Queensland, situated in the northeast corner of Australia, is the country's holiday playground attracting visitors all year round. It is known as the "Sunshine State", and the major attraction is the incredible underwater world provided off its coastline along the Great Barrier Reef. The Reef is a World Heritage listed marine park that stretches for more than 1,250 miles (2,000km) along the Queensland coast; it is dotted with idyllic island resorts and contains one of the most diverse animal and plant ecosystems on earth.
Further south, beyond Brisbane, the coastline is known as the Gold Coast. Here visitors can swim and surf all year round at 35 patrolled beaches along the 45 miles (70km) of coastline. Brisbane is the capital city of Queensland, while Cairns, in the tropical north, is the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef.
Travellers should be aware that especially during the summer months (usually between October and May) the shallow coastal waters of Queensland become infested with marine stingers, commonly known as box jellyfish, whose sting is highly dangerous and can be deadly. Many beaches offer protected swimming with stinger nets in place, or enclosed tidal pools, and surf lifesavers may warn people off infested beaches. A lycra 'stinger suit' may also be worn by swimmers as protection.
Queensland contains a narrow coastal belt running the length of the state which is home to the majority of tourism regions, larger cities, major towns and holiday centres. The high rainfall on the coastal belt supports a large sugar industry, most of which is in the northern part of the state. Cross the Great Dividing Range and you enter the lush tablelands of the north, rolling cattle country grasslands and coal mines in the state centre and the rich grain farming country of the south. Keep heading west and you enter the Queensland Outback which becomes progressively drier and more sparsely populated.
Queensland is very diverse. Visitors have a choice of energetic Gold Coast holidays , the more relaxed pace of Sunshine Coast holidays or adventures in Tropical North Queensland and the remote gulf country. The countryside ranges from virgin rain forest to dry outback and from equatorial tropics to cool plateaus.
Travel in Queensland is time consuming because of the sheer size of the state. A journey of a couple of hundred kilometres is considered a short trip when you realise the state is 2000 kilometres (1250 miles) north-south and 1400 kilometres (900 miles) east-west. Those are straight line map distances, actual travel distances are considerably further.
The state sits either side of the Tropic of Capricorn with warm tropics to the north and warm temperates to the south. There is a narrow sub-equatorial coastal band from Cairns around the northern coast to the Northern Territory border.
Winter is June - August with maximum temperatures around 20° C in the southern coastal regions, 23° C in the central coastal regions and 25° C in the northern coastal regions. Summer is December - February with maximum temperatures around 29° C in the southern coastal regions and 31° C in both the central and northern coastal regions.
Temperatures in outback areas are more extreme. Summer maximums typically range from 34° C in the southern outback up to 37° C in the north. Winter minimums typically range from 4° C in the southern outback up to 8° C in the northern areas. Some outback areas may experience frost on winter mornings.
Rainfall is mainly during summer. Monsoonal cyclones (hurricanes) occasionally cross the tropical north coast during the summer months. This is not a frequent event and usually results in localised property damage and flooding.
Population: 20.090.400 Languages: English 79%, native and other languages Currency: Australian dollar Currency code: AUD Local Times: Australia - Australian Capital Territory - Canberra
Australia - New South Wales - Sydney
Australia - Tasmania - Hobart
Australia - Western Australia - Perth
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Australia, officially called the Commonweath of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the continental mainland (the smallest of the World\'s continents).
The continent of Australia, with the island state of Tasmania, is approximately equal in area to the United States (excluding Alaska and Hawaii). Mountain ranges run from north to south along the east coast, reaching their highest point in Mount Kosciusko (7,308 ft; 2,228 m). The western half of the continent is occupied by a desert plateau that rises into barren, rolling hills near the west coast. The Great Barrier Reef, extending about 1,245 mi (2,000 km), lies along the northeast coast. The island of Tasmania (26,178 sq mi; 67,800 sq km) is off the southeast coast.
It may be one of the world's most ancient lands with its mystical red centre and brooding rock formations, but Australia is also characterised by its youthful energy, its freshness and its \'no worries\' philosophy.
Most of the population lives within a few miles of the beach and with the working day beginning and ending early, it\'s not uncommon to see city slickers out of their suits and into the surf come 4.30pm.
In high summer many families will enjoy a simple backyard barbecue several times a week.
The 22-hour journey means most European people visit for at least a couple of weeks, allowing time for all that the country has to offer, including its chic cities, terracotta desert, lush bush and magical ocean reefs.
But the sheer size of Australia means that one visit is unlikely to be enough.
The most popular attractions are undoubtedly Uluru (Ayers Rock), the Great Barrier Reef and the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge, but there are now more subtle incentives for a visit.
The wonderful fusion cuisine, the café society, the burgeoning art, culture and fashion scene, and the very real possibility of being the only person for miles around all conspire to make it a wholly alluring experience.
Australia is politically divided into six states and two territories, each one offering a different experience for the traveller. There is the drama of the remote \'Outback\', the colourful spectacle of the Great Barrier Reef and its coral islands, the excitement of the cosmopolitan cities, the sun and surf at some of the best beaches in the world, and the tropical rainforests of Western Australia. The list is endless in this diverse land of adventure, which boasts 2,000 national parks and 14 World Heritage-listed areas, along with more than 7,000 beaches.
Australia is a land of character too, with its melting pot of cultures. For more than 50,000 years the Aboriginal people lived and thrived in the continent\'s unique environment. It is believed the Aboriginals are the world\'s oldest civilisation, and in recent years there has been a resurgence of interest in keeping the Aboriginal culture alive and flourishing.
The vast continent at the bottom of the world was the last landmass to be discovered by European explorers. Captain James Cook arrived in Botany Bay in 1770 and sparked off generations of emigration to Australia, which for some time served as a penal colony. It was not until 1860 that two explorers - Robert Burke and William Wills - became the first Europeans to cross Australia from south to north. The country remains a magnet for modern explorers and adventurers and has a great deal to offer tourists and holidaymakers.
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