Far North Queensland Queensland
Map of Far North Queensland
Population:	275058 (2010)
Area:	273147.6 km² (105,462.9 sq mi)
LGA:	Aurukun, Cairns, Cassowary Coast, Cook, Hopevale, Kowanyama, Lockhart River, Mapoon, Napranum, Northern Peninsula Area, Pormpuraaw, Tablelands, Torres, Torres Strait Island, Weipa, Wujal Wujal, Yarrabah
State electorate:	Electoral district of Cook, Electoral district of Cairns, Electoral district of Barron River, Electoral district of Mulgrave
Federal Division:	Division of Kennedy, Division of Leichhardt

Far North Queensland, or FNQ, is the northernmost part of the Australian state of Queensland. The region, which contains a large section of the Tropical North Queensland area, stretches from the city of Cairns north to the Torres Strait. To the west lies the Gulf Country and North Queensland is the region to the south.

Extent[link]

Various Government Departments and agencies have different definitions for the region. The Queensland Government Planning Department's Population Growth - The Far North Queensland Region 2005 document defines the region as an area comprising the Cairns Region, Tablelands Region and two Aboriginal Councils (Wujal Wujal and Yarrabah).^[1] The Australian Bureau of Statistics defines the region as containing most of Cape York Peninsula (excluding the south western quarter, half way up the Gulf of Carpentaria coast) and the Torres Strait Islands and extending as far south as Hinchinbrook Island and the town of Cardwell, but excluding the city of Townsville. This larger definition is also used by other State Government agencies^[2][3][4][5] and also encompasses the local government areas of Aurukun, Cook, Croydon, Etheridge, and Lockhart River, as well as the Northern Peninsula Area Region and Torres Strait Island Region. It has a total area of 273147.6 km².^[6]

Settlements[link]

The main population and administrative centre of the region is Cairns. Other key population centres include Cooktown, the Atherton Tableland, Weipa, Innisfail and the Torres Strait Islands. The region also consists of many Aboriginal and farming communities. The Bruce Highway links southern coastal parts of the region with the rest of the state.

Industry[link]

Significant industries include tourism, cattle grazing, agriculture (sugar cane and tropical fruits) and mining of both sand and bauxite. Over the past few years, Far North Queensland has become increasingly known for its artistic and creative offerings, with experimental and contemporary projects happening through the work of The Upholstery, Merchants of Fine Objects, Cupcake Studio, KickArts, On Edge Festival, New Move Dance Network, Cairns Indigenous Art Fair, and Cairns Festival. As the major urban centre in Far North Queensland, Cairns is home to cultural influences from Cape York Peninsula and the Torres Strait Islands, to inland communities and the Gulf of Carpentaria and South Pacific islands. Active arts organisation include End Credits Film Club, Tanks Arts Centre, Cairns Civic Theatre, UMI Arts, JUTE Theatre, Centre of Contemporary Arts, Rondo Theatre, Reggaetown, and Cairns Regional Gallery.

Demographics[link]

The Australian Bureau of Statistics estimates the region's population at 275,058 in 2010.^[6] The region contains 25.6% of the state's Indigenous population, or 28,909 people, making up 11.8% of the region's population.^[7]

History[link]

South Sea Islander workers on the Lower Herbert around 1890

The region suffered Queensland's worst maritime disaster on 4 March 1899 when the Mahina Cyclone destroyed all 100 ships moored in Princess Charlotte Bay. The entire North Queensland pearling fleet was in the bay at the time of the cyclone. Approximately 100 Aboriginals assisting survivors, and 307 men from the pearling fleet were drowned.^[8]

Far North Queensland is the location of the first amber fossils to be found in Australia. The four million years old fossils were found on a beach in Cape York Peninsula but were probably washed ashore after drifting with the currents for about 200 km.^[9]

See also[link]

Queensland portal

• North Queensland Party
• Proposal for a new state of North Queensland
• Regions of Queensland

References[link]

v t e Queensland Topics Economy · Energy · Flag · Geography · Geology · Government · History · Local Government · Parliament · Police · Politics · Queenslanders · Rail transport · Regions · Sport Regions South East · Darling Downs · Wide Bay-Burnett · South West · Central West · Central · North · Gulf Country · Far North Cities and towns Brisbane · Bundaberg · Cairns · Gladstone · Gold Coast · Gympie · Hervey Bay · Mackay · Rockhampton · Sunshine Coast · Toowoomba · Townsville Queensland portal

Look up far in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Far or FAR may refer to:

Organizations[link]

• Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias, the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces
• Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias (Argentina), a guerrilla group in Argentina
• Forces Armées Rwandaises, the Rwandan Armed Forces
• Forces Armées Royales, the Moroccan Army
• Fund for Armenian Relief
• Fuerzas Armadas Rebeldes (Rebel Armed Forces), the first guerilla organization in Guatemala
• FAR Rabat, a Moroccan football club
• FAR (Tracteurs FAR), a French truck manufacturer
• FAR, acronym of Forum Alpine Renault, fully dedicated to all Alpine and Renault Sport cars fans

Science, technology, and medicine[link]

• Far infrared astronomy
• Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer, a space-based telescope
• False accept rate in biometrics
• The First Assessment Report of the IPCC
• Final Analytical Report

Architecture and planning[link]

• Floor Area Ratio (Floor Space Index), a measurement of building density

Transportation[link]

• Fargo (Amtrak station), North Dakota's Amtrak station (code FAR)
• Federal Aviation Regulations
• Hector International Airport in Fargo, North Dakota (IATA airport code)

Television, film, and music[link]

• Far (band), rock band from California
• Far (album), the fifth studio album from musician Regina Spektor

Computers[link]

• FAR Manager, a Win32 Norton Commander clone
• Far pointer, in computer science

Government[link]

• Federal Acquisition Regulations
• Federal Aviation Regulations
• Floor Area Ratio, a measure of comparative urban density often used in the field of zoning

Places[link]

• Far East, or South and Southeast Asia
• Far Eastern Republic
• Far Eastern Federal District

See also[link]

• Distance
• Fars (disambiguation)
• Near (disambiguation)

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2008)

North Queensland Queensland
Queensland's regions
Population:	231,628
Area:	80041.5 km² (30,904.2 sq mi)
LGA:	Burdekin, Charters Towers, Hinchinbrook, Mackay, Palm Island, Townsville
State electorate:	Whitsunday, Burdekin, Hinchinbrook, Mackay
Federal Division:	Dawson, Kennedy

North Queensland or the Northern Region is the northern part of the state of Queensland in Australia. Queensland is a massive state, larger than many countries, and the tropical northern part of it has been historically remote and undeveloped, resulting in a distinctive regional character and identity.

Townsville is the largest urban centre in North Queensland, leading it to be regarded as an unofficial capital^{[citation needed]}. The region has a population of 231,628 and covers 80,041.5 km².^[1]

Geography[link]

There is no official boundary that separates North Queensland from the rest of the state. Unofficially it is usually considered to have a southern border beginning south of the Mackay Region southern boundary, but historically it has been as far south as Rockhampton. To the north is the Far North Queensland region, centred around Cairns and out west is the Gulf Country.

Suburbs of Townsville around Castle Hill

A coastal region centred around its largest settlement is the city of Townsville. The city is the location of a major seaport handling exports from mines in Mount Isa and cattle exports from coastal and inland areas. The region also contains a bulk sugar exporting terminal at Lucinda in the region's north. Mackay is Australia's sugar capital and produces the most sugar in Australia and is shipped at Mackay Harbour. Mackay is also one of Australia's biggest coal exporters as it is close to Queensland's major mines. Dalrymple Bay, south of Mackay is another port where coal and sugar is exported. It also contains the inland city of Charters Towers and the coastal towns of Ayr and Ingham.

There a number of sugar mills in the region, like this one at Proserpine

Other Communities in North Queensland include Home Hill, Sarina, Bowen, Airlie Beach and Proserpine.

State of North Queensland[link]

Throughout the years, there have been many calls for the formation of a new state. Many proposals have been drawn up, regarding the borders, name and the debate over which city will become the capital.^[2]

See also[link]

Queensland portal

• Regions of Queensland

References[link]

v t e Queensland Topics Economy · Energy · Flag · Geography · Geology · Government · History · Local Government · Parliament · Police · Politics · Queenslanders · Rail transport · Regions · Sport Regions South East · Darling Downs · Wide Bay-Burnett · South West · Central West · Central · North · Gulf Country · Far North Cities and towns Brisbane · Bundaberg · Cairns · Gladstone · Gold Coast · Gympie · Hervey Bay · Mackay · Rockhampton · Sunshine Coast · Toowoomba · Townsville Queensland portal

Coordinates: 20°15′40″S 146°01′12″E / 20.26111°S 146.02°E / -20.26111; 146.02

This Queensland location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

This North Queensland related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Queensland
Flag Coat of arms
Slogan or nickname: Sunshine State
Motto(s): Audax at Fidelis (Bold but Faithful)
Other Australian states and territories
Capital	Brisbane
Demonym	Queenslander
Government	Constitutional monarchy
- Governor	Penelope Wensley
- Premier	Campbell Newman (LNP)
Australian State
- Established as Self-Governing Colony	6 June 1859
- Became State	1901
- Australia Act	3 March 1986
Area
- Total	1,852,642 km2 (2nd largest) 715,309 sq mi
- Land	1,730,648 km2 668,207 sq mi
- Water	121,994 km2 (6.58%) 47,102 sq mi
Population (June 2010)
- Population	4,580,700[1] (3rd)
- Density	2.61/km2 (5th) 6.8 /sq mi
Elevation
- Highest	Mount Bartle Frere +1,622 m (5,321 ft)
Gross State Product (2009–10)
- Product ($m)	$254,550[2] (3rd)
- Product per capita	$56,362 (4th)
Time zone	AEST UTC+10 does not observe DST
Federal representation
- House seats	30
- Senate seats	12
Abbreviations
- Postal	QLD
- ISO 3166-2	AU-QLD
Emblems
- Floral	Cooktown orchid (Dendrobium phalaenopsis)
- Animal	Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus)
- Bird	Brolga (Grus rubicunda)
- Fish	Barrier Reef Anemonefish (Amphiprion akindynos)
- Gem	Sapphire
- Colours	Maroon
Web site	www.qld.gov.au

Coordinates: 23°0′S 143°0′E / 23°S 143°E / -23; 143 Queensland is the second-largest and third-most populous state of Australia, located in the northeast 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 4,580,700, concentrated along the coast and particularly in the state's South East. The state is the world's sixth largest subnational entity, with an area of 1,852,642 km2. The capital and largest city in the state is Brisbane, Australia's third largest city. 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.

Queensland was first occupied by Indigenous Australians and Torres Strait Islanders, who arrived at least 40,000 years ago.^[3] The first European to land in Queensland was Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon in 1607. 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 permitted in 1842. Queensland was separated from New South Wales, forming a self-governing colony, on 6 June 1859, a date now celebrated state-wide as Queensland Day. Queensland achieved statehood with the Federation of Australia on 1 January 1901.

Queensland's Governor is Penelope Wensley, and the Premier is Campbell Newman of the Liberal National Party.

Etymology[link]

The state was named in honour of Queen Victoria,^[4] who on 6 June 1859 signed Letters Patent separating the colony from New South Wales. Queen Victoria, who went on to become Britain's 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.^[5][6]

History[link]

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 northeastern 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.^[7] 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 150th anniversary of its creation as a separate colony from New South Wales.^[8] 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.^[9]

Geography[link]

Commonly-designated regions of Queensland

The Great Barrier Reef, which extends along Queensland's northern coastline

A coral garden in Osprey Reef

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 southwest by the northeastern 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 southwest.

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[link]

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.^[10]

There are five predominate climatic zones in Queensland,^[11] based on temperature and humidity:

• hot humid summer (far north and coastal)
• warm humid summer (coastal elevated hinterlands and coastal southeast)
• hot dry summer, mild winter (central west)
• hot dry summer, cold winter (southern west)
• temperate – warm summer, cold winter (inland southeast, 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^[12] 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.^[17]

Demographics[link]

State capital and most populous city, Brisbane, located in southeast Queensland.

Queensland has a less centralised population than other states, with significant populations in regional cities such as Townsville (above).

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%

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.^[20] Queensland's growth rate has since been surpassed by Western Australia^[21]).

Economy[link]

Sugar canefields south of Childers

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.^[22]

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.^[23]

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.^[24] 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[link]

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.^[25] 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, Cairns, Port Douglas and the Daintree Rainforest, Gold Coast, the Great Barrier Reef, Hervey Bay and nearby Fraser Island, Townsville, Magnetic Island, North Stradbroke Island and South Stradbroke Island, Sunshine Coast, Hamilton Island, Daydream Island and the Whitsundays known for Airlie Beach and Whitehaven Beach.

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 numerous wildlife parks in Queensland. On the Gold Coast there is Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary at Currumbin and David Fleay Wildlife Park at Burleigh Heads. On the Sunshine Coast there is UnderWater World at Mooloolaba and Australia Zoo near Beerwah/Glass House Mountains, home of Steve Irwin until his death in 2006.

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary at Fig Tree Pocket and Brisbane Forest Park at The Gap are located in Brisbane. North of Brisbane is Alma Park Zoo which is relocating to Logan City and Kumbartcho Wildlife Sanctuary which was originally called 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%).^[26]

Transport[link]

Cairns International Airport

Queensland is served by a number of National Highways and, particularly in South East Queensland, high quality motorways such as the M1. The Queensland government Department of Transport & Main Roads oversees the development and operation of main roads and public transport, including taxis and local aviation.

Principal rail services are provided by Queensland Rail and Pacific National, predominantly between the major towns along the coastal strip east of the Great Dividing Range.

Major seaports include the Port of Brisbane and subsidiary ports at Gladstone, Townsville and Bundaberg. There are large coal export facilities at Hay Point / Dalrymple Bay, Gladstone and Abbot Point. Sugar is another major export, with facilities at Lucinda and Mackay.

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 has an integrated public transport system operated by the TransLink Transit Authority, which provides services bus, rail and ferry services through contracted bus and ferry operators and Queensland Rail. The TransLink network operates a fare system which allows a single ticket to be used across all modes for the same price irrespective of the number of transfers made on the trip. Regional bus and long-distance rail services are also provided throughout the State. Local bus services are also available in most regional centres.

Governance[link]

The Parliament House in Brisbane.

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 Campbell Newman of the Liberal National 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.^[27] The Parliament is housed in the 19th century Parliament House and 20th century Parliamentary Annexe in Brisbane. The state's politics are traditionally regarded as being conservative relative to other states.^{[28][29][30][31][32]}

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[link]

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.^[33]

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.^[34]

Universities[link]

Bond University in Robina

The state's first university, the University of Queensland was established in 1909. It was moved to St Lucia in 1945, where it remains today. The University of Queensland ranks amongst the top 100 universities in several global rankings.

James Cook University was setup in 1970 to become the first tertiary education institution in North Queensland. Griffith University was established in the Brisbane suburb of Nathan in 1971. Bond University was established in 1987 as a not-for-profit university, the first of its type in Queensland and is located at Robina on the Gold Coast. In the Brisbane central business district at Gardens Point the Queensland University of Technology was opened in 1989.

In the following decades the Central Queensland University, University of Southern Queensland and the University of the Sunshine Coast were established. The Australian Catholic University also operates a campus in Brisbane.

Sports[link]

The Brisbane Broncos are one of the most successful teams in the National Rugby League competition

The Queensland Bulls take part in Australia's domestic cricket tournaments

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. Rugby league football's annual 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.

Queensland's dominance is not restricted to rugby league. The early part of this decade saw the AFL's Brisbane Lions claim a hat-trick of premierships between 2001–2003 inclusive, and coming so close to a record-equalling fourth, whilst recently Brisbane Roar FC won its first A-League title in March 2011, the culmination of a season of long dominance in which it has not lost since September last year. Just four years after being branded "the joke of rugby", the Queensland Reds won its first Super Rugby title in July 2011. The Queensland Firebirds were also an outstanding team in 2011, going undefeated in the Netball ANZ Championship to win the Grand Final.

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[link]

	Geography portal
	Oceania portal
	Commonwealth realms portal
	Australia portal
	Queensland portal

• Queensland Council of Unions
• Queensland Day
• Queensland Expatriate Awards
• Queensland State Archives
• 2010–2011 Queensland floods
• United Nations Association of Australia (Queensland) Community Award

Lists:

• Governor of Queensland
• Premier of Queensland
• List of highways in Queensland
• List of schools in Queensland
• Protected areas of Queensland
• Category:People from Queensland

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Queensland

• Government of Queensland
• Queensland State Archives
• [1]

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