Caloundra, by the numbers that matter
Mostly units and townhouses
Separate houses were only 23.6% of occupied homes in the suburb at the 2021 Census. Two-bedroom homes were the most common, at 39.7%.
A renters' town
42.6% of homes were rented. Queensland's Residential Tenancies Authority lists air conditioners as fixtures, so a tenant needs the owner's written okay, and the owner has 28 days to answer in writing.
Empty on Census night
26.6% of private dwellings had nobody home on Census night. A unit that's shut up between visits still needs clean filters and a look at the outdoor unit.
Mild by the water
Bureau of Meteorology figures for the Caloundra station give January a mean top of 27.6 degrees and July a mean low of 10.8. It's cooling first, with some heating on winter nights.
Salt on the doorstep
Bulcock Beach and the Deep Water Point headland face the Coral Sea with Bribie Island about 200 m away. Sunshine Coast Council has put Bulcock Beach and Golden Beach first in line for coastal hazard investigations.
New streets further south
Aura, in Caloundra South, is planned for approximately 20,000 dwellings. On a home that's still being built, agree the pipe runs and the circuit with the builder early.
Getting a split into a Caloundra unit
Read the by-laws
Ask the body corporate manager what the by-laws say about outdoor units: where they can go, and how pipes can run on the outside of the building.
Get approval in writing
Owners go to the body corporate. Renters put the request to the property manager on the RTA's Form 23, and the owner passes it on if the body corporate also has to agree.
Choose the outdoor spot
On a balcony the outdoor unit needs fresh air and room to be serviced. The ACT Government's guide warns against enclosed courtyards and against boxing a unit in.
Then get the quote
A single-head split under 18 kW can be fitted by a technician with the restricted RSS03 licence. The business still needs its QBCC licence. Our page on split systems on the Sunshine Coast covers sizing.
When the unit sits empty
If yours sits empty for weeks at a time, plan its care around your visits. Clean the filters as your manual says when you arrive, look for rust on the outdoor unit, and book the yearly service Mitsubishi Electric recommends.
Sunshine Coast Council says storms usually run from November to March, so spring is the time for that visit.
What we'd do
Where we'd start in Caloundra
Sort the approvals before the quotes, because a body corporate or owner can say no to a spot an installer has already planned around. Then we'd choose the most sheltered part of the balcony that still breathes, and a model whose warranty we'd read for sea air. Send us the job and your 4551 postcode. Where we have licence-checked installers around Caloundra who fit splits in unit blocks, they'll see it, and the one who takes it is the only one who gets your details. After 48 hours with no taker around Caloundra, installers in other parts of Queensland may see it too.
