Your guide to Council services over the holidays

From roadside waste and recycling to development information, protecting beaches and libraries, Sunshine Coast Council offers a wide range of services and some will see changes to their operating hours during the upcoming festive season.

Council’s after-hours emergency call centre, which is available for those seeking help, will operate 24-hours a day via the customer service phone number 5475 7272.

The customer service email and SMS services will close from 2pm on Friday December 23 and re-open at 8.15am on Wednesday December 28, 2022. After hours emails will be monitored for urgent matters.

Non-urgent matters can be logged any time via Council’s online portal MyCouncil. The portal allows you to do business with council online at your convenience.

Council service counters and reception desks at Sunshine Coast City Hall in Maroochydore will be closed from 2pm on Friday, December 23, and will re-open at 8.15am on Wednesday, December 28.

Council Service counters and reception desks at Nambour and Caloundra will close at 2pm on Friday, December 23 and will re-open at 8.30am on Tuesday, January 3.

The Development Information counter at Sunshine Coast City Hall will close from 2pm on Friday, December 23, and will reopen on at 8.30am Tuesday, January 3, 2023.

Roadside waste and recycling collections will continue as per the normal schedule, even on public holidays.

Council’s resource recovery facilities will close on Christmas Day, but will trade as normal on all other days, with reduced hours for all public holidays. Check council’s website for operating hours for all of council’s waste and recovery centres.

Sunshine Coast Libraries will be closed on public holidays and will be available all other days throughout the holiday season so residents can continue to enjoy thousands of books, magazines, music and movies suitable for all ages.

Council’s e-library has thousands of online resources to choose from 365 days a year. The Sunshine Coast Mobile Library service will close from Monday December 19 and will resume on Tuesday January 3.

Professional lifeguards patrol major beach locations Monday to Friday and a number of other beaches on weekends, throughout the year. To check local patrol times head to www.beachsafe.org.au and search for your favourite beach.

These services are also supported by an extensive network of volunteer surf lifesavers who patrol on weekends and public holidays during the surf lifesaving season, which runs from the September school holidays to the first weekend in May, with extended hours throughout the busy Christmas period.  

Council Aquatic Centres will close on Christmas Day with a reduced service across the network on Boxing Day. Residents are encouraged to check their local pool’s web page or social media page for opening hours across the festive season.

Another great place to visit is the state heritage listed property, Bankfoot House, at 1998 Old Gympie Road, Glass House Mountains. It offers extraordinary family history dating back to 1868, with guided tours available.

The house and heritage precinct will be closed from Saturday, December 24, and will re-open on Wednesday January 4. Outside of these dates, Bankfoot House will be open every Wednesday to Sunday 10am-3pm, and closed on public holidays.

Landsborough Museum will also be closed from Saturday December 24 and will re-open on Wednesday January 4.

The Caloundra Regional Gallery will remain open 10am-4pm Tuesday to Friday, 10am-2pm on weekends, with the exception of Christmas Day, Tuesday December 27 and New Year’s Day when it will be closed.

The natural jewel of the Sunshine Coast Hinterland, the Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve is open daily between 7am-6pm. The Rainforest Discovery Centre will close Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day, otherwise it will be open daily between 9.30am-3.30pm.

Maroochy Regional Bushland Botanic Garden at Tanawha is also a great day out. It will be open daily from 7am-6pm.

The Sippy Creek Animal Pound will operate as normal, opening 8.15am-6pm Monday to Friday and 9am-noon on Saturdays. However it will close at 2pm on Friday December 23 and will reopen on Saturday December 24 from 9am-midday.

It will also be closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and Tuesday December 27 and will re-open on Wednesday December 28 at 8.15am. The pound will be closed on New Year’s Day. 

Venue 114 and community spaces will close from 2pm Friday December 23 and will re-open Tuesday January 3.

Council’s high demand Holiday Park network will continue to operate right throughout the festive season.  Check out Sunshine Coast Holiday Parks website for further info or any last minute booking opportunities.

A friendly reminder that parking regulations in our region remain in place during the festive season, so please check the comprehensive guide to parking your car legally on the Sunshine Coast on council’s website.  

Council’s Disaster Management specialists will monitor and activate if required. You can keep up to date with helpful information during a disaster at council’s Disaster Hub.