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Queensland is the second largest and third most populous state of Australia. It occupies the north-east corner of the mainland continent. The state is neighboured by the Northern Territory to the west, South Australia to the south-west and New South Wales to the south. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean.
The area was first colonised by Indigenous Australians and Torres Strait Islanders, who arrived between 40 000 and 65 000 years ago, according to various dating methods[1]. Later, Queensland was made a British Crown Colony that was separated from New South Wales in 1859. The area that currently forms Brisbane was originally the Moreton Bay penal colony, intended as a place for recidivist convicts who had offended while serving out their sentences in New South Wales. The state later encouraged free settlement, and today Queensland's economy is dominated by the agricultural, tourist and natural resource sectors.
The population is concentrated in the south-east corner, which includes the capital Brisbane, Ipswich, Logan City, and the Gold and Sunshine Coasts. Other major regional centres include Cairns, Townsville, Mackay, Rockhampton, Bundaberg, Toowoomba, and Mount Isa. Queensland is often nicknamed the Sunshine State, since it enjoys warm weather and a sizable portion of the state is in the tropics
Etymology
The state was named in honour of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom[2], who in 1859 signed the proclamation separating the state from New South Wales. The monarch naturally preferred the name to the alternative of Cooksland, which had been suggested by local influential Presbyterian minister John Dunmore Lang.[3]
Geography
The state's borders are defined as:
North The northernmost part of the state is the triangular Cape York Peninsula, which points toward New Guinea. The western side of the peninsula is washed by the Gulf of Carpentaria, while its eastern side borders the Coral Sea, an arm of the Pacific Ocean.
East The eastern border is the Pacific Ocean
West To the west, Queensland is bordered by the Northern Territory, at the 138° E. longitude, and to the south-west by the north-eastern corner of South Australia.
South by New South Wales. This border has three sections:
The watershed from Point Danger to the Dumaresq River
The river section involving the Dumaresq, the MacIntyre and the Barwon
The 29° S. latitude, over to the South Australian border.
State capital Brisbane, is located on the coast 100 kilometres (60 mi) by road north of the New South Wales border.
The third largest city by area in the world, Mount Isa, is located in Queensland. The city area is in excess of 40,000 square kilometres (15,400 sq mi).
The state is divided into several major regions. Other smaller geographical regions of note include:
the Atherton Tablelands
the Granite Belt
the Channel Country in the far south-west.
Queensland has many places that are blessed with natural beauty, including:
the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast having some of the state's most popular beaches
the Bunya Mountains and the Great Dividing Range with numerous lookouts, waterfalls and picnic areas.
Carnarvon Gorge
Whitsunday Islands and Hinchinbrook Island
The state contains five World Heritage listed preservation areas.
Australian Fossil Mammal Sites at Riversleigh in the Gulf Country
Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves
Fraser Island
Great Barrier Reef
Wet Tropics of Queensland
Highest maximum temperature: 49.5 °C (121.1 °F), Birdsville, 24 December 1972 (The temperature of 53.1 °C (127.5 °F) at Cloncurry on 16 January 1889 is not considered official, the figure quoted from Birdsville is the next highest, so that record is considered as being official).
Lowest minimum temperature: -11.0 °C (12.2 °F), Stanthorpe, 4 July 1895 [1]
Demographics
The population of Queensland officially reached 4 million in December 2005. Queensland's population is less centralised in the capital city than the rest of the country. At 30 June 2004 the capital city represented 45.7% of the population; for the whole country, capital cities represented 63.8% of the total population.
Christian: 70.9% (Roman Catholic: 24.9%, Anglican: 22.3%, Uniting Church: 8.4%, Lutheran: 2.1%, Other: 13.2%), Non-Christian: 2.3% (Buddhism: 1.1%, Islam: 0.4%, Hinduism: 0.3%, Judaism: 0.1%, Other: 0.4%), No Religion: 14.8%, Not Stated: 12.0%
On Friday, 9 December 2005 the population of Queensland officially reached 4 million. Queensland is the fastest growing state in Australia, with over fifteen hundred people moving to the state per week. 1000 in the southern part of the state alone. Once you calculate immigration and migration, (People Arriving in QLD-Minus-Queenslanders Leaving,) Queensland is left with a healthy number of people staying in Queensland. Predictions have been made to show that Queensland will become Australia's 2nd most populous state by the late 2020s. [4]
Theme Parks
Queensland is also referred to as "Australia's Theme Park Capital", with five major amusement parks –
Dreamworld
Movie World
Sea World
Wet 'n' Wild
WhiteWater World
Not quite a theme park but also a must visit whilst taking a Queensland holiday are the wildlife parks - Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary and Australia Zoo (home of Steve Irwin until his death in 2006).
[edit] Accommodation
Queensland also offers a vast array of accommodation options including –
Hotels, Resorts and Apartments
Beach and Hinterland Retreats
Lodges
Backpackers
Caravan, Cabin and Tent Parks
Homestays
Farmstays
B&Bs (Bed and Breakfast)
The Discover Queensland directory is an informative website for making a decision on your accommodation requirements when staying in Queensland.
[edit] Weather
Queensland is drenched in sunshine, has warm seas, cool sea breezes and an enviable warm climate all year round; the weather in Queensland is incomparable to most other Australian states. The Queensland region has two weather seasons: a winter period of rather warm temperatures and minimal rainfall and a summer period of warm balmy temperatures and higher levels of rainfall.
The Average Summer Temperature in the South East of 19 to 29 degrees Celsius and the Average Winter Temperatures in the South East of 9 to 21 degrees Celsius. The averages for Tropical North Queensland do vary somewhat for winter with the Average Summer Temperature of 17-31 degrees Celsius and the Average Winter Temperature of 17-26 degrees Celsius.
Ozone depletion and the seasonal ozone hole has led to dangerously high levels of UV radiation, especially at the most extreme latitutudes of the southern hemisphere.[5]. Incidence of skin cancer in Queensland, Australia has risen to 75 percent among those over 64 years of age by about 1990, due to thinning of the ozone layer.[6]
[edit] Statistics
Queensland is the second most popular overnight holiday destination in Australia for domestic travelers ($10.9 billion per year) with NSW taking the honours for 2006. Holidays in Queensland comprised of 18 754 000 combined visitor nights (23% Australian Market) with more than 60% of these room nights by residents from NSW and Victoria. Day visitors also contributed a further $2.5 billion.
The Sunshine Coast ($1.4 billion) and Tropical North Queensland ($1.3 billion) where Australia’s most visited regional areas for overnight and day visitors (excluding major cities and the Gold Coast).
The highest average overnight expenditure is in the Whitsundays ($1 295 per person per night)
Accommodation in Queensland caters for nearly 22% of the total expenditure, followed by Restaurants / Meals 15%, Airline Fares 11%, Fuel 11% and Shopping / Gifts 11% [7]
[edit] Landmarks
The Q1, located on the Gold Coast, is the tallest residential tower in the world. It was completed in September, 2005.
[edit] Transport
Queensland is served by a number of National Highways and, particularly in South East Queensland, high quality motorways such as the M1. Rail services are provided by Queensland Rail and Pacific National, predominantly along the coastline.
Queensland has a number of major ports including the Port of Brisbane and subsidiary ports at Gladstone and Townsville amongst others. The Brisbane Airport, Gold Coast Airport and Cairns International Airport are the main gateways into the State from overseas, with smaller airports at Maroochydore and elsewhere.
South-East Queensland is governed by an integrated public transport system, TransLink, which provides bus, rail and ferry services. Regional bus and long-distance rail services are also provided throughout the State.
[edit] Government
Main article: Government of Queensland
Queen Elizabeth II is represented as head of state by the locally appointed Governor, Ms Quentin Bryce, AC. The elected head of government is the Labor Premier, the Hon Peter Beattie, who appoints an Executive Council from the members of the 89-seat Legislative Assembly, known as Members of the Legislative Assembly (MPs).
The Queensland State Parliament, known as the Queensland Parliament or the Legislative Assembly is unicameral. It is the only Australian state with a unicameral legislature. A bicameral system existed until 1922, when the Legislative Council was abolished by the Labor members' "suicide squad," so called because they took the unusual step of voting to abolish their own offices. Hanging was also abolished in 1922.
[edit] Constitution
In 2001 the state adopted a new codified constitution, repealing most of the assorted acts that had previously made up the constitution. The new constitution took effect on 6 June 2002, the anniversary of the formation of the independent colony of Queensland by the signing of Letters Patent by Queen Victoria in 1859.
[edit] Policing
Day-to-day law enforcement is the responsibility of the Queensland Police Service (State Law), and the Australian Federal Police (Commonwealth Law).
Queensland does not have separate Local Government district based Police forces, nor a metropolitan force.
Some (Quasi-)Police powers are exercised by Local Government Officers (especially Parking, Public Health & Safety) and by some Government and NGO officers such as those from the Department of Primary Industries (especially Fisheries) and the Queensland Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA). The Brisbane metropolitan transport network (TransLink) also has Transit Officers with Authority to issue fines for certain behavioural and fare evasion offences.
[edit] History
Main article: History of Queensland
The history of Queensland spans thousands of years, encompassing both a lengthy indigenous presence in the state, as well as the eventful times of post-European settlement. Estimated to have been settled by Indigenous Australians approximately 40,000 years ago, the north-eastern Australian region was explored by Dutch, Portuguese and French navigators before being encountered by Captain James Cook in 1770. The state has witnessed the tragic events of frontier warfare between European settlers and Indigenous inhabitants, as well as the employment of cheap Kanaka labour sourced from the South Pacific. Likewise, it has experienced dynamic growth and progress since its separation from New South Wales in 1859, currently being the fastest-growing state in Australia |
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