolaba including one of camping sites along the foreshore around 1970.)
Also
A time-line for
Pauls ice cream and other products
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