A time capsule buried in 2000 contained a colourful snapshot of Sunshine Coast life at the turn of the century and big dreams for our future. But did they come true?
The capsule was buried near the then new Landmark Resort on Mooloolaba Esplanade by Maroochy Shire Mayor Don Culley and prominent developer Graeme Juniper, with instructions to open it at the beginning of 2025.
It contained heartfelt letters from Mayor Culley and Mr Juniper, copies of the Sunshine Coast Daily (Friday, December 31, 1999, and Saturday, January 1, 2000), headlined “Party time’’ and “Age of Imagination’’, a Celebrate 2000 stamp collection and 1999 commemorative coin set dedicated to the International Year of Older Persons.
The capsule also held a bottle of Tyrell’s Toast to the Coast 2000 Fine Old Tawny Port, a number of important photos of our region, tourism brochures and clippings from The Sunday Mail business section, promoting the Sunshine Coast as “the place to invest’’ in the new century.
When property was a steal
The Coast’s daily print newspaper may not have survived, but the preserved copies showed just how vibrant our community was in 2000 – and the real estate bargains on offer.
Stories, advertisements and classifieds captured a time when you could get a T-bone meal for $3.95 at a bowls club, a four-bedroom beachfront home cost $219,000, and Friday night was video night if there were any copies of Notting Hill left on the shelf. You could rent a two-bedroom unit at Alexandra Headland for $115 and find a partner – hopefully someone “responsible with no hang-ups’’ with VTPR (View To Permanent Relationship) – through the paper’s Checkout Connections section.
Scroll down for more highlights of life in 2000.
Mr Culley’s letter firstly contained hopes we “survived the Millennium Bug’’, the potential Y2K computer issue anticipated as the year ticked over from 1999 to 2000.
He wrote that the odds of him being present at the capsule opening were “fairly remote’’, so what he would like to see was him there. This was impressively achieved, with the now 95-year-old Mr Culley present, alongside Mr Juniper, aged 78, the current president of the Mooloolaba Chamber of Commerce.
Plea to keep our natural charm
Mr Culley’s key wishes for his beloved region in 2025 were environment-related, as this was our “single greatest resource”.
He sought “continuing acquisition of fragile areas of land requiring conservation and rehabilitation for fauna and flora, from the Coast to the hinterland, as well as connections with our adjoining Shires and City (Caloundra)”.
Sunshine Coast Council, which now incorporates Maroochy Shire and Caloundra City, has made a major commitment in this space. Through the Environment Levy program, it has secured 4,235 hectares for conservation since the two pre-amalgamation councils began programs in the 1990s.
Mr Culley’s final wishes were a “healthy ocean”, “plentiful mullet and bream” and “everyone enjoying themselves in a very beautiful and special area known as the Sunshine Coast which we have tried to sensitively develop and protect”. He was delighted to see Council initiatives such as the Coastal Health Report and Healthy Coast Management Plan championing his vision.
The rise of a tourism favourite
Mr Juniper wrote about the reasons behind the time capsule, chiefly the need to preserve the history of “a vital period”.
He documented the rise of Mooloolaba, with the arrival of The Wharf and its associated marina and Underwater World in 1984, and its important projects, including Landmark, Zanzibar, Malibu, Sirocco and Sea Temple (a working title later renamed Oceans Mooloolaba).
“It will be interesting to see whether these buildings stand the test of time and remain as architectural icons, which was the intent of our company and architect Peter Conley, to create quality on The Esplanade that we could all look back and be proud of,” Mr Juniper wrote in 2000.
He also confidently and successfully predicted Mooloolaba would have “found its place as one of the premier tourist destinations north of Brisbane”.
Time capsule reveals its secrets
Mr Culley, Mr Juniper, and Sunshine Coast Mayor Rosanna Natoli gathered with Council and business representatives for the unearthing of the time capsule on January 2, 2025.
Mayor Natoli said it was a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the past 25 years and to look at how much the region had flourished.
“Mr Juniper’s vision for Mooloolaba as a tourist haven definitely came true, and Mr Culley’s advice regarding preserving the environment – our number one resource – could not have been wiser.
“It is amazing to see what’s changed since 2000 and vital that we learn from the past 25 years as we shape the next 25.”
Millenium memories – snapshot of Coast life as 2000 dawned
100,000 gathered to herald a new century.
A ‘mini-tornado’ tore off roofs and brought down 60 powerlines at Nambour, Palmwoods, Chevallum and Dulong.
Caloundra Bowls Club had a $3.95 T-Bone as its Bistro Daily Special, while Maroochy Surf Club had a $8.95 Monday Steak Night and Alfies at Caloundra offered a three-course menu for $25.
A Brisbane investor bought five Mooloolaba penthouses for a total of $2.5 million.
A beachside four-bedroom home on Oceanic Drive, Warana, cost $219,000.
Land from $52,000 was available “beside a University’’ at Chancellor Park.
Rent was quite different: a Buderim three-bedroom unit with air con and ocean views was $190 a week; a Palmwoods three-bedroom house on acreage was available for $195 a week and a two-bedroom unit at Alexandra Headland set you back $115 a week.
A concrete pool (8m x 4m) with bonus pool fence cost $11,950.
Used cars were a steal. A Datsun 200B (1980 model) with new brakes and excellent motor/gear box and good tyres was $500 (ONO).
The Commodore was Australia’s best-selling car for the fourth year in a row (1996-1999).
Alex Lloyd, Screaming Jets and Killing Heidi played at Nambour RSL, while Jimmy Barnes rocked the Ettamogah Pub.
Top videos (that’s right, there were videos) to rent were Notting Hill, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Matrix and Two Hands.
The “top flicks’’ were The Blair Witch Project, Toy Story 2, End of Days, Sleepy Hollow and Inspector Gadget.
CDs cost from $5 and popular artists were Vanessa Amorosi (Absolutely Everybody), Macy Gray (I Try), Tom Jones and the Cardigans (Burning Down the House) and Madison Avenue (Don’t Call Me Baby).
Dick Smith Electronics was selling a home phone (remember landlines?) with call waiting for $49.
Australia was dominating India in the cricket Test series, claiming a 2-0 series lead.
Matchmaking could be done through the paper’s Checkout Connections ie: Sunshine Coast guy, 53, tall, medium build, NS (Non-Smoker), SD (Social Drinker), hardworking, responsible and caring with no hang-ups, would like to meet a special lady and form a lasting relationship. And Cuddly mum, 37, NS, SD, enjoys speedway and cooking, seeks caring man for friendship VTPR (View To Permanent Relationship) 34-45, must be genuine.
