Queensland Post Codes & Zip Codes List

Queensland, Australia Description

Queensland, in northern Australia, is the wettest and most tropical state. It is bordered to the north and east by the Coral Sea, to the south by New South Wales, to the southwest by South Australia, and to the west by the Northern Territory. Brisbane, the state capital, is on the east coast.

Second largest state, Queensland, covers nearly a quarter of Australia. It is nearly twice the size of Texas and seven times the size of the UK. However, Queensland is Australia's largest state by land area, larger than Western Australia. It is also the most decentralized mainland state, with most of its population dispersed along a 1,400-mile stretch of the eastern coast (2,250 km). The rest of the population is thinly spread across the vast interior, making access and communication difficult. Queensland's economy is based on resource exports, primarily pastoral, agricultural, and mineral products.

More than half of Queensland is north of the Tropic of Capricorn, and early Europeans who were unfamiliar with tropical life encountered significant resistance. However, the previously disadvantageous climate became a benefit. The Great Barrier Reef, which stretches 1,250 miles (2,000 kilometers) off Queensland's Coral Sea coast, is one of the state's most popular tourist attractions. The state's population grew rapidly due to "sunbelt" migration to the state's more desirable coastal regions, while the state's already sparsely populated interior continued to shrink. 668,207 sq. mile (1,730,648 square km).

Geographical Description of Queensland

Eastern Uplands and Central Sedimentary Lowlands landform zones encircle Queensland. Extensive exposures of granite and mineralized metamorphic rocks are occasionally capped by younger basalt flows, while broad basins of even younger sedimentary rocks are found in the state's eastern third. The most daring topography is found close to the coast, with 2,000-5,000 foot summits (600 to 1,500 metres). The uplands get plenty of rain and are surrounded by narrow coastal valleys on three sides. East of the mountains are large sedimentary basins drained by major intermittent streams like the Burdekin, Fitzroy, Barron, and Burnett rivers. Along the coast are dramatic headlands, sandy beaches, lagoons, estuaries, wetlands, alluvial plains, and occasionally large vegetated dunes.

The vast inland plains appear monotonous in comparison to the coastal area's variety, drained by unreliable streams prone to extensive flooding. Broad, braided stream channels developed in the far southwest's Channel Country are aided by gentle gradients. The Great Artesian Basin provides livestock with a reliable source of water. The Mount Isa block is made up of ancient mineralized uplands.

Due to its location between 10° and 29° S, Queensland has a tropical and subtropical climate. Summer temperatures range from 82°F (28°C) along the coast to 99°F (37°C) inland. Winters are mild and sunny, with July maxima ranging from 68°F (20°C) to 79°F (26°C). Interior summers are hot, while southern winters are colder, with up to 100 days of frost.

From the coast to the interior, precipitation and humidity levels decrease. The southwest receives 5 to 6 inches of rain annually, while the narrow coastal zone receives 30 to 60 inches (125 to 150 mm). In the northern tropics, the rainy season lasts from late summer to early autumn. Winter rainfall in Southern Queensland supports winter wheat cropping. Due to the prevailing southeast winds, a small coastal zone in northern Queensland receives up to 180 inches of rain annually (4,575 mm). Rainfall is highly variable, with extremes of drought and flood, and tropical cyclone damage along the northern coasts. Unusual heavy rains in late 2010 and early 2011 overflowed several major river systems in the state. Rockhampton, Bundaberg, and Emerald were all flooded, and crops were destroyed across Queensland.

Queenslanders live in coastal cities, with nearly half in Brisbane, compared to the national average of roughly two-thirds in state capitals. Despite having a small land area, the southeast has over three-fifths of the state's population. The Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast's rapid growth, fueled by tourism, retirement, and discretionary migration, has increased its share.

Given its proximity to Brisbane, Southeastern Queensland's rural economy is diverse, focusing on dairying, poultry and cattle farming; subtropical fruit and vegetable production; and hobby farming. There are farms from 50 to 1,000 acres (20 to 400 hectares). A series of widely separated, intensively cropped sugarcane districts extends northward along the narrow coastal zone, connected by narrow-gauge railways to nearby crushing mills. Ingham to Mossman via Tully Innisfail Cairns and Maryborough are the major districts. Unlike the sugarlands, most near-coastal lands are sparsely populated and used for extensive beef-cattle grazing.

An inland zone of mixed crop/grazing extends from the narrow coastal strip. The only district with a cool temperate climate suitable for pome and stone fruits, as well as grapes, is adjacent to the southern border. Close by, the Darling Downs, with its basaltic and alluvial soils, is one of Australia's most productive agricultural regions, producing wheat, sorghum, corn (maize), cotton, oilseeds and cattle. West and north, a subcoastal agricultural transition zone. Since the mid-20th century, large areas have been cleared for summer and winter grain crops and improved pastures. Prior to this, large-scale clearing efforts had failed due to the tree's vigorous suckering ability.

The interior lacks adequate moisture for crop production. Mitchell grasslands on heavy clay soils in central Queensland are the most productive grazing lands, supporting 6,000 to 10,000 fine-wool Merino sheep per family holding. In the southern inland, low open mulga woodland with light red earths supports similar flock sizes (200 to 300 square km). Graziers have become overly reliant on mulga as a year-round feed for Merino sheep. In some cases, heavy grazing has resulted in severe land degradation.

The remote west and north have limited potential due to aridity, seasonal rainfall, and degraded soils and grasslands. Large company-owned cattle stations still hold the more manageable grazing lands, averaging over 2,000 square miles (5,200 square kilometers). They have over 20,000 cattle and employ around 15 people most of the year; more than half are stockmen who muster and yard cattle away from the self-contained homestead complex. It is mostly rural, with a few mining towns and Aboriginal townships.

Brisbane's location in the state's southeastern corner makes it the only Australian state with a clearly defined set of major provincial cities. Bundaberg, Rockhampton, Mackay, Townsville, and Cairns are all over 200 miles apart (320 km). They're all regional hubs, and the bigger ones are also gateways to the interior. Notable inland city Toowoomba is a regional hub and access point to the Darling Downs and the southern interior. It is the largest inland town in the far north.

Queenslanders are increasingly living in single-person households in both rural and urban areas. The pattern has become more pronounced, to the point where approximately one-fifth of the population lived alone in the early twenty-first century.

Economy of Queensland

Queensland, along with Western Australia and the Northern Territory, is frequently referred to as a resource-based frontier state, with a particular emphasis on agricultural, mineral, and energy resources. This image was preserved throughout the 1970s and 1980s booms, owing largely to the expansion of coal mining and tourism. Simultaneously, beginning in the late twentieth century, population growth and urbanization stimulated a rapid expansion of investment and employment in a diverse range of service activities.