Mooloolaba, not to be confused with Mooloolah, is a resort town located in Maroochy Shire, in the centre of Queensland's Sunshine Coast. Situated on the mouth of the Mooloolah river; the town is a popular tourist stop intimately linked to the town of Maroochydore.

Moolooolaba's first industry, in the 1880s, was timber-cutting. But with the Mooloolah river bar to cross, dispatching the product posed a problem. So the timber business relocated to Maroochydore, and in Mooloolah fruit and fishing, then tourism, became the economic drivers. In the 1960s, new roading projects gave tourism in the area a boost.

Mooloolaba locals regard their beach as one of Sunshine Coast’s best. It stretches northward through Alexandra Headland township and then Maroochydore. Beachfront and Riverfront accommodation is plentiful and is now the backbone of the town’s economy. According to Australia’s 2006 census Moolooloba had a population of 7376, a slightly smaller population than 10 years earlier.

The town has a busy port that holds 2 yacht-races - the trans-tasman Auckland-to-Mooloolaba race and the Sydney-to-Mooloolaba race. There is one state primary school, and when children reach high school age most go to Mountain Creek State High School 4km away. The school serves Mooloolaba, Mountain Creek, Minyama, Buderim and the Alexandra Headland areas and is one of Queensland’s largest high schools.