80-638: The Bruce Highway is a major highway in Queensland , Australia. Commencing in the state capital, Brisbane , it passes through areas close to the eastern coast on its way to Cairns in Far North Queensland . The route is part of the Australian National Highway and also part of Highway 1 , the longest highway route in Australia. Its length is approximately 1,679 kilometres (1,043 mi); it
160-406: A self-governing Crown colony with responsible government . Brisbane was selected as the capital city. On 10 December 1859, a proclamation was read by George Bowen , the first Governor of Queensland , formally establishing Queensland as a separate colony from New South Wales. On 22 May 1860 the first Queensland election was held and Robert Herbert , Bowen's private secretary, was appointed as
240-584: A force of settlers and native police at Battle Mountain near modern Cloncurry . The subsequent battle of Battle Mountain ended in disaster for the Kalkadoon, who suffered heavy losses. Fighting continued in North Queensland , however, with First Nations raiders attacking sheep and cattle while Native Police mounted heavy retaliatory massacres. Tens of thousands of South Sea Islanders were kidnapped from islands nearby to Australia and sold as slaves to work on
320-528: A further 36.1 kilometres (22.4 mi). It passes the southern entry to Steve Irwin Way, a bypassed section of the highway, which provides access to Beerburrum , Glass House Mountains , Beerwah , Australia Zoo and Landsborough before terminating at the Caloundra Road interchange. The Caloundra Road Interchange is also Australia's first Diverging diamond interchange . The next 5.6 kilometres (3.5 mi) to
400-557: A great rush to take up the surrounding land in the Darling Downs , Logan and Brisbane Valley and South Burnett onwards from 1840, in many cases leading to widespread fighting and heavy loss of life. The conflict later spread north to the Wide Bay and Burnett River and Hervey Bay region, and at one stage the settlement of Maryborough was virtually under siege. The largest reasonably well-documented massacres in southeast Queensland were
480-578: A population of half a million people. Since then, Queensland has remained a federated state within Australia, and its population has significantly grown. In 1905 women voted in state elections for the first time. The state's first university, the University of Queensland , was established in Brisbane in 1909. In 1911, the first alternative treatments for polio were pioneered in Queensland and remain in use across
560-472: A process known as blackbirding or press-ganging, and their employment conditions constituted an allegedly exploitative form of indentured labour. Italian immigrants entered the sugar cane industry from the 1890s. During the 1890s, the six Australian colonies, including Queensland, held a series of referendums which culminated in the Federation of Australia on 1 January 1901. During this time, Queensland had
640-491: A process of rehabilitation due to the extremely rough surface and dangerous pothole appearances during wet weather. This work was completed in 2009. As of 2020 Sections A, B & C of the joint State and Federal funded 61 kilometres (38 mi) Cooroy to Curra upgrade of the highway are open. The final part of the upgrade, Section D, which provides a motorway-standard bypass of Gympie , opened in October 2024. New road built from
720-584: Is 42.4 kilometres (26.3 mi). The 33 kilometres (21 mi) to the end of the M1 at Kybong includes three interchanges that provide access to the Old Bruce Highway. From Kybong the highway is designated A1. It has numerous parts with lower speed limits, including urban areas, high crash zones and roadwork sites. After 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) from Kybong the Mary Valley Road interchange provides access to
800-713: Is a state in northeastern Australia , and is the second-largest and third-most populous of the Australian states. 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 the Pacific Ocean ; to the state's north is the Torres Strait , separating the Australian mainland from Papua New Guinea , and
880-724: Is crossed by the Redcliffe Peninsula railway line and passes the Caboolture BP Travel Centre. The Caboolture / Bribie Island interchange also provides access to the D'Aguilar Highway via a service road. After the D'Aguilar Highway interchange the Bruce passes through mainly rural areas and the Beerburrum and Beerwah State Forests, entering the Sunshine Coast Region before reaching the Caloundra Road interchange after
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#1732851630350960-527: Is entirely sealed with bitumen . The highway is named after a popular former Queensland and federal politician, Harry Bruce . Bruce was the state Minister for Works in the mid-1930s when the highway was named after him. The highway once passed through Brisbane , but was truncated at Bald Hills when the Gateway Motorway became National Highway 1 upon its opening in December 1986. It was previously known as
1040-477: Is home to the Torres Strait Islander peoples . Torres Strait Islanders are ethnically and culturally distinct from mainland Aboriginal peoples. They have a long history of interaction with both Aboriginal peoples of what is now Australia and the peoples of New Guinea . In February 1606, Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon landed near the site of what is now Weipa , on the western shore of Cape York . This
1120-667: Is located on the North Pine River. The storage capacity for water supply is 215,000 megalitres (7,600 × 10 ^ cu ft). Recreational fishing: Pine River is a popular waterway for recreational fishing. Total estimated recreational catch for Pine River in 1997 was 1,509,755 fish (2.71% of Qld total) from an estimated 141,092 fishing trips (1.31% of Qld total). Estimated catch by top five species were: whiting 351,799, bream 230,598, winter whiting 203,028, diver whiting 190,131, snapper (squire) 127,298. (Data for 1999) A maximum of ten commercial boats fished Pine River in 1999, for
1200-569: Is prone to frequent flooding in the wet season, is set to undergo realignment. A new route for the highway through Townsville was under construction with the first stage of the Townsville Ring Road (now called The Ring Road) already completed. An upgrade to a stretch of the highway north of Townsville has been given approval, and will see the existing dual carriageway to the north extended by another 11 km. It will also include installation of traffic lights at Mt Low Parkway, and will be
1280-566: Is significant because of its value to wildlife, especially migratory waders. The Pine River is classified as being "extensively modified". The Pine Rivers Shire draws its name from the Pine, the North Pine and the South Pine rivers. The predominant land uses in the catchment area are native bush, grazing, rural residential and urban. Water supply: North Pine Dam North Pine Dam (Lake Samsonvale)
1360-570: The 138th meridian east , and to the southwest by northeastern South Australia . The state's southern border with New South Wales is constituted in the east by the watershed from Point Danger to the Dumaresq River , and the Dumaresq, Macintyre and Barwon rivers. The west of the southern border is defined by the 29th parallel south (including some minor historical encroachments ) until it reaches South Australia. Like much of eastern Australia,
1440-619: The Australian frontier wars of the 19th century, colonists killed tens of thousands of Aboriginal people in Queensland while consolidating their control over the territory. On 6 June 1859 (now commemorated as Queensland Day ), Queen Victoria signed the letters patent to establish the colony of Queensland, separating it from New South Wales and thereby establishing Queensland as a self-governing Crown colony with responsible government . A large part of colonial Queensland's economy relied on blackbirded South Sea Islander slavery. Queensland
1520-512: The Brisbane River . He returned in 1824 and established a penal settlement at what is now Redcliffe . The settlement, initially known as Edenglassie , was then transferred to the current location of the Brisbane city centre . Edmund Lockyer discovered outcrops of coal along the banks of the upper Brisbane River in 1825. In 1839 transportation of convicts was ceased, culminating in the closure of
1600-530: The Brisbane central business district . The highway has changed its route numbering from National Highway 1 to the M1 (motorway road) or A1 (single carriageway, generally with overtaking lanes). Major cities along the route include Gympie , Maryborough , Rockhampton , Mackay , Townsville , and Cairns . The highway passes the Glasshouse Mountains , rainforests and pastures in the Sunshine Coast ,
1680-609: The Gayiri Aboriginal people in response. Frontier violence peaked on the northern mining frontier during the 1870s, most notably in Cook district and on the Palmer and Hodgkinson River goldfields, with heavy loss of Aboriginal lives and several well-known massacres. Raids conducted by the Kalkadoon held settlers out of Western Queensland for ten years until September 1884 when they attacked
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#17328516303501760-601: The Great Dividing Range runs roughly parallel with, and inland from, the coast, and areas west of the range are more arid than the humid coastal regions. The Great Barrier Reef , which is the world's largest coral reef system, runs parallel to the state's Coral Sea coast between the Torres Strait and K'gari (Fraser Island) . Queensland's coastline includes the world's three largest sand islands: K'gari (Fraser Island) , Moreton , and North Stradbroke . The state contains six World Heritage -listed preservation areas:
1840-538: The Gulf of Carpentaria to the north-west. With an area of 1,723,030 square kilometres (665,270 sq mi), Queensland is the world's sixth-largest subnational entity ; it is larger than all but 16 countries . Due to its size, Queensland's geographical features and climates are diverse, and include tropical rainforests , rivers , coral reefs , mountain ranges and white sandy beaches in its tropical and sub-tropical coastal regions, as well as deserts and savanna in
1920-619: The Kilcoy and Whiteside poisonings, each of which was said to have taken up to 70 Aboriginal lives by use of a gift of flour laced with strychnine . At the Battle of One Tree Hill in September 1843, Multuggerah and his group of warriors ambushed one group of settlers, routing them and subsequently others in the skirmishes which followed, starting in retaliation for the Kilcoy poisoning. Central Queensland
2000-642: The Kingdom of Great Britain on 22 August 1770 at Possession Island , naming eastern Australia, including Queensland, New South Wales . The Aboriginal population declined significantly after a smallpox epidemic during the late 18th century and massacres by the European settlers. In 1823, John Oxley , a British explorer, sailed north from what is now Sydney to scout possible penal colony sites in Gladstone (then Port Curtis ) and Moreton Bay . At Moreton Bay, he found
2080-605: The North Pine River . Further upstream, Whiteside Road (now submerged by Lake Samsonvale ) provided a fordable crossing at Quinn's Crossing when water level was too high at Youngs Crossing. Further north, another segment of Old North Road starts at Caboolture River Road in Upper Caboolture , crosses the Caboolture River at Zillmans Crossing and proceeds to Wamuran . Early roads from the North Pine River crossing to
2160-582: The Queensland Infrastructure Plan (Now (A part of) known as Building Our Future, it includes all Transport Infrastructure Projects Nation-wide). The works are expected to total A$ 2 billion and include 77 projects over a period of two decades. As of December 2020, 23 major projects had been completed under the program including the delivery of 64 bridges, 30 new rest stops, 300 km safer roadsides, and 190 km wide centre line treatments. A stretch of road between Cardwell and Tully , which
2240-739: The South Pine River at Drapers Crossing (a fordable crossing). Old Northern Road runs from South Pine Road at Everton Park to another South Pine Road at Albany Creek . Eatons Crossing Road runs from this road (north of the South Pine River) to Draper. This South Pine Road continues north over the South Pine River via Cash's Crossing and thence to Gympie Road at Strathpine . Old North Road links this South Pine Road at Brendale to Youngs Crossing Road at Bray Park . Youngs Crossing Road continues to Dayboro Road at Petrie after crossing
2320-481: The Sunshine Coast , Townsville , Cairns , Ipswich , and Toowoomba . 24.2% of the state's population were born overseas . The state has the highest inter-state net migration in Australia. Queensland was first inhabited by Aboriginal Australians , with the Torres Strait Islands inhabited by Torres Strait Islanders . Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon , the first European to land in Australia, explored
2400-899: The Sunshine Motorway interchange, providing access to the Sunshine Coast , widens to 3 lanes in either direction. It then narrows back to 2 lanes. After another 7.5 kilometres (4.7 mi) the Maroochydore Road interchange provides access to Maroochydore and Woombye . The Bli Bli Road interchange, after a further 7 kilometres (4.3 mi), provides access to Bli Bli and Nambour . The Yandina–Coolum Road interchange, after 6.7 kilometres (4.2 mi), provides access to Yandina and Coolum . The Eumundi interchange, after 8.4 kilometres (5.2 mi), provides access to Eumundi and Noosa . The Cooroy interchange, after 7.2 kilometres (4.5 mi), provides access to Cooroy , Tewantin and Noosa. Total distance from Caloundra Road to this interchange
2480-594: The Sunshine State for its tropical and sub-tropical climates, Great Barrier Reef , and numerous beaches, tourism is also important to the state's economy. Queensland was one of the largest regions of pre-colonial Aboriginal population in Australia. The Aboriginal occupation of Queensland is thought to predate 50,000 BC, and early migrants are believed to have arrived via boat or land bridge across Torres Strait . Through time, their descendants developed into more than 90 different language and cultural groups. During
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2560-414: The Torres Strait to the north, with Boigu Island off the coast of New Guinea representing the northern extreme of its 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 . To the west, Queensland is bordered by the Northern Territory , at
2640-616: The White Australia policy came into effect, which saw most foreign workers in Australia deported under the Pacific Island Labourers Act 1901 , which saw the Pacific Islander population of the state decrease rapidly. A public meeting was held in 1851 to consider the proposed separation of Queensland from New South Wales. On 6 June 1859, Queen Victoria signed letters patent to form the separate colony of Queensland as
2720-474: The White Australia policy in 1973 saw the beginning of a wave of immigration from around the world, and most prominently from Asia, which continues to the present. In 1981 the Great Barrier Reef off Queensland's northeast coast, one of the world's largest coral reef systems, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site . In 2003 Queensland adopted maroon as the state's official colour. The announcement
2800-519: The semi-arid and desert climatic regions of its interior . Queensland has a population of over 5.5 million, concentrated along the east coast, particularly in South East Queensland . The capital and largest city in the state is Brisbane , Australia's third-largest city . Ten of Australia's thirty largest cities are located in Queensland, the largest outside Brisbane being the Gold Coast ,
2880-634: The Brisbane penal settlement. In 1842 free settlement, which had already commenced, was officially permitted. In 1847, the Port of Maryborough was opened as a wool port. While most early immigrants came from New South Wales, the first free immigrant ship to arrive in Moreton Bay from Europe was the Artemisia , in 1848. Earlier than this immigrant ship was the arrival of the Irish famine orphan girls to Queensland. Devised by
2960-598: The Bruce Highway at Palmview may have included parts of: The following quotations are from the Murrumba Homestead Grounds article. Anzac Avenue is part of the history of the Bruce Highway as the highway followed it from Petrie to Rothwell for many years prior to the construction of its present alignment. The following quotation is from the Anzac Avenue article. One of the most dramatic deviations of
3040-556: The Bruce Highway crosses the Pine River into the City of Moreton Bay , passing through mainly urban areas before crossing the Caboolture River and reaching the Caboolture / Bribie Island interchange after 24.5 kilometres (15.2 mi). It runs past or through Murrumba Downs , Griffin , Kallangur , Mango Hill , North Lakes , Dakabin , Narangba , Burpengary and Morayfield . On the way it
3120-567: The Caboolture River crossing may have included parts of: The Oakey Flat Road route avoids the crossing of Burpengary Creek on Obrien Road at Burpengary. From Oakey Flat Road at Morayfield a route consisting of Williamson Road, Forest Hills Drive, Haywood Road and Moorina Road runs to Caboolture River Road at Upper Caboolture, avoiding the crossing of Sheep Station Creek on Morayfield Road at Morayfield. Early roads from Caboolture (after travelling east from Wamuran) to Landsborough and then to
3200-580: The Dohles Rocks Road interchange has eight lanes and a variable (electronically signed) speed limit of up to 100 kilometres per hour (60 mph). The next 22 kilometres (14 mi) to the Caboolture / Bribie Island interchange has six lanes and a maximum speed limit of 100 kilometres per hour (60 mph). From there to Kybong the road has four lanes and, with one short exception, a speed limit of 110 kilometres per hour (70 mph). This section of
3280-592: The Feisty Colleens, never set foot on Sydney soil, and instead sailed up to Brisbane (then Moreton Bay) on 21 October 1848 on board the Ann Mary . This scheme continued until 1852. In 1857, Queensland's first lighthouse was built at Cape Moreton . The frontier wars fought between European settlers and Aboriginal tribes in Queensland were the bloodiest and most brutal in colonial Australia. Many of these conflicts are now seen as acts of genocide. The wars featured
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3360-951: The Great Barrier Reef along the Coral Sea coast, K'gari (Fraser Island) on the Wide Bay–Burnett region's coastline, the wet tropics in Far North Queensland including the Daintree Rainforest , Lamington National Park in South East Queensland , the Riversleigh fossil sites in North West Queensland , and the Gondwana Rainforests in South East Queensland. The state is divided into several unofficial regions which are commonly used to refer to large areas of
3440-470: The Great North Coast Road, being renamed as the Bruce Highway in 1934 after the state's Minister for Public Works, Henry Bruce. The highway is the biggest traffic carrier in Queensland. It initially joined all the major coastal centres; however, a number of bypasses, particularly in the south, have diverted traffic around these cities to expedite traffic flow and ease urban congestion. As a result,
3520-614: The Gunalda Range (north of Gympie ), Mount Larcom (north of Gladstone ), and the arid countryside north of Rockhampton ; after that, it passes through land predominantly used for sugar cane , crop growing and dairy farms and the sub-tropics and tropics. In November 2024, the Bruce Highway Advisory Council was re-established. The Bruce Highway is a state-controlled road, subdivided into fourteen sections for administrative and funding purposes. All sections are part of
3600-641: The M1. While the references use Woondum as a designator for sections of the project the new intersection that marks the end of the M1 is wholly within the locality of Kybong, although bordered on two sides by Woondum. Roads to the north of Brisbane in the early days of settlement were constrained by the need to use reliable low level crossings of rivers and creeks well upstream from the coast. South Pine Road runs from Enoggera Road at Alderley through Everton Park to Everton Hills , crossing Kedron Brook . Bunya Road runs from South Pine Road at Everton Hills to Eatons Crossing Road at Draper , after crossing
3680-618: The National Highway. The sections are: State-controlled roads that intersect with the highway are listed in the main article. Commencing in Bald Hills at the junction of the Gateway Motorway and Gympie Arterial Road , the Bruce Highway is a motorway standard road (signed as the M1 ) for its first 163 kilometres (101 mi) to Curra, where it becomes a two-lane sealed highway for most of its remainder. The first 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) to
3760-468: The Native Police between 1859 and 1897. The military force of the Queensland Government in this war was the Native Police , who operated from 1849 to the 1920s. The Native Police was a body of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander troopers that operated under the command of white officers. The Native Police were often recruited forcefully from far-away communities. Conflict spread quickly with free settlement in 1838, with settlement rapidly expanding in
3840-463: The Rockhampton abattoirs to provide access for Type 1 Road Trains was completed by early 2021 at a total cost of $ 30 million. It involved about 29 kilometres (18 mi) of road improvements on four roads: Travelling north, the following towns and small cities are found on (or very close to) the Bruce Highway. Queensland Queensland ( locally / ˈ k w iː n z l æ n d / KWEENZ -land , commonly abbreviated as Qld )
3920-495: The South Pine River). The northern shoreline followsuburbs of Murrumba Downs and Griffin , while the southern shoreline follows Brisbane suburbs of Bald Hills and Brighton . The river descends 11 metres (36 ft) over its 7-kilometre (4.3 mi) course . The Bald Hills Creek feeds into the Pine River which create the Bald Hills Creek and Tinchi Tamba Wetlands Reserve, a large environmental park covering more than 380 hectares (940 acres). The Pine River and Hays Inlet wetland
4000-421: The Wide Bay Highway interchange to the Maryborough–Biggenden Road interchange at Maryborough passes through Tiaro and the Gympie Road exit to Maryborough before crossing the Mary River . The highway maintains a speed limit of 100 occasionally slowing down to 60 or 50 while driving through several small towns including Childers , Gin Gin , Miriam Vale and Mount Larcom before reaching Rockhampton . With
4080-408: The age of sixteen. In total, approximately 15,000 South Sea Islander slaves died while working in Queensland, a figure which does not include those who died in transit or who were killed in the recruitment process. This represents a mortality rate of at least 30%, which is high considering most were only on three year contracts. It is also similar to the estimated 33% death rate of enslaved Africans in
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#17328516303504160-400: The closure of the state borders. With a total area of 1,729,742 square kilometres (715,309 square miles), Queensland is an expansive state with a highly diverse range of climates and geographical features. If Queensland were an independent nation, it would be the world's 16th largest. Queensland's eastern coastline borders the Coral Sea , an arm of the Pacific Ocean. The state is bordered by
4240-480: The colony's agricultural plantations through a process known as blackbirding . This trade in what were then known as Kanakas was in operation from 1863 to 1908, a period of 45 years. Some 55,000 to 62,500 were brought to Australia, most being recruited or blackbirded from islands in Melanesia , such as the New Hebrides (now Vanuatu ), the Solomon Islands and the islands around New Guinea . The majority of those taken were male and around one quarter were under
4320-408: The completion of Section C of the Bruce Highway – Cooroy to Curra upgrade project (Traveston to Woondum ) in February 2018 the M1 has now been extended to Kybong , 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) south of Gympie . The Bruce Highway from Kybong to Gympie remains signed as A1. Section D of the project (Woondum to Curra , including a bypass of Gympie) will, when completed in 2024, become the next stage of
4400-444: The final stage of the Ring Road link up to this section by 2015. The Queensland Main Roads Department's ultimate concept map of the development shows that the highway will progressively become Motorway standard by 2015, with the implementation of interchanges at various junctions. The highway south of Cairns will see sections of the highway to the suburb of Edmonton become six lanes, with progressive dual-carriageway redevelopment of
4480-407: The first Premier of Queensland . In 1865, the first rail line in the state opened between Ipswich and Grandchester . Queensland's economy expanded rapidly in 1867 after James Nash discovered gold on the Mary River near the town of Gympie , sparking a gold rush and saving the State of Freddy-Mercury-land from near economic collapse. While still significant, they were on a much smaller scale than
4560-414: The first commercial production of oil in Queensland and Australia began at Moonie . During World War II Brisbane became central to the Allied campaign when the AMP Building (now called MacArthur Central ) was used as the South West Pacific headquarters for General Douglas MacArthur , chief of the Allied Pacific forces, until his headquarters were moved to Hollandia in August 1944. In 1942, during
4640-458: The first three years of being taken to America. The trade was legally sanctioned and regulated under Queensland law, and prominent men such as Robert Towns made massive fortunes off of exploitation of slave labour, helping to establish some of the major cities in Queensland today. Towns' agent claimed that blackbirded labourers were "savages who did not know the use of money" and therefore did not deserve cash wages. Following Federation in 1901,
4720-422: The gold rushes of Victoria and New South Wales. Immigration to Australia and Queensland, in particular, began in the 1850s to support the state economy. During the period from the 1860s until the early 20th century, many labourers, known at the time as Kanakas , were brought to Queensland from neighbouring Pacific Island nations to work in the state's sugar cane fields. Some of these people had been kidnapped under
4800-412: The highway is constantly being shortened. The road is a dual carriageway from Brisbane to Curra, north of Gympie, many of these upgrades being completed in the 1980s ( Glass House Mountains , Tanawha , Maryborough ) and 1990s ( Nambour , Yandina , and Cooroy ). The highway commences just south of the bridge over the Pine River at the Gateway Motorway interchange, 21 kilometres (13 mi) north of
4880-420: The highway is prone to frequent flooding in a number of places. Following the catastrophic Queensland floods in 2010–2011 the Australian Government commissioned a feasibility study on flood-proofing the highway. Numerous stretches of the highway are set to undergo redevelopment, realignment, flood-proofing and extension of dual carriageway sections. Former Premier Anna Bligh announced the plans while launching
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#17328516303504960-452: The highway to Gordonvale . To improve flood immunity of the highway south of Childers , a new and improved road alignment and a higher bridge over the Isis River were completed in September 2011. Between the Gateway Motorway and Caboolture, the highway has been widened to eight and six lanes since 2001, including the Dohles Rocks Road to Boundary Road section in October 2004, the Boundary Road to Uhlmann Road section in March 2007, and
5040-426: The highway was the Bald Hills to Burpengary Deviation. Beginning construction in 1972, the new route took traffic from Gympie Road at Bald Hills to Uhlmann Road at Burpengary along a much superior alignment which was also constructed to four lanes. The new route was officially opened on 10 November 1977 at a total cost of $ 20 million. Due to the nature of wet weather and tropical cyclone prone areas of North Queensland,
5120-412: The intersection of which was replaced by an interchange in November 1996. The Pumicestone Road interchange has also undergone a redesign, replacing the original low-level bridge and ramps constructed in October 1970. The Nambour-Bli Bli Road interchange was upgraded in 1998 from a half-diamond to a dumbbell. The old interchange had lasted just 8 years. Later on, the entire Nambour Bypass went through
5200-424: The last ice age , Queensland's landscape became more arid and largely desolate, making food and other supplies scarce. The people developed the world's first seed-grinding technology. The end of the glacial period brought about a warming climate, making the land more hospitable. It brought high rainfall along the eastern coast, stimulating the growth of the state's tropical rainforests. The Torres Strait Islands
5280-490: The later decades of the 20th century, the humid subtropical climate —regulated by the availability of air conditioning—saw Queensland become a popular destination for migrants from interstate. Since that time, Queensland has continuously seen high levels of migration from the other states and territories of Australia. In 1966, Lyndon B. Johnson became the first U.S. president to visit Queensland. During his visit, he met with Australia prime minister Harold Holt . The end of
5360-408: The latest section Uhlmann Road to Bribie Island Road in November 2009. Extension of the six lane section to Steve Irwin Way is proposed to commence in 2020. A new interchange has been built at the notorious intersection of Roys Road at Beerwah . It also connects to the nearby Bells Creek Road, eliminating another dangerous intersection. This follows a similar situation at Buchanans Road in Morayfield,
5440-452: The most frequent massacres of First Nations people, the three deadliest massacres on white settlers, the most disreputable frontier police force, and the highest number of white victims to frontier violence on record in any Australian colony. Across at least 644 collisions at least 66,680 were killed — with Aboriginal fatalities alone comprising no less than 65,180. Of these deaths, around 24,000 Aboriginal men, women and children were killed by
5520-399: The only Australian state with a unicameral parliament . In 1935 cane toads were deliberately introduced to Queensland from Hawaii in an unsuccessful attempt to reduce the number of French's cane and greyback cane beetles that were destroying the roots of sugar cane plants, which are integral to Queensland's economy. The toads have remained an environmental pest since that time. In 1962,
5600-403: The southern end of Roope Road to Jellicoe Street, bypassing Port Curtis Road. A new Burnett Highway junction was built as well. New road built from the new Capricorn Highway roundabout to the existing Burnett Highway junction (built in 1974). The Northern Australia Beef Roads Program announced in 2016 included the following project: The project for upgrading between Gracemere saleyards and
5680-409: The state's vast geography. These include: Pine River (Queensland) The Pine River is a river in South East Queensland , Australia. The river is formed by the confluence of the North Pine and the South Pine rivers at Lawnton , continuing into Bramble Bay . The Pine River carries the city border between the City of Moreton Bay and City of Brisbane along its middle (continuing up
5760-545: The then British Secretary of State for the Colonies, The Earl Grey Scheme established a special emigration scheme which was designed to resettle destitute girls from the workhouses of Ireland during the Great Famine. The first ship, the "Earl Grey", departed Ireland for a 124-day sail to Sydney. After controversy developed upon their arrival in Australia, a small group of 37 young orphans, sometimes referred to as The Belfast Girls or
5840-428: The war, Brisbane was the site of a violent clash between visiting US military personnel and Australian servicemen and civilians, which resulted in one death and hundreds of injuries. This incident became known colloquially as the Battle of Brisbane . The end of World War II saw a wave of immigration from across Europe, with many more immigrants coming from southern and eastern Europe than in previous decades. In
5920-534: The west coast of the Cape York Peninsula in 1606. In 1770, James Cook claimed the east coast of Australia for the Kingdom of Great Britain . In 1788, Arthur Phillip founded the colony of New South Wales, which included all of what is now Queensland. Queensland was explored in subsequent decades, and the Moreton Bay Penal Settlement was established at Brisbane in 1824 by John Oxley . During
6000-663: The west of the Mary River . The highway then passes through the Gympie urban fringe, with several at grade intersections providing access to various parts of the city. North of Gympie, 14.3 kilometres (8.9 mi) from the Mary Valley Road interchange, the Wide Bay Highway interchange is reached, providing access to Kilkivan . Total distance from the Cooroy interchange is 55.4 kilometres (34.4 mi). The 73.9 kilometres (45.9 mi) from
6080-582: The world today. World War I had a major impact on Queensland . Over 58,000 Queenslanders fought in World War I and over 10,000 of them died. Australia's first major airline, Qantas (originally standing for "Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services"), was founded in Winton in 1920 to serve outback Queensland. In 1922 Queensland abolished the Queensland Legislative Council , becoming
6160-580: Was among the six colonies which became the founding states of Australia with Federation on 1 January 1901. Since the Bjelke-Petersen era of the late 20th century, Queensland has received a high level of internal migration from the other states and territories of Australia and remains a popular destination for interstate migration. Queensland has the third-largest economy among Australian states, with strengths in mining, agriculture, transportation, international education , insurance, and banking. Nicknamed
6240-570: Was made as a result of an informal tradition to use maroon to represent the state in association with sporting events. After three decades of record population growth, Queensland was impacted by major floods between late 2010 and early 2011 , causing extensive damage and disruption across the state. In 2020 Queensland was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic . Despite a low number and abrupt decline in cases from April 2020 onward, social distancing requirements were implemented from March 2020 including
6320-552: Was particularly hard hit during the 1860s and 1870s, several contemporary writers mention the Skull Hole, Bladensburg, or Mistake Creek massacre on Bladensburg Station near Winton , which in 1901 was said to have taken up to 200 Aboriginal lives. First Nations warriors killed 19 settlers during the Cullin-La-Ringo massacre on 17 October 1861. In the weeks afterwards, police, native police and civilians killed up to 370 members of
6400-545: Was the first recorded landing of a European in Australia , and it also marked the first reported contact between Europeans and the Aboriginal people of Australia . The region was also explored by French and Spanish explorers (commanded by Louis Antoine de Bougainville and Luís Vaez de Torres , respectively) before the arrival of Lieutenant James Cook in 1770. Cook claimed the east coast under instruction from King George III of
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