Caloundra's equipment works harder than the same equipment inland. Sunshine Coast Airport, the nearest Bureau station, records mean daily maximums from 21.2 °C in July to 29.1 °C in January, so the pump is running and the sanitiser being made or dosed in every month of the year. Mean minimums fall to 9.7 °C in July, and the water follows the nights, which is why an unheated pool here has a shorter season than the days suggest. 710 mm of the airport's 1,492.6 mm annual rainfall falls between December and March, much of it in storms that load the filter and the cleaner in an afternoon. And the beach suburbs sit in salt air with a 9am humidity that averages 71% across the year, which corrodes every metal fitting on the pad.
The six pages take one piece of that each. Currimundi is about bringing a water sample before buying anything, because the reading decides the purchase. Dicky Beach asks whether the equipment is worth keeping: pumps, filters and chlorinators, with an honest answer on repair versus replace. Moffat Beach is the suburb where a good robotic cleaner earns its keep, with covers and blankets alongside.
Kings Beach is written for owners, caretakers and building managers a few minutes from the beachfront who need the part on the shelf today. Shelly Beach compares solar, heat pump and gas heating on the pool rather than on a brochure, because the cheapest heater to buy is rarely the cheapest to own. Golden Beach covers handrails, lighting and pool-side hardware for getting in and out safely for years yet.
The six suburb pages
134 Bulcock Street, Caloundra · 07 5438 1588
The other stores
Same shelf, same service team, at the counter nearest you