Queensland is considered to be the most beautiful and exotic part of Australia. Wonderful climate and impressive biodiversity attract many tourists here. In Queensland you can find everything – lush tropical forests, savannah, desert landscapes, mountains, and thousands of paradise islands located just a short distance away from shore. This beautiful state offers an incredible variety of life forms under the ocean surface.
Geographic location, boundaries and size of Queensland. Queensland is the second largest and third most populous state in Australia and occupies an area of 1,852,642sq.km.
On the south it bordered by the state of New South Wales, on the southwest bordered by South Australia and on the west by Northern Territory. On the north it has an outlet on the Gulf of Carpentaria.
In its northern most point at Cape York Queensland, Australia is distanced approximately 150 km from Papua New Guinea. On the east the state has a wide outlet to the Pacific and in particular the Coral Sea.
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Queensland has many islands in the waters of the Pacific and smaller number in the Gulf of Carpentaria. Near the Pacific coast of the state extends Great Barrier Reef. The largest is Fraser Island and the most popular for tourism is, of course, Whitsunday Island which is located amidst the reef itself.
Climate of Queensland. Almost the entire of Queensland falls within the tropical climate zone. Only the northern most parts of Cape York Peninsula have subequatorial climate. Temperatures generally rise to the north and rainfall decreases on the west.
Driest areas of Queensland are located in the southwestern part of the state near the border with the Northern Territory and South Australia. Most humid are the coastal Pacific areas.
Great Dividing Range plays a very important role in precipitation of Queensland. It plays the role of climatic barrier. Moist Pacific air masses can not pass through the mountains and the interior remains in precipitation shadow.
The rainfall in tropical Queensland is most abundant during the summer months from November to April while winter months are drier.
Temperatures in the state are quite different depending on whether the place is in the north or the south. For example, in Cairns, located in the northern regions of the state, temperatures vary from 26°C in July and August to 32°C in December and January.
On the other hand, Brisbane, which is located in the southern parts of the state has cooler tropical climate. Here the winters are cooler than Cairns for example.
In July, the thermometers show to about 22°C and in January – around 30°C. In the desert parts of the state sometimes are measured extremely high temperatures during the day, but night temperatures can drop to about zero (as it is in the Sahara desert for example).
The highest temperature ever measured in Queensland was 49.5 °C! The record heat occurred the day before Christmas Eve on December 24, 1972. This occurred in a small provincial town situated in the heart of Outback in the southwest of the state.
Population of Queensland. Queensland is the third most populous state in Australia after New South Wales and Victoria. It has a population of about 4.5 million people.
Largest city and capital of Queensland is Brisbane, located in southern part of the state. In Brisbane live about 2 million people. Other major cities are Gold Coast (500 000), Townsville (200 000), Cairns (160 000), Rockhampton (80 000) and so on.
As it is in all other places in Australia, here the population mostly consists of people who were born in another country in the world. In recent decades the number of settlers from Asia is bigger in comparison with the European settlers.
The majority of the residents of this state live in coastal areas, which is understandable in the conditions of the hot local climate. The population of Queensland has a long life expectancy and quality of life.
Economy. Queensland is a rich state. The local population has a very high standard of living, especially in large and developed cities. The wealth of Queensland is mainly due to tourism, agriculture, mining, construction and development of high technologies.
Tourism has recently become increasingly important for local economy as the number of visitors increases every year. Here is the tourist capital of Australia – Gold Coast.
Mining itself has always held an important place in the Australian economy so that its significance for Queensland is not surprising. Here are obtained various minerals such as gold, silver and bauxite.
Queensland is the most attractive place in Australia in terms of real estate. This makes their prices among the highest on the continent.
Tourism Queensland
If you travel to Queensland, most convenient is to fly to the international airport in Brisbane, though there are also international flights to Cairns.
However, it is better to comply with the distances as they are pretty large. Between Australian cities there are also regular flights because it is not always appropriate to travel by car or bus.
If you travel to the most visited destinations in North Queensland – Cairns, is best to fly directly there, or if that opportunity does not exist to travel to Brisbane for example, and then with another plane to Cairns.
A straight line distance between Brisbane and Cairns is approximately 1380 km. So that you can imagine how long and tiring journey would be.
Queensland is an amazing place for tourism. Place which is with certainly completely different from anything you’ve ever seen. Queensland is the jewel of Australia.
This is a state, which can offer stunning landscapes, modern cities, unique flora and fauna. Most plant and animal species can not be seen elsewhere, except in Australia. But you must be careful because a lot of native animals and even plants can be very dangerous.
There are a wide variety of snakes, insects and others that could be dangerous for you if you are not very cautious and do not follow the required distance. Australia is a haven for dangerous animals.
Here one can meets a bird called the cassowary. It is known that if wishes it could kill an adult human with its sharp beak and dangerous talons.
Dangers in Queensland are many, but in coastal waters are even more. Jellyfishes, fishes and all sorts of sea creatures can be a threat to unwary tourists.
Do not forget also the saltwater crocodiles, which are considered to be the most dangerous in the world.
Interestingly in this type of crocodile is that unlike its other relatives, it lives not only in fresh, but also in salt water as you can understand from its name.
Some people say that the dangers are the reason because of which Queensland is so exciting. The Other Face of Queensland is exotic. The all year-round warm climate and sunny weather attracts many people wishing to escape the dark and gray winter days in temperate latitudes.
Among the warm tropical waters of Australia there are thousands of islands waiting to be discovered. Opportunities for diving and enjoying the coral reefs are better than any other place on earth.
Marine waters are clean and visibility is very high. Whitsunday Islands is a real tropical paradise and the beaches are just tremendously beautiful. Here you will find one of the most beautiful Australian beaches – White Haven Beach.
In general, it is difficult to describe the beauty of the Great Barrier Reef. This is something unique and really worth seeing. An interesting detail is that tourists could stay in the hotel, floating among the reef waters and the reason is to be closer to that miracle of nature.
Besides innumerable natural beauties of sunny Queensland, there are also many wonderful cities that can make your holiday an unforgettable experience. Sometimes people call Brisbane most modern city in the southern hemisphere.
Extremely rapid growth and impressive skyline are the reasons, because of which the city today attracts not only tourists but also great number of investors.
Cairns and Rockhampton are fascinating, and the Gold Coast is one of the largest and most rapidly developing resorts in the world. That what will greatly impress you is the 323-meters high skyscraper Q1.
When to visit Queensland? The best time of the year for tourism in Queensland is the winter season (April-November) when temperatures are most pleasant and there is no extreme heat.
Moreover, during the winter months the weather is dry, and the probability of rainfall is greatly reduced. The weather in this tropical state is suitable for swimming and surfing all year round.
What clothes to wear for tourism in Queensland? Summer clothes are perfectly suited for tourism in Queensland throughout the year. You could get some warmer clothes as thin anorak or jacket if you plan to visit the mountain regions.
Light jacket will be needed also for evening hours during the winter if you visit the southern most part of the state (e.g Brisbane). Be sure to take sunscreen with a very high SPF (sun protection factor). Sun in Queensland is quite strong!
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