{"id":78552,"date":"2026-08-23T20:52:25","date_gmt":"2026-08-23T20:52:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/78552\/"},"modified":"2026-08-23T20:52:25","modified_gmt":"2026-08-23T20:52:25","slug":"residents-fearful-as-vandals-target-vacant-homes-pending-demolition-on-sunshine-coast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/78552\/","title":{"rendered":"Residents fearful as vandals target vacant homes pending demolition on Sunshine Coast"},"content":{"rendered":"

Residents of a waterfront Sunshine Coast suburb have expressed fears after vandals targeted vacant homes due to be bulldozed for a major infrastructure project.\u00a0<\/p>\n

More than 50 houses on the Mooloolah River in Mountain Creek will be demolished as the Queensland government races the clock to build a multi-billion-dollar public transport system<\/a> before the 2032 Olympics.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"two-storey<\/p>\n

An empty two-storey home with boards covering the windows to deter trespassers. (ABC Sunshine Coast: Dylan Morris)<\/p>\n

The state government acquired most of the homes a decade ago and recently ordered<\/a> all tenants to vacate by August 31.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Many residents have already moved out, leaving those who remain worried about their safety after a spate of trespassing and vandalism incidents.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"smashed<\/p>\n

Vandals trashed this once-luxury waterfront home, which was sitting empty while it awaits demolition. (Supplied)<\/p>\n

Police were recently called to one street twice in the same week after one luxury house was trashed, leaving shattered windows and broken walls.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Residents on edge<\/p>\n

Diane Webber has lived in her home for seven years but has become “nervous” and suspicious of anyone entering the quiet cul-de-sac.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“It’s a bit nerve-wracking \u2026 hearing every little noise now and [wondering] who’s out in the street every time someone drives up or rides a bike up,” she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“I’ve got security lights, so if anybody walks in it lights up like Christmas.”\"woman<\/p>\n

Ms Webber is pondering a move to Victoria after failing to find a new rental property on the Sunshine Coast. (ABC Sunshine Coast: Jessica Ross)<\/p>\n

Ms Webber said she has seen groups of youths walking through the area.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“Young teenagers with nothing better to do than trash houses. One girl was still in her school uniform one day,” Ms Webber said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“It will be a free-for-all once everyone’s gone; there will be no-one near to keep an eye on things, so I wouldn’t want to be around here then.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“You don’t feel safe anymore since all the others have gone.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“I’ll be happy when the 31st [of August] comes around, and we can go.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

Another neighbour, Tahlia Nosenzo, brought forward her departure date after hearing people in her backyard at night.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Aerial<\/p>\n

Fifty-two homes will be demolished for a major new highway upgrade on the Sunshine Coast.<\/p>\n

Security measures bolstered<\/p>\n

In response to safety concerns, the Department of Transport is funding security patrols in the area at night, while police have also been seen driving around the neighbourhood.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“These arrangements are being continually reviewed, and we will implement additional measures where needed to help deter unlawful activity and protect the surrounding community,” a department spokesperson said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"house<\/p>\n

Dozens of empty homes have been boarded up to prevent vandalism before they are demolished for a transport project. (ABC Sunshine Coast: Dylan Morris)<\/p>\n

Contractors have boarded up windows and doors, leaving several streets eerily quiet.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Transport Minister Brent Mickelberg said he understood why people did not feel safe.<\/p>\n

“Any instances of those breaking the law are unacceptable and won’t be tolerated,” he said.<\/p>\n

The Wave train and bus system will bring mass public transport to the region for the first time, allowing passengers to travel directly from the Sunshine Coast Airport to Brisbane.<\/p>\n

Loading…<\/p>\n

Mr Mickelberg would not say when the 52 homes would be demolished for the project, because negotiations to acquire three remaining privately owned properties were ongoing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“I don’t want to talk about time frames because that will only increase the pressure on them over this process,” he said.<\/p>\n

“Suffice to say we want to ensure that main construction and early works happen on these projects as quickly as possible.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

Police urge vigilance\u00a0<\/p>\n

A police spokesperson said officers were called to Ewinga Court in Mountain Creek on July 29 and August 1 after reports of trespassers damaging vacant properties.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“Further patrols and enquiries failed to locate any offenders [and] investigations remain ongoing,” they said.<\/p>\n

\"police<\/p>\n

A police car patrols the area to protect the remaining residents. (ABC Sunshine Coast: Josh Dye)<\/p>\n

Sunshine Coast police inspector Scott Wiggins said he understood residents’ fears and urged those remaining to stay alert.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“We like to feel safe in our own homes. If we are experiencing anti-social behaviour and damage to property, it does naturally make us feel unsafe,” he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“When neighbours are being vigilant, and they are reporting these incidents and police get called there, it does deter people from committing these offences.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"male<\/p>\n

Inspector Scott Wiggins says trespassing is a common issue in areas with abandoned houses. (ABC Sunshine Coast: Madeline Grace)<\/p>\n

Housing crisis ripple effect<\/p>\n

The Sunshine Coast’s tight rental market has left Ms Webber unable to find another house.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“We’re on not real good money \u2026 we’re putting in application after application, and there’s that many people,” she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"house<\/p>\n

Contractors for the Department of Transport have since boarded up windows and doors at all unoccupied properties. (ABC Sunshine Coast: Dylan Morris)<\/p>\n

“One real estate [agent] told us at one stage, ‘We only look at the first six applications.’ So what chance have you got?<\/p>\n

“We were running out of time and not able to get anything, so I made the decision we’ve got to go.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

After deciding the Sunshine Coast had become “too over-populated”, Ms Webber settled on Ballarat.<\/p>\n

“It’s a bit weird, [normally] everybody moves here from Victoria,” she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“I don’t like the Sunshine Coast anymore … it’s not the laid-back place it used to be.”<\/p>\n

And while moving house is a hassle, there is one upside of leaving a condemned dwelling.<\/p>\n

“At least we don’t have to do a bond clean,” she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Residents of a waterfront Sunshine Coast suburb have expressed fears after vandals targeted vacant homes due to be…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":78553,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[22,21,48146,33069,19349,33118,33073,12279,119964],"class_list":["post-78552","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-australia","tag-au","tag-austrlia","tag-compulsory-acquisition","tag-mooloolah-river-interchange","tag-olympics-2032","tag-rental-crisis","tag-sunshine-coast-public-transport","tag-the-wave","tag-vandalism-vacant-homes"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78552","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=78552"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78552\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/78553"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=78552"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=78552"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=78552"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}