Once-bustling streets in Mountain Creek now feel like something out of a movie.
Empty driveways.
Boarded-up windows.
Abandoned homes — including some once-luxurious waterfront residences.
And not a person in sight.
Paraka Court, Ewinga Court, Imara Court and parts of Cootamundra Drive have become eerily quiet as dozens of properties make way for one of the Sunshine Coast’s biggest transport projects.
The reason?
A major upgrade to the Mooloolah River Interchange, along with the future Wave Stage 3 metro corridor.
More than 50 properties in the area are required for the infrastructure, including a new bridge and transport corridor connecting Kawana Way with the Sunshine Motorway, as well as areas for construction equipment, materials and project facilities.
According to the Department of Transport and Main Roads, 49 of those properties are now owned by TMR, with the resumption process underway for the remaining three.
Yet, for now, there are no workers or machinery in sight.
Instead, security cameras and warning signs stand guard over streets that were once home to families and everyday life.
Police have reportedly been called to the area several times in recent months following reports of trespassing and anti-social behaviour, prompting increased surveillance.
And the images have left many people shocked.
“Sad to see an end of an era,” one person commented.
Another wrote: “Imagine the poor people that have to leave their homes.”
But others pointed to the bigger picture — acknowledging that while the change is difficult to see, major infrastructure is needed as the Sunshine Coast continues to grow.
The Mooloolah River Interchange Upgrade and Wave Stage 3 are expected to significantly improve traffic flow and public transport across the Coast.
Wave Stage 3 is planned to form part of a future metro connection between Birtinya and Sunshine Coast Airport, with stations including Mountain Creek and Maroochydore.
It’s a remarkable — and somewhat unsettling — glimpse of what happens when a neighbourhood disappears to make way for the infrastructure of the future.
What do you think — necessary progress, or a sad loss of a Sunshine Coast neighbourhood?
