Hot Water in Bli Bli: Local Conditions That Change the Job
Bli Bli sits where the Maroochy River flows from the Marcoola direction through to the south-east, with the Bruce Highway bordering the suburb to the south-west and a mix of river-flat farmland and higher residential land in between. Sugar cane farming began here in the mid-1860s, and the Sunshine Castle, opened as a fairytale-themed attraction in the early 1970s and renamed in 2006, remains the suburb's best-known landmark. Growth has accelerated sharply in recent years, with the population rising from 6,283 in 2011 to 10,138 by the 2021 census.
That growth means Bli Bli genuinely contains two different hot water environments: newer estate housing with modern connections, and older rural-residential blocks on the river flats where rainwater tanks and bores commonly supplement town water supply. Access to the suburb was limited by the river until the David Low Way bridge was built in 1959, and the general Maroochy River flood record, major events in 1893, 1951, 1974, 1992, 2011 and 2022, applies to this stretch of the river.
Gas is unchanged from the rest of the coast: no reticulated natural gas, so gas hot water systems run on LPG bottles. RCM Hot Water checks the actual water source on every Bli Bli job, since the correct anode and service interval depend heavily on whether a property is on town water, tank or bore.
