HISTORY

Rainbow Beach, originally known as Back Beach was first gazetted in 1969 to service the thriving sand mining industry in the area.

When the mines were forced to close in 1976 due to pressure from the environmentalists, tourism and fishing took over as the primary industries in the area.

Rainbow Beach derives its name from the towering sandcliffs which form an arc to the South East of the town. These rainbow coloured sands are part of an aboriginal legend.

The early inhabitants of the area were the Kabi Tribe. They spoke of Yiningie, the spirit of the Gods, who was represented by a rainbow. Yiningie was killed in a fight when he crashed into the cliffs, and his spirits coloured the sands forever.

Today Rainbow Beach is a flourishing town catering for over 70,000 transient tourists a year and has a permanent population of about 900 people.