Rainforests , Reefs , Islands , Deserts and Exciting Cities make up Our Amazing State of Queensland .
Queensland ( abbreviated as QLD ) is the second-largest and third-most-populous state in the Commonwealth of Australia . Situated in the north-east of the country , it is bordered by the Northern Territory , South Australia and New South Wales to the west , southwest and south respectively . To the east , Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean . Queensland has a population of 4,750,500 , concentrated along the coast and particularly in the state ’ s South East . The state is the world ’ s sixth largest sub-national entity , with an area of 1,852,642 km2 . The capital and largest city in the state is Brisbane , Australia ’ s third largest city . Often referred to as the “ Sunshine State ”, Queensland is home to 10 of Australia ’ s 30 largest cities and is the nation ’ s third largest economy . Tourism in the state , fuelled largely by its warm tropical climate , is a major industry .
Queensland was first inhabited by Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders . The first European to land in Queensland ( and Australia ) was Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon in 1606 , who explored the west coast of the Cape York Peninsula near present-day Weipa . In 1770 , Lieutenant James Cook claimed the east coast of Australia for the Kingdom of Great Britain . The colony of New South Wales was founded in 1788 by Governor Arthur Phillip at Sydney ; New South Wales at that time included all of what is now Queensland , Victoria and
Tasmania . Queensland was explored in subsequent decades until the establishment of a penal colony at Brisbane in 1824 by John Oxley . Penal transportation ceased in 1839 and free settlement was allowed from 1842 .
The state was named in honour of Queen Victoria , who on 6 June 1859 signed Letters Patent separating the colony from New South Wales . The 6th of June is now celebrated annually statewide as Queensland Day . Queen Victoria , who went on to become Britain and Australia ’ s second longest reigning monarch , chose an eponymous name for the colony over Cooksland , which had been suggested by the influential local Presbyterian minister John Dunmore Lang in honour of navigator James Cook . Queensland achieved statehood with the Federation of Australia on 1 January 1901 .
The history of Queensland spans thousands of years , encompassing both a lengthy indigenous presence , as well as the eventful times of post-European settlement . The north-eastern Australian region was explored by Dutch , Spaniards and French navigators before being encountered by Lieutenant James Cook in 1770 . The state has witnessed frontier warfare between European settlers and Indigenous inhabitants ( which did not result in any settlement or treaty ), as well as the exploitation of cheap Kanaka
Image : The Exciting Gold Coast
Image : Model T Ford at The Redcliffe Art Gallery
My Town Magazine , Discover Queensland
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