About Maroochy River Rowing Club
14 Years on the Maroochy
Every rower, every ability, welcome
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Welcome to Maroochy River Rowing Club
— the Sunshine Coast's only dedicated youth rowing club.
We're about building strong minds, strong bodies, and strong friendships on the water, from your very first stroke through to state and national selection.
We're a volunteer-run, not-for-profit club, powered by a committee and a team of accredited coaches who show up every morning because they believe in what rowing gives young people — belonging, resilience, and the confidence that comes from doing something hard alongside people who've got your back.
Whether you're brand new to the sport or chasing a state team, there's a place for you here.
Strong minds, strong bodies, strong friendships
Volunteer-run, professionally coached
A place for every rower, at every stage
Our Mission
Our Vision
To lead with purpose — as a club that fosters high-performance athletes, lifelong friendships, and a culture of hard work, fair reward, and true belonging.
We're committed to developing outstanding rowers within a genuine, inclusive environment that celebrates effort over ego.
Through strong relationships with other clubs, we support our athletes beyond school — guiding their next steps in rowing and helping them stay in the sport wherever life takes them, maintaining strength, health, and fitness for life.
Our Values
Future Champions
We exist to support and empower young rowers—developing them not just as athletes, but as confident, capable people.
Effort over Ego
We reward commitment, resilience, and hard work. True success is built on consistency—not exclusivity—and we lead with humility, always looking for ways to support and serve others within our club and community.
Community & Connection
We’re stronger together. Our club is built on genuine friendships, family involvement, and strong relationships—with other clubs, schools, and the wider community, both within rowing and beyond.
Inclusive by Nature
Strength for Life
We champion long term health, wellbeing, and a lifelong love of rowing. Our goal is to keep young people moving, growing, and connected—throughout their school years, and throughout their life.
Stewardship & Sustainability
We are committed to growing responsibly—caring for our environment, managing our resources wisely, and ensuring a thriving future for the next generation.
Meet Our Expert Coaches
Lachlan Allen
Rowing Australia Level 3 Qualified | Strength &...
Uwe Lassen
Bec Biddle
Amanda Rukuwai Stoneman
Want to be a part of our story?
Our History
in the beginning
in the middle....
Where we started
Our name... our identity
Maroochy River Rowing Club was founded in 2012 by life members Russell and Donna Muller, alongside fellow life member Mike Cosgrove. Their goal was simple: give Sunshine Coast teenagers the chance to discover the Olympic sport of rowing. It started with a single boat and a handful of rowers.
They worked with the local Indegenous and Sunshine Coast Council to develop the site at Muller Park, Bli Bli — handy to neighbouring Maroochydore and centrally positioned across the Sunshine Coast region.
From here they began training on some of the most protected still-water available anywhere in the region, with room to row long distances downstream toward Cotton Tree, with the most beautiful glassy waters found further upstream, through some of the pristine parts of the Maroochy River.
Nearly fifteen years on, that handful of rowers has grown into a genuine club — year-round programs, accredited coaching, and rowers competing at state and national level. What hasn't changed is the reason we started: a rowing club has to be more than boats and results. It's belonging, resilience, and the kind of teamwork that only shows up when a crew has to move as one.
We honour every volunteer, committee member, and coach who have come before us and helped get us this far — this club exists because they showed up, year after year, long before any of us arrived.
Our name carries that history too. Mooroo-kutchi means 'red-bill' — the traditional name for the black swan — and Moorookutchi-dha, 'the place of the black swan.' It's why the black swan sits at the centre of our crest, and why our club colours honour it.
And we're not finished. With Brisbane 2032 on the horizon, we're building toward a future our founders could only have imagined from that single boat — a home for Olympic training camps, a pathway that runs from first strokes to national selection, and a clubhouse worthy of everything this community has built. The story so far has been remarkable. What comes next will be too.
