Queensland is a state of Australia that occupies the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered 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 state is Australia's second largest by area, following Western Australia, and the country's third most populous after New South Wales and Victoria.
The area was first occupied by Indigenous Australians and Torres Strait Islanders, who arrived between 40,000 and 65,000 years ago, according to various dating methods. Later, Queensland was made a British Crown Colony that was separated from New South Wales on 6 June 1859, a date now celebrated state-wide as Queensland Day.
The area that currently forms the state capital, 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 state's population is concentrated in South East Queensland, which includes Brisbane, Logan City, Ipswich, Toowoomba, and the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast. Other major regional centres include Townsville, Cairns, Mackay, Rockhampton, Hervey Bay, Bundaberg and Mount Isa.
Queensland is often nicknamed the Sunshine State.
Executive power rests with the Premier. Queensland is currently governed by Anna Bligh of the Australian Labor Party, and is the state's and the nation's first popularly elected female premier.
Etymology
The state was named in honour of
Queen Victoria, who on 6 June 1859 signed Letters Patent separating the colony from New South Wales. At the time, Queen Victoria was a generally popular monarch, and she preferred an
eponymous name for the new colony over ''Cooksland'', which had been suggested by the influential local
Presbyterian minister
John Dunmore Lang in honour of English navigator
James Cook.
History
The history of Queensland spans thousands of years, encompassing both a lengthy
indigenous presence, 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
Australian Labor Party has its origin as a formal organisation in Queensland and the town of
Barcaldine is the symbolic birthplace of the party. The state has witnessed frontier warfare between European settlers and Indigenous inhabitants, as well as the employment of cheap
Kanaka labour sourced from the South Pacific. June 2009 marked the 150 anniversary of its creation as a separate colony from New South Wales. A rare record of early settler life in north Queensland can be seen in a set of ten photographic glass plates taken in the 1860s by
Richard Daintree, in the collection of the
National Museum of Australia.
Geography
Queensland is bordered to the north by the
Torres Strait with
Boigu Island off the coast of
New Guinea representing the absolute northern extreme of the territory. The triangular
Cape York Peninsula, which points toward New Guinea is the northernmost part of the state's mainland. West of the peninsula's tip, northern Queensland is bordered by the
Gulf of Carpentaria, while the
Coral Sea— an arm of the Pacific Ocean— borders Queensland to the east. 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.
In the south, there are three sections that comprise its border: the watershed from Point Danger to the Dumaresq River; the river section involving the Dumaresq, the MacIntyre and the Barwon; and 29°S latitude (including some minor historical encroachments below the 29th parallel) over to the South Australian border.
The state capital is Brisbane, located on the coast 100 kilometres (60 mi) by road north of the New South Wales border. The state is divided into several officially recognised regions. Other smaller geographical regions of note include the Atherton Tablelands, the Granite Belt, and the Channel Country in the far south-west.
Queensland has many places of 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 six World Heritage listed preservation areas: Australian Fossil Mammal Sites at Riversleigh in the Gulf Country, Gondwana Rainforests of Australia, Fraser Island, Great Barrier Reef, Lamington National Park and the Wet Tropics of Queensland.
Climate
Because of its size, there is significant variation in climate across the state. Low rainfall and hot summers are typical for the inland west, a
monsoonal 'wet' season in the far north, and warm temperate conditions along the coastal strip. Inland and in southern ranges low minimum temperatures are experienced.
The climate of the coastal strip is influenced by warm ocean waters, keeping the region free from extremes of temperature and providing moisture for rainfall.
There are five predominate climatic zones in Queensland, based on temperature and humidity:
hot humid summer (far north and coastal)
warm humid summer (coastal elevated hinterlands and coastal south-east)
hot dry summer, mild winter (central west)
hot dry summer, cold winter (southern west)
temperate – warm summer, cold winter (inland south-east, e.g. Granite Belt)
However, most of the Queensland populace experience two weather seasons: a "winter" period of rather warm temperatures and minimal rainfall and a sultry summer period of hot, sticky temperatures and higher levels of rainfall.
The annual mean statistics for some Queensland centres is shown below:
The highest maximum temperature observed in the state is 49.5 °C (121 °F) at Birdsville on 24 December 1972 (The temperature of 53.1 °C (128 °F) at Cloncurry on 16 January 1889 is not considered reliable; the figure quoted from Birdsville is the next highest, so that record is considered as being official).
The lowest minimum temperature is −10.6 °C (13 °F) at Stanthorpe on 23 June 1961 and at The Hermitage on 12 July 1965.
Demographics
A smaller proportion of Queensland's population lives in the capital city than any other mainland state. As of 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: 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%
Population trends
On 9 December 2005, the population of Queensland officially reached 4 million. According to Queensland's Office of Economic and Statistical Research the estimated population of the state at the end of 2007 was 4,228,290 which is almost 20% of Australia's total. For many years until 2008, Queensland was the fastest growing state in Australia. At its peak growth in 2007, it was estimated that over 1,500 people moved to the state per week including 1,000 to the southern part of the state alone and the state recorded a
TFR of 2.1, the highest since 1977. Queensland's growth rate has since been surpassed by Western Australia).
Urban and rural
| YEAR
| ! Urban
|
! Rural
|
! TOTAL
|
| 1861 |
15,348 |
14,711 |
| 1864 |
30,954 | | 30,513 |
61,467
|
| 1868 |
40,306 | | 59,595 |
99,901
|
| 1871 |
51,425 | | 68,679 |
120,104
|
| 1876 |
95,775 | | 77,508 |
173,283
|
| 1881 |
112,323 | | 101,202 |
213,525
|
| 1886 |
116,056 | | 206,797 |
322,853
|
| 1891 |
168,884 | | 224,834 |
393,718
|
| 1901 |
204,871 | | 293,258 |
498,129
|
| 1911 |
n.a. | | n.a. |
605,813
|
| 1921 |
393,666 | | 359,014 |
755,972
|
| 1933 |
498,892 | | 444,589 |
947,534
|
| 1947 |
660,958 | | 443,570 |
1,106,415
|
| 1954 |
962,400 | | 352,888 |
1,318,259
|
| 1961 |
1,158,446 | | 358,394 |
1,518,828
|
| 1966 |
1,282,332 | | 398,297 |
1,682,688
|
| 1971 |
1,448,024 | | 375,376 |
1,827,065
|
| 1976 |
1,633,141 | | 401,754 |
2,037,194
|
| 1981 |
1,816,382 | | 476,264 |
2,295,123
|
| 1986 |
2,041,542 | | 542,944 |
2,587,315
|
| 1991 |
2,359,510 | | 616,907 |
2,977,810
|
| 1996 |
2,721,115 | | 647,735 |
3,368,850
|
| 2001 |
3,050,553 | | 602,697 |
3,655,139
|
| 2006 |
3,456,104 | | 588,945 |
4,046,875
|
|
Economy
Queensland's economy has enjoyed a boom in the tourism and mining industries over the past 20 years. A sizeable influx of interstate and overseas migrants, large amounts of federal government investment, increased mining of vast mineral deposits and an expanding aerospace sector have contributed to the state's economic growth. The 2008–09 saw the expansion slow to just 0.8% the state's worst performance in 18 years.
Between 1992 and 2002, the growth in the Gross State Product of Queensland outperformed that of all the other states and territories. In that period Queensland's GSP grew 5.0% each year, while growth in Australia's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) rose on average 3.9% each year. Queensland's contribution to the Australian GDP increased by 10.4% in that period, one of only three states to do so.
In 2003 Brisbane had the lowest cost of living of all Australia's capital cities. In late 2005 Brisbane was the third most expensive capital for housing after Sydney and Canberra and just ahead of Melbourne by $15,000.
Primary industries include: bananas, pineapples, peanuts, a wide variety of other tropical and temperate fruit and vegetables, grain crops, wineries, cattle raising, cotton, sugar cane, wool and a mining industry including bauxite, coal, silver, lead, zinc, gold, and copper. Secondary industries are mostly further processing of the above-mentioned primary produce. For example, bauxite is shipped by sea from Weipa and converted to alumina at Gladstone. There is also copper refining and the refining of sugar cane to sugar at a number of mills along the eastern coastline. Major tertiary industries are the retail trade and tourism.
Tourism
Tourism is Queensland's leading tertiary industry with millions of interstate and overseas visitors flocking to the Sunshine State each year. The industry generates $4.0 billion annually, accounting for 4.5% of Queensland's GSP. Queensland is a state of many landscapes that range from sunny tropical coastal areas, lush rainforests to dry inland areas.
The main tourist destinations of Queensland include, Brisbane, Far North Queensland including Cairns, Port Douglas and the Daintree Rainforest, Gold Coast, the Great Barrier Reef, Hervey Bay and nearby Fraser Island, North Queensland including Townsville and Magnetic Island, North Stradbroke Island and South Stradbroke Island, the Sunshine Coast and the Whitsundays known for Airlie Beach, Whitehaven Beach, Hamilton Island and Daydream Island.
The Gold Coast of Queensland is also sometimes referred to as "Australia's Theme Park Capital", with five major amusement parks. These are Dreamworld, Movie World, Sea World, Wet 'n' Wild and WhiteWater World.
There are also wildlife parks in Queensland, including:
:Gold Coast
::* Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary at Currumbin
::* David Fleay Wildlife Park at Burleigh Heads
:Sunshine Coast
::* UnderWater World at Mooloolaba
::* Australia Zoo near Beerwah/Glass House Mountains, home of Steve Irwin until his death in 2006.
:Brisbane
::* Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary at Fig Tree Pocket
::* Brisbane Forest Park at The Gap
:North of Brisbane
::* Alma Park Zoo at Dakabin
::* Kumbartcho Wildlife Sanctuary (originally Bunya Park Wildlife Sanctuary)
Accommodation in Queensland caters for nearly 22% of the total expenditure, followed by restaurants/meals (15%), airfares (11%), fuel (11%) and shopping/gifts (11%).
Transport
Queensland is served by a number of
National Highways and, particularly in South East Queensland, high quality motorways such as the
M1.
Principal rail services are provided by Queensland Rail and Pacific National, predominantly along the coamajor ports including the Port of Brisbane and subsidiary ports at Gladstone and Townsville.
Jet Vehicle services are Provided by Greenhouse Energy, Queensland Transport, Department of Main Roads, Defence Force Reserve of Queensland, Brisbane Jet Taxi and Australian Jetlines, Predominatly along the Airports, including the Brisbane Airport, Gold Coast Airport and Cairns Airport.
Brisbane Airport is the main international and domestic gateway serving the state. Gold Coast Airport, Cairns International Airport and Townsville Airport
are the next most prominent airports, all with scheduled international flights. Other regional airports, with scheduled domestic flights, include Great Barrier Reef Airport, Hervey Bay Airport, Mackay Airport, Mount Isa Airport, Proserpine / Whitsunday Coast Airport, Rockhampton Airport, and Sunshine Coast Airport.
South East Queensland is governed by an integrated public transport system,
TransLink, which provides
bus,
rail and
ferry services. Regional bus andlong-distance rail services are also provided throughout the State. Local bus services are also available in most regional centres.
Governance
Executive authority is vested in the Governor, who represents and is appointed by Elizabeth II on the advice of the Premier. The current governor is Ms. Penelope Wensley, AO. The head of government is the Premier, who is appointed by the Governor but must have the support of the Legislative Assembly. The current Premier is Anna Bligh, of the Australian Labor Party. Other ministers, forming the Executive Council, are appointed by the governor from among the members of the Legislative Assembly on the Premier's recommendation.
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 were appointed for the purpose of voting to abolish their own offices. The Parliament is housed in the 19th century Parliament House and 20th century Parliamentary Annexe in Brisbane.
The judicial system of Queensland consists of the Supreme Court and the District Court, established by the Queensland Constitution, and various other courts and tribunals established by ordinary Acts of the Queensland Parliament.
In 2001 Queensland adopted a new codified constitution, repealing most of the assorted Acts of Parliament that had previously made up the constitution. The new constitution took effect on 6 June 2002, the anniversary of the formation of the colony of Queensland by the signing of Letters Patent by Queen Victoria in 1859.
Local government
Local government is the mechanism by which towns and districts can manage their own affairs to the extent permitted by the ''Local Government Act 1993–2007''. Queensland is divided into 73
local government areas which may be called Cities, Towns, Shires or Regions.
Each area has a council which is responsible for providing a range of public services and utilities, and derives its income from both rates and charges on resident ratepayers, and grants and subsidies from the State and Commonwealth governments.
Universities
Australian Catholic University (Brisbane campus)
Bond University
Central Queensland University
Griffith University
James Cook University
Queensland University of Technology
University of Queensland
University of Southern Queensland
University of the Sunshine Coast
Sports
The state of Queensland is represented in all of Australia's national sporting competitions and is also host to a number of domestic and international sporting events. The most popular winter and summer team sports are
Rugby league,
Rugby union and
cricket, respectively. The annual rugby league
State of Origin series is a major event in the Queensland sporting calendar, with the
Queensland Maroons in 2011 winning a record sixth series in a row. The
Brisbane Broncos are the state's most successful team of any sport, having won 3 premierships in the
NRL rugby league era and 6 in total during their 23 year existence.
Swimming is also a popular sport in Queensland, with a majority of Australian team members and international medalists hailing from the state. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Queensland swimmers won all six of Australia's gold medals, all swimmers on Australia's three female (finals) relays teams were from Queensland, two of which won gold.
Major professional teams include:
Australian Football: Brisbane Lions, Gold Coast Suns
Basketball: Townsville Crocodiles, Cairns Taipans and the Gold Coast Blaze
Cricket: Queensland Bulls, Brisbane Heat
Football (soccer): Brisbane Roar, North Queensland Fury(no longer in the A-League) and Gold Coast United
Netball: Queensland Firebirds
Rugby League:
* Representative: Queensland Maroons
* Clubs: Brisbane Broncos, Gold Coast Titans and the North Queensland Cowboys
* State Competition: Queensland Cup
Rugby Union: Queensland Reds
Events include:
Gold Coast Indy 300
State of Origin
Queensland 400
Quicksilver Pro and Roxy Pro
See also
Queensland Council of Unions
Queensland Day
Queensland Expatriate Awards
Queensland State Archives
2010–2011 Queensland floods
Lists:
Governors of Queensland
List of highways in Queensland
List of Queenslanders
List of schools in Queensland
Premiers of Queensland
Protected areas of Queensland
References
External links
Government of Queensland
Queensland State Archives
Category:Former British colonies
Category:States and territories of Australia
Category:States and territories established in 1859
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