resort town, southeastern Queensland, Australia. It lies at the mouth of the Maroochy River and at the foot of Buderim Mountain; the southern part of Maroochydore merges with the township of Mooloolaba. The Maroochy River was sighted by Andrew Petrie in 1862, and Petrie took the name for the river and the district from an Aboriginal word meaning “water where the black swan lives.” The town of Maroochydore, founded in 1900 as a port serving inland districts and for timber exports from the nearby Blackall Ranges, took its name from the district. It is now mainly a holiday resort, offering surfing, swimming, boating, and fishing to visitors from the state capital, Brisbane, 75 miles (120 km) to the south. Some sugarcane is grown in the area. Nearby Mooloolah National Park is a major lowland coastal reserve. Pop. (2006) 13,707.