Tewantin
Geography
The locality is bounded to the north by Lake Cooroibah and to the east by the Noosa River which flows into the lake.
Most of the locality is within protected areas with the Great Sandy National Park in the north of the locality, Tewantin National Park in the north-west, west, south-west, and south of the locality, with the Harry Springs Conservation Park in the centre of the locality. The town is in the east of the locality with Doonella Lake in the south-east.
The Cooroy-Noosa Road enters from the west (Tinbeerwah) and terminates in the town.
History
The name Tewantin is an anglicised version of the Aboriginal name for the area, dauwadhum, meaning place of dead logs, because of the sawmill there.
Tewantin was originally a timber town. In 1869, Tewantin was the river port for the Noosa area. In 1871, Clarendon Stuart surveyed a town site for the Tewantin settlement. Tewantin was a thriving small town with a reliance on the gold, fishing and timber industries.
In March 1880, Kabi bushranger Johnny Campbell was captured in a paddock near the town.
Tewantin Provisional School opened on 2 August 1875. On 25 April 1887, it became Tewantin State School.
On 1 April 1910, Dr Henry Youngman officiated at the opening of the Tewantin Methodist Church.
Tewantin R.S.S.I.L.A. was opened in 1920 by Harry Buchanan, the head of the Returned and Services League of Australia.
The Tewantin War Memorial commemorates those from the district who served in World War I. It was dedicated in January–February 1922 by Colonel David Elder Reid.
Tewantin replaced Pomona on 1 December 1985 as the location of the Noosa Shire Council until 15 March 2008 when the council was amalgamated with Maroochy Shire and the City of Caloundra to create the Sunshine Coast Region. In 2014, the Shire of Noosa was re-established having deamalgamated from the Sunshine Coast Region.
Noosa Flexible Learning Centre opened on 23 January 2006.
Demographics
In the 2016 census, the locality of Tewantin had a population of 10,920 people.
In the 2021 census, the locality of Tewantin had a population of 11,164 people.
Climate
Tewantin experiences a humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cfa, Trewartha: Cfal), with hot, muggy summers and mild winters. Precipitation is abundant, averaging 1597.2 mm annually, with a late summer maximum.
| Climate data for Tewantin (26º23'24"S, 153º02'24"E, 6 m AMSL) (1996-2024 normals, extremes 1895-2024) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 44.2 (111.6) |
39.7 (103.5) |
37.7 (99.9) |
34.4 (93.9) |
31.7 (89.1) |
28.9 (84.0) |
30.4 (86.7) |
33.9 (93.0) |
35.4 (95.7) |
40.0 (104.0) |
40.5 (104.9) |
39.7 (103.5) |
44.2 (111.6) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 28.7 (83.7) |
28.6 (83.5) |
27.7 (81.9) |
25.9 (78.6) |
23.7 (74.7) |
21.7 (71.1) |
21.3 (70.3) |
22.4 (72.3) |
24.3 (75.7) |
25.7 (78.3) |
26.8 (80.2) |
28.2 (82.8) |
25.4 (77.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 22.0 (71.6) |
22.0 (71.6) |
20.9 (69.6) |
18.1 (64.6) |
14.8 (58.6) |
12.6 (54.7) |
11.3 (52.3) |
11.7 (53.1) |
14.5 (58.1) |
17.0 (62.6) |
18.9 (66.0) |
20.8 (69.4) |
17.1 (62.7) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 12.2 (54.0) |
8.9 (48.0) |
8.4 (47.1) |
4.4 (39.9) |
1.0 (33.8) |
−2.8 (27.0) |
−2.2 (28.0) |
−1.1 (30.0) |
−0.2 (31.6) |
2.5 (36.5) |
7.1 (44.8) |
9.4 (48.9) |
−2.8 (27.0) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 151.8 (5.98) |
236.4 (9.31) |
227.8 (8.97) |
149.4 (5.88) |
158.1 (6.22) |
114.8 (4.52) |
73.0 (2.87) |
73.5 (2.89) |
58.6 (2.31) |
116.3 (4.58) |
90.7 (3.57) |
142.4 (5.61) |
1,597.2 (62.88) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 10.7 | 12.5 | 14.2 | 11.6 | 10.3 | 8.8 | 7.3 | 5.3 | 5.9 | 7.9 | 7.5 | 9.8 | 111.8 |
| Average afternoon relative humidity (%) | 67 | 67 | 66 | 64 | 62 | 61 | 57 | 56 | 59 | 63 | 65 | 66 | 63 |
| Average dew point °C (°F) | 20.1 (68.2) |
20.1 (68.2) |
18.7 (65.7) |
16.7 (62.1) |
13.8 (56.8) |
11.8 (53.2) |
10.3 (50.5) |
10.7 (51.3) |
13.5 (56.3) |
15.7 (60.3) |
17.1 (62.8) |
19.1 (66.4) |
15.6 (60.2) |
| Source: Bureau of Meteorology (1996-2024 normals, extremes 1895-2024) | |||||||||||||
Education
Tewantin State School is a government primary (Prep–6) school for boys and girls at Werin Street (26°23′24″S 153°01′57″E / 26.3901°S 153.0325°E). It includes a special education program. In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 603 students with 43 teachers (36 full-time equivalent) and 26 non-teaching staff (19 full-time equivalent).
There are no secondary schools in Tewantin. The nearest government secondary schools are Sunshine Beach State High School in Sunshine Beach to the east and Noosa District State High School which has its junior campus in Pomona to the north-west and its senior campus in Cooroy to the west.
Community groups
The Tewantin Noosa branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association meets at the CWA Hall in Pacific Avenue.
Facilities
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Its main street, Poinciana Avenue, leads to the Tewantin RSL, which holds a strong legacy towards the Australia's history in war. Poinciana Avenue has a historic pub, the Royal Mail, War Memorial, and a range of shops, restaurants and a town square.
Tewantin is the current location for the Australian Navy Cadet unit of NTS Sheean.
Events
There is an annual Anzac Day march through Tewantin. It is led by the staff and students of Tewantin State School.
