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HERITAGE NOOSA
HERITAGE NOOSA
Suzanne Christesen Oral History
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Alternative NameSue DavisOverview
Suzanne Mary Christensen offers a detailed and personal account of early life in Noosa, where her family were among the region’s first permanent European settlers. Born in 1948, she describes how her father, Harry Davis—a skilled builder—discovered Noosa during military training in WWII and purchased seven acres of land through a friend before returning from service. On this land, he developed a small enclave of Tudor style homes, using local stone and timber, and relying on family labour and hand built infrastructure such as wells, pumps, and gravity fed tanks. Christensen recalls a childhood spent in tents during construction, later moving between the three houses her father built.
Her memories illustrate a secluded, undeveloped Noosa: sand tracks instead of roads, abundant bushland, natural water sources, and a small, close-knit community. She recounts daily life marked by independence—walking to Little Beach, drinking from creeks, playing in the National Park—and an emerging surf culture that attracted early board shapers including Bob McTavish.
Christensen also reflects on regional changes, including the growth of tourism, unsuccessful efforts to preserve family buildings, environmental threats from rutile mining, and the increasing loss of natural vegetation. Despite these changes, she expresses enduring affection for Noosa’s landscape, heritage, and community identity.
Suzanne Mary Christensen offers a detailed and personal account of early life in Noosa, where her family were among the region’s first permanent European settlers. Born in 1948, she describes how her father, Harry Davis—a skilled builder—discovered Noosa during military training in WWII and purchased seven acres of land through a friend before returning from service. On this land, he developed a small enclave of Tudor style homes, using local stone and timber, and relying on family labour and hand built infrastructure such as wells, pumps, and gravity fed tanks. Christensen recalls a childhood spent in tents during construction, later moving between the three houses her father built.
Her memories illustrate a secluded, undeveloped Noosa: sand tracks instead of roads, abundant bushland, natural water sources, and a small, close-knit community. She recounts daily life marked by independence—walking to Little Beach, drinking from creeks, playing in the National Park—and an emerging surf culture that attracted early board shapers including Bob McTavish.
Christensen also reflects on regional changes, including the growth of tourism, unsuccessful efforts to preserve family buildings, environmental threats from rutile mining, and the increasing loss of natural vegetation. Despite these changes, she expresses enduring affection for Noosa’s landscape, heritage, and community identity.
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Oral History Transcript
Suzanne Christesen Oral History. Heritage Noosa, accessed 17/01/2026, https://heritage.noosa.qld.gov.au/nodes/view/8854






