Regions of Queensland
Encyclopedia
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
. Due to its large size and decentralised population, the state is often divided into regions for statistical and administrative purposes. Each region varies somewhat in terms of its economy, population, climate, geography, flora and fauna. Cultural and official perceptions and definitions of the various regions differ somewhat depending on the government agency or popular group by which they are being applied.
Overview
Various Queensland state government departments adopt different definitions of regions for administrative purposes. The Queensland government Office of Economic and Statistical Research defines eleven regions. These are (roughly from south to north):- BrisbaneBrisbaneBrisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
- Moreton
- Darling Downs
- South WestMaranoa, QueenslandThe Maranoa is the name given to an area of southern Queensland. Some refer to the Maranoa as the Western Downs. The Maranoa is an eastern part of the larger, mostly arid South West region of Queensland...
- Central West
- Wide Bay-BurnettWide Bay-BurnettWide Bay-Burnett is a region of the Australian state of Queensland, located between 170 and 400 kilometres north of the state capital, Brisbane. The area's population growth has exceeded the state average over the past 20 years, and it is forecast to grow to more than 430,000 by 2031...
- Fitzroy
- Mackay
- NorthernNorth QueenslandNorth Queensland or the Northern Region is the northern part of the state of Queensland in Australia. Queensland is a massive state, larger than most countries, and the tropical northern part of it has been historically remote and undeveloped, resulting in a distinctive regional character and...
- North WestGulf CountryThe Gulf Country is the name given to the region of woodland and savanna grassland surrounding the Gulf of Carpentaria in north western Queensland and eastern Northern Territory on the north coast of Australia...
- Far NorthFar North QueenslandFar 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...
These are the same divisions used by the Australian Bureau of Statistics
Australian Bureau of Statistics
The Australian Bureau of Statistics is Australia's national statistical agency. It was created as the Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics on 8 December 1905, when the Census and Statistics Act 1905 was given Royal assent. It had its beginnings in section 51 of the Constitution of Australia...
. Sometimes several of these regions may be combined and referred to as a single region - for example, Mackay and Fitzroy are together known as Central Queensland
Central Queensland
Central Queensland is an ambiguous geographical division of Queensland that centres on the eastern coast, around the Tropic of Capricorn. Its major regional centre is Rockhampton and the Capricorn Coast and the area extends west to the Central Highlands at Emerald, north to the Mackay Regional...
, whilst Brisbane and Moreton are together known as South East Queensland
South East Queensland
South East Queensland is a region of the state of Queensland in Australia, which contains approximately two-thirds of the state population...
. Smaller regions may also exist within these defined regions, such as the Torres Strait Islands
Torres Strait Islands
The Torres Strait Islands are a group of at least 274 small islands which lie in Torres Strait, the waterway separating far northern continental Australia's Cape York Peninsula and the island of New Guinea but Torres Strait Island known and Recognize as Nyumaria.The islands are mostly part of...
or the Whitsunday Islands
Whitsunday Islands
The Whitsunday Islands are a collection of continental islands of various sizes off the central coast of Queensland, Australia, situated between just south of Bowen and to the north of Mackay, some north of Brisbane. The island group is centred on Whitsunday Island, while the group's commercial...
.
South East Queensland
South East QueenslandSouth East Queensland
South East Queensland is a region of the state of Queensland in Australia, which contains approximately two-thirds of the state population...
is commonly considered to be a single region. It contains two statistical regions listed above, Brisbane and Moreton. The region has a population of 2,847,029 people, or 66.3% of the state's population. The area contains Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, the state's capital city, as well as the Gold Coast
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
, Sunshine Coast
Sunshine Coast, Queensland
The Sunshine Coast is an urban area in South East Queensland, north of the state capital of Brisbane on the Pacific Ocean coastline. Although it does not have a central business district, by population it ranks as the 10th largest metropolis in Australia and the third largest in...
, Ipswich
Ipswich, Queensland
Ipswich is a city in South-East Queensland, Australia. Situated along the Bremer River Valley approximately 40 kilometres away from the state's capital Brisbane. The suburb by the same name forms the city's Central Business District and administrative centre...
and the Lockyer Valley. The region is the major administrative and commercial centre and focus of tourism within Queensland.
Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
metropolitan area, centred on the City of Brisbane
City of Brisbane
The City of Brisbane is the Local Government Area that has jurisdiction over the inner portion of the metropolitan area of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia...
and also including the Logan, Redland, Moreton Bay and Ipswich
City of Ipswich
The City of Ipswich is a Local Government Area in South East Queensland, covering an area of along the coast about southwest of Brisbane, the capital of Queensland. The City of Ipswich has a population of 162,380 .-History:...
local government areas. The metropolitan area has a population of 1,945,639 (2008), representing 45% of the State's population. It is the state's main commercial and administrative centre and contains the state's largest domestic and international airport.
Moreton
The Moreton region is largely used only for statistical purposes and is not otherwise in common use. The area is popularly regarded as being part of 'South East Queensland' and contains the areas not within the Brisbane metropolitan areaMetropolitan area
The term metropolitan area refers to a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories, sharing industry, infrastructure, and housing. A metropolitan area usually encompasses multiple jurisdictions and municipalities: neighborhoods, townships,...
, namely the Sunshine Coast, the Gold Coast, and the West Moreton
West Moreton
West Moreton is a region of the Australian state of Queensland, consisting of the entire rural western portion of South East Queensland. It sits inland from both the Brisbane metropolitan area and the Gold Coast and to the east of the Darling Downs. Much of the region lies in the Great Dividing Range...
sub-region consisting of the Lockyer Valley, Scenic Rim and Somerset local government areas.
The Gold
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
and Sunshine
Sunshine Coast, Queensland
The Sunshine Coast is an urban area in South East Queensland, north of the state capital of Brisbane on the Pacific Ocean coastline. Although it does not have a central business district, by population it ranks as the 10th largest metropolis in Australia and the third largest in...
Coasts, located south and north of Brisbane respectively, are two of the Queensland's most popular tourist regions, containing many hotels and resorts. Each region has an airport which caters primarily to tourists. The remaining parts of the region are located inland, west of Brisbane, and are primarily rural.
The region has a population of 901,390, representing 21.0% of Queensland's population.
Darling Downs
The Darling Downs region, located about 160 kilometres (99 mi) west of BrisbaneBrisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, consists of the fertile agricultural area west of the Great Dividing Range
Great Dividing Range
The Great Dividing Range, or the Eastern Highlands, is Australia's most substantial mountain range and the third longest in the world. The range stretches more than 3,500 km from Dauan Island off the northeastern tip of Queensland, running the entire length of the eastern coastline through...
and south to the New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
state border, centred on the city of Toowoomba
Toowoomba, Queensland
Toowoomba is a city in Southern Queensland, Australia. It is located west of Queensland's capital city, Brisbane. With an estimated district population of 128,600, Toowoomba is Australia's second largest inland city and its largest non-capital inland city...
. It has an area of 90246 square kilometres (34,844 sq mi) and contains the local government areas of Toowoomba, Goondiwindi, Southern Downs and Western Downs. In 2008, the region had a population of 231,599.
South West
The South West region borders the states of New South WalesNew South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
and South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
and is sparsely populated. It contains the local government areas of Maranoa, Balonne, Bulloo, Murweh, Paroo and Quilpie. The main towns of the region are Roma
Roma, Queensland
Roma is a town in the western Darling Downs area of Queensland, Australia, by rail WNW of Brisbane. It is situated at the junction of the Warrego and Carnarvon highways...
, Mitchell
Mitchell, Queensland
Mitchell is a town in the Western Downs region of Queensland, Australia. It is on the Warrego Highway, 587 kilometres west of Brisbane and 176 kilometres east of Charleville. At the 2006 census, Mitchell had a population of 944....
, St George
St George, Queensland
St George is a town of approximately 2400 people in south-western Queensland, Australia. It is the administrative centre for the Shire of Balonne. It was named by Major Thomas Mitchell who crossed the Balonne River on St George's Day, 23 April 1846. At the 2006 census, St George had a population of...
, Cunnamulla
Cunnamulla, Queensland
Cunnamulla is a small town that lies on the Warrego River in south west Queensland, Australia, south of Charleville, and approximately west of the state capital, Brisbane....
, Charleville
Charleville, Queensland
Charleville is a town in south western Queensland, Australia, 758 kilometres by road west of Brisbane . It is the largest town and administrative centre of the Murweh Shire, which covers an area of 43,905 square kilometres...
, Surat
Surat, Queensland
Surat is a small rural town on the Balonne River, approximately south of Roma on the Carnarvon Highway. It is west of Brisbane. At the 2006 census, Surat had a population of 436.The district was first mapped by Surveyor-General Sir Thomas Mitchell in 1846...
and Thargomindah
Thargomindah, Queensland
- External links:* * * *...
. Economic activities include cattle grazing, cotton farming, and natural resource extraction such as natural gas and opal mining. In 2008, the region has a population of 26,150 and an area of 319883 square kilometres (123,507.5 sq mi).
Central West
The Central West region borders South AustraliaSouth Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
and the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
, and consists of the Barcaldine, Barcoo, Blackall-Tambo, Boulia, Diamantina, Longreach and Winton local government areas. Despite its vast land area of 374743 square kilometres (144,689 sq mi), it only had a population of 12,256 (2008). It includes the region commonly known as Channel Country
Channel Country
The Channel Country is region of outback Australia located mostly in the state of Queensland but also in portions of South Australia, Northern Territory and New South Wales. The name comes from the numerous intertwined rivulets that cross the region, which cover 150,000 km²...
.
Wide Bay-Burnett
The Wide Bay-Burnett region is located north-east of the Darling Downs and north of the Sunshine Coast
Sunshine Coast, Queensland
The Sunshine Coast is an urban area in South East Queensland, north of the state capital of Brisbane on the Pacific Ocean coastline. Although it does not have a central business district, by population it ranks as the 10th largest metropolis in Australia and the third largest in...
, covering a region of 52377 square kilometres (20,223 sq mi). It consists of the Bundaberg, Fraser Coast, Gympie, North Burnett and South Burnett local government areas. Major centres include Bundaberg, Gympie
Gympie
Gympie may refer to:* Gympie, a city in Queensland, Australia** Gympie Airport** Electoral district of Gympie** Gympie Region, its local government authority* Gympie Gympie , a stinging plant...
, Hervey Bay, Kingaroy and Maryborough
Maryborough, Queensland
Maryborough is a city located on the Mary River in South East Queensland, Australia, approximately north of the state capital, Brisbane. The city is serviced by the Bruce Highway, and has a population of approximately 22,000 . It is closely tied to its neighbour city Hervey Bay which is...
. The area is rich in sugar cane farms and mills and has a significant tourism industry - it includes Fraser Island, a popular tourist destination and world's largest sand island. Its population in 2008 was 276,752.
Fitzroy
The Fitzroy region contains the major centres of RockhamptonRockhampton
Rockhampton can refer to:* Rockhampton, Queensland is a city in Queensland, Australia* Rockhampton City, Queensland, a suburb of Rockhampton, Queensland* Electoral district of Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia...
and Gladstone
Gladstone, Queensland
- Education :Gladstone has several primary schools, three high schools, and one university campus, Central Queensland University. It is also home to CQIT Gladstone Campus.- Recreation :...
, the coastal areas and popular holiday destination's Agnes Water and 1770
1770, Queensland
1770 is a village in Queensland, Australia, built on the site of the second landing by James Cook and the crew of HM Bark Endeavour in May 1770 . Originally known as Round Hill — after the creek it sits on — the name was changed in 1970 to commemorate the bicentennial of Cook's visit...
, and well as the hinterland areas further west. The region's economy is heavily dominated by coal mining, and cattle grazing. A major aluminium
Aluminium
Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
smelter is located in Gladstone. The region has a population of 187,916 people and covers an area of 122,971.5 km².
Mackay
The Mackay region is centred on the coastal city of MackayMackay, Queensland
Mackay is a city on the eastern coast of Queensland, Australia, about north of Brisbane, on the Pioneer River. Mackay is nicknamed the sugar capital of Australia because its region produces more than a third of Australia's cane sugar....
and extends some 300 km inland. It contains the Whitsunday Islands
Whitsunday Islands
The Whitsunday Islands are a collection of continental islands of various sizes off the central coast of Queensland, Australia, situated between just south of Bowen and to the north of Mackay, some north of Brisbane. The island group is centred on Whitsunday Island, while the group's commercial...
group and the coastal towns of Proserpine
Proserpine, Queensland
-External links:* * * * *...
, Bowen
Bowen, Queensland
Bowen is a town on the eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. At the 2006 census, Bowen had a population of 7,484.-Geography:Bowen is located on the north-east coast of Australia, at exactly twenty degrees south of the equator. In fact, the twentieth parallel crosses the main street...
and Sarina
Sarina, Queensland
Sarina is a town in central Queensland, Australia. It is situated south of the city of Mackay, and approximately north of the city of Rockhampton. At the 2006 census, Sarina had a population of 3,285....
. The coastal areas are densely covered in sugar cane farms, while the less densely populated inland areas have several mining communities.
Northern
The Northern region is a coastal region centered around the city of Townsville. Townsville 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 LucindaLucinda, Queensland
Lucinda is a coastal town in the state of Queensland, Australia, located at the southern entrance to Hinchinbrook Channel near the town of Ingham. A sugar-exporting town, Lucinda is noted for its 6km-long sugar jetty, the world's largest bulk sugar loading facility...
in the region's north. It also contains the inland city of Charters Towers
Charters Towers, Queensland
Charters Towers is a city in northern Queensland, Australia. It is located 137 kilometres inland from Townsville on the Flinders Highway. In 2006 the population was 7,979 people, some 450 fewer than in the 2001 census. During the last quarter of the 19th century the town boomed as the rich gold...
and the coastal towns of Ayr
Ayr, Queensland
Ayr is a town in Queensland, Australia near the delta of the Burdekin River, named after the Scottish town of Ayr by the settlers from the United Kingdom...
, Home Hill
Home Hill, Queensland
Home Hill, Queensland is a town in Queensland, Australia at the delta of the Burdekin River. It is a sugarcane growing area with underground water supplies to irrigate crops. At the 2006 census, Home Hill had a population of 2,907.- Geography :...
and Ingham
Ingham, Queensland
Ingham is a town in the Great Green Way region of North Queensland, Australia. The town was founded in 1864, gazetted a shire in 1879, and is the service centre for many sugarcane plantations, pioneered in the 1870s by William Ingham, for whom the town is named...
.
North West
Known as the Gulf Country
Gulf Country
The Gulf Country is the name given to the region of woodland and savanna grassland surrounding the Gulf of Carpentaria in north western Queensland and eastern Northern Territory on the north coast of Australia...
, the North West region is located along the Gulf of Carpentaria
Gulf of Carpentaria
The Gulf of Carpentaria is a large, shallow sea enclosed on three sides by northern Australia and bounded on the north by the Arafura Sea...
coast. The region's terrain is mostly arid or savanna
Savanna
A savanna, or savannah, is a grassland ecosystem characterized by the trees being sufficiently small or widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to support an unbroken herbaceous layer consisting primarily of C4 grasses.Some...
h country. The major city in the region is Mount Isa with a population of approximately 25,000. Other population centres include Burketown
Burketown, Queensland
- Morning glory cloud :From the months of August to November, a rare meteorological phenomenon known as "Morning Glory" - long, tubular clouds, some up to 1000 km in length - is often observed in the skies above Burketown.....
, Cloncurry
Cloncurry, Queensland
-Notable residents:*Writer Alexis Wright grew up in Cloncurry.*Association Footballer Kasey Wehrman was born in Cloncurry . He went on to play domestically and in Scandinavia. His achievements include winning a NSL Championship in 1996-1997 with the Brisbane Strikers and being capped several times...
, Doomadgee
Doomadgee, Queensland
Doomadgee Aboriginal Mission, originally known as Dumaji, was located on Bayley Point on the Gulf of Carpentaria. In 1936 after being destroyed by a cyclone the community was relocated to Nicholson River...
, Kowanyama
Kowanyama, Queensland
Kowanyama is a town on the Gulf of Carpentaria side of Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland, Australia.At the 2006 census, Kowanyama had a population of 1,017....
, Mornington Island
Mornington Island
Mornington Island is the northern most of 22 islands that form the Wellesley Islands group. The island is located in the Gulf of Carpentaria at and is part of the Gulf Country region in the Australian state of Queensland. The Manowar and Rocky Islands Important Bird Area lies about 40 km to...
and Normanton
Normanton, Queensland
-External links:****...
.
The region has a population of 35,779 or less than 1% of the state's total . 28.1% of the region's population identify as Indigenous
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
. The region's economy is heavily dominated by the Mount Isa Mines
Mount Isa Mines
The Mount Isa copper, lead, zinc and silver mines near Mount Isa, Queensland, Australia are part of the Xstrata mining company.-History:In 1923 the orebody containing lead, zinc and silver was discovered by the miner John Campbell Miles. The company Mount Isa Mines was founded 1924 but full scale...
which extracts zinc
Zinc
Zinc , or spelter , is a metallic chemical element; it has the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is the first element in group 12 of the periodic table. Zinc is, in some respects, chemically similar to magnesium, because its ion is of similar size and its only common oxidation state is +2...
, copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
, silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
and lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
. Another significant industry is cattle grazing. The region covers an area of 308098 square kilometres (118,957 sq mi).
Far North
The Far Northern region covers most of Cape York Peninsula
Cape York Peninsula
Cape York Peninsula is a large remote peninsula located in Far North Queensland at the tip of the state of Queensland, Australia, the largest unspoilt wilderness in northern Australia and one of the last remaining wilderness areas on Earth...
and stretches to the Torres Strait
Torres Strait
The Torres Strait is a body of water which lies between Australia and the Melanesian island of New Guinea. It is approximately wide at its narrowest extent. To the south is Cape York Peninsula, the northernmost continental extremity of the Australian state of Queensland...
at the northern most part of the State.
The main population and administrative centre of the region is located in Cairns. Other key population centres include Cooktown
Cooktown, Queensland
Cooktown is a small town located at the mouth of the Endeavour River, on Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland where James Cook beached his ship, the Endeavour, for repairs in 1770. At the 2006 census, Cooktown had a population of 1,336...
, the Atherton Tableland
Atherton Tableland
The Atherton Tableland is a fertile plateau which is part of the Great Dividing Range in Queensland, Australia. It is located west to south-south-west inland from Cairns, well into the tropics, but its elevated position provides a climate suitable for dairy farming. It has an area of around...
, Weipa
Weipa, Queensland
Weipa is the largest town on the Gulf of Carpentaria coast of the Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, Australia. At the 2006 census, Weipa had a population of 2,830; the largest community on Cape York Peninsula. It exists because of the enormous bauxite deposits along the coast...
and the Torres Strait Islands. The region also consists of many Aboriginal and farming communities. In 2003 the region's population was 231,494 of which 117,531 lived in Cairns.
Significant industries include tourism, cattle grazing, agriculture (sugar cane and tropical fruits) and mining of both sand and bauxite.
Other definitions
Other names for regions are also in popular usage, for example by other government agencies and in various maps of regions of Queensland. The state also contains some smaller regions within those discussed above which are not necessarily used for statistical purposes, but which are distinct in terms of their geography, economy or demographic characteristics. Other regions in Queensland include:- Tropical QueenslandTropical QueenslandTropical Queensland is region of the state of Queensland, Australia that lies north of latitude 23.5 degrees South in the tropical latitude.It contains the Tropical North Queensland including the Far North Queensland, North Queensland and the Mackay Region as well as the Gulf Country in the west...
- The area of the state north of latitude 23.5 degrees South. - Tropical North QueenslandTropical North QueenslandTropical North Queensland is general term referring to varying regions of the northern part of the Australian state of Queensland. The generally accepted definition is an area from about the city of Mackay north to the tip of Cape York....
- The area of the state north of Mackay. - "The Outback" - refers generally to Queensland arid inland regions. (see OutbackOutbackThe Outback is the vast, remote, arid area of Australia, term colloquially can refer to any lands outside the main urban areas. The term "the outback" is generally used to refer to locations that are comparatively more remote than those areas named "the bush".-Overview:The outback is home to a...
). - Gold CoastGold Coast, QueenslandGold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
- Whitsunday IslandsWhitsunday IslandsThe Whitsunday Islands are a collection of continental islands of various sizes off the central coast of Queensland, Australia, situated between just south of Bowen and to the north of Mackay, some north of Brisbane. The island group is centred on Whitsunday Island, while the group's commercial...
- group of islands within the Mackay region. Popular tourist destination. The region includes the coastal community of Airlie BeachAirlie Beach, QueenslandAirlie Beach is a town in the Whitsunday Region of Queensland, Australia. At the 2006 census, the suburb of Airlie Beach itself had a population of 2,751. The greater Whitsunday region had a population of approximately 31,000...
, and sometimes refers also to ProserpineProserpine, Queensland-External links:* * * * *...
. - Torres Strait IslandsTorres Strait IslandsThe Torres Strait Islands are a group of at least 274 small islands which lie in Torres Strait, the waterway separating far northern continental Australia's Cape York Peninsula and the island of New Guinea but Torres Strait Island known and Recognize as Nyumaria.The islands are mostly part of...
- between the northern tip of Queensland and Papua New GuineaPapua New GuineaPapua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands... - Atherton TablelandAtherton TablelandThe Atherton Tableland is a fertile plateau which is part of the Great Dividing Range in Queensland, Australia. It is located west to south-south-west inland from Cairns, well into the tropics, but its elevated position provides a climate suitable for dairy farming. It has an area of around...
- fertile agricultural district in Far North QueenslandFar North QueenslandFar 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...
- Cairns hinterland. - Granite Belt - an area of south-east Queensland centred around the town of StanthorpeStanthorpe, QueenslandStanthorpe is a town situated in south east Queensland, Australia. The town lies on the New England Highway near the New South Wales border 223 km from Brisbane via Warwick, 56 km north of Tenterfield and 811 m above sea level. The area surrounding the town is known as the Granite Belt...
. - Border RiversBorder Rivers (Australia)The Border Rivers refers to a group of rivers and the associated region near the border between New South Wales and Queensland, states of Australia. Rising in the New England Tableland, they form the headwaters of the Darling River, draining the western side of the Great Dividing Range...
- near the border between New South Wales and Queensland.