Minyama

Minyama is a small suburb tucked between Mooloolaba to the north-west and Buddina to the east. Many of the streets are fingers of land that jut out into the canals of the Mooloolah River. While most people think of Minyama as the suburb north of Nicklin Way, Minyama also encompasses many streets south of Nicklin Way, some of which also enjoy canal frontage.

People

According the 2016 Bureau of Statistics, 2,542 people call Minyama home.  Here is a quick overview of population demographics for this suburb:

7.5%      Independent Youth

17.9%    Established Couples & Families

16.3%    Elderly Couples

0.8%      Young Families

History

The area we know as modern-day Minyama was once swampy land that was developed into canal estates in the 1970s. Known as Minyama Waters, the suburb officially lost the ‘Waters’ in the late ’70s, though many more established locals will still remember calling it that. The origin of the name is a mystery, and while some believe it is an indigenous word, there is no evidence to support this. The suburb was always popular with boat owners in the 1980s and ’90s, but once the Bluewater apartments were built and Mooloolah and Minyama islands were developed, Minyama property prices took off, and it is now home to some of the region’s largest and most costly real estate.

Median property price trends

Year             Unit                   House

2007         $255,000         $  920,000

2008         $332,500         $1,085,000

2009         $300,000        $1,023,500

2010          $300,000        $  920,000

2011           $290,000        $  820,000

2012          $278,750          $  765,000

2013          $289,000         $  705,000

2014          $307,500         $  947,500

2015          $320,000         $  950,000

2016          $ 337,000         $ 830,000

2017           $ 355,000         $ 925,00

Real Estate

It’s the mansions boasting large strips of prime waterfront real estate that attract the high-end buyers to Minyama. From the 1980s on, boating enthusiasts were lured to the suburb because properties here offered a place to moor the boat and had easy access to the Mooloolaba marina and out to sea. Now, multimillion-dollar mansions hug the canals and most pontoons have boats and luxury yachts tied to them. But the suburb also offers smaller, older brick and tile homes, which attract newer buyers and renovators.

Attractions

It’s the convenience of the suburb to Mooloolaba, Buddina, Maroochydore and the highway, as well as the luxury, waterfront properties, that make Minyama an attractive place to live. There are several small parks in the suburb, including Jessica Park on the northern side of Nicklin Way, and Kensington Park in the south.

Development in the suburb is restricted to renovations and knock-downs and the occasional small-scale unit development. The commercial and retail precinct that hugs Nicklin Way and takes in Bluewater Point Resort is also part of Minyama.

Nicklin Way (and its four lanes of heavy traffic) run right through Warana – Super Amart, The Good Guys, and dozens of smaller retail and commercial complexes house hundreds of offices and retail shops on this busy stretch of road. On the south-western corner of Warna are warehouses, wholesalers and light industrial businesses. Dentists, vets, nursing homes, petrol stations, medical facilities and cafes are all there within the space of a few hundred metres. But a short walk east and the suburban streets are quiet, except for the sound of children playing and the waves breaking on Warana Beach.Minyama is a small suburb tucked bet