Portal:Queensland

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The Queensland Portal

Queensland (locally /ˈkwiːnzlænd/ KWEENZ-land, commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a state in northeastern Australia, 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, southwest and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and the Pacific Ocean; to its north is the Torres Strait, separating the Australian mainland from Papua New Guinea, and 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, including tropical rainforests, rivers, coral reefs, mountain ranges and sandy beaches in its tropical and sub-tropical coastal regions, as well as deserts and savanna in the semi-arid and desert climatic regions of its interior.

Queensland has a population of over 5.3 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, the Sunshine Coast, Townsville, Cairns, Ipswich, and Toowoomba. 28.9% of the state's population were immigrants. (Full article...)

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Selected Article

The 1992 Queensland storms were a series of thunderstorms which struck southeastern Queensland, Australia on November 29, 1992. The storms produced strong winds, flash flooding and large hailstones in the region, including the capital city of Brisbane. The storms also spawned two of the most powerful tornadoes recorded in Australia, including the only Australian tornado to be given an 'F4' classification on the Fujita scale.

The meteorological instability in the region resulted in the formation of at least five supercell thunderstorms in the space of around three hours. The storms, which spawned progressively further up the coast from Brisbane to Gladstone as the afternoon progressed, left a trail of damage resulting from hail, rain and wind. The event has been described as "one of the most widespread [outbreaks of severe thunderstorms] recorded" by veteran meteorologist Richard Whitaker.

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Selected images

Image 1Köppen climate types in Queensland (from Queensland)
Image 2Cargo ships at the Port of Gladstone, Queensland's largest commodity seaport (from Queensland)
Image 3Blackbirded South Sea Islanders on a Sugarcane plantation in Queensland. (from Queensland)
Image 4Fighting between Burke and Wills's supply party and Aboriginal Australians at Bulla in 1861 (from Queensland)
Image 5Aftermath of the 1861 Cullin-La-Ringo massacre in which 19 settlers were killed by Aboriginal people, the deadliest attack on settlers in the frontier wars (from Queensland)
Image 6The Gold Coast, Queensland's second-largest city and a major tourist destination (from Queensland)
Image 7The McPherson Range at Lamington National Park in South East Queensland (from Queensland)
Image 8Commonly designated regions of Queensland, with Central Queensland divided into Mackay and Fitzroy subregions (from Queensland)
Image 9Queen Elizabeth II Courts of Law, headquarters of the Supreme Court of Queensland and District Court of Queensland (from Queensland)
Image 10Parade of troops in Brisbane, prior to departure for the Boer War in South Africa (from Queensland)
Image 11Gold mine at Ravenswood in North Queensland. Mining is one of the state's major industries (from Queensland)
Image 12Parliament House, seat of the Queensland Parliament (from Queensland)
Image 13The Great Barrier Reef, which extends along most of Queensland's Coral Sea coastline (from Queensland)
Image 14Lake McKensie, K'gari (Fraser Island) (from Queensland)
Image 15Returned World War II soldiers march in Queen Street, Brisbane, 1944 (from Queensland)
Image 16Hill Inlet at the Whitsunday Islands. (from Queensland)
Image 17The Great Court at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Queensland's oldest university (from Queensland)
Image 18Passenger train at Oxley railway station on the Ipswich/Rosewood line within the Queensland Rail City network (from Queensland)
Image 19Kanaka workers in a sugar cane plantation, late 19th century (from Queensland)
Image 20The Mossman River, flowing through the Daintree Rainforest in Far North Queensland (from Queensland)
Image 21Brisbane, capital and most populous city of Queensland (from Queensland)
Image 22Government House, seat of the Governor (from Queensland)
Image 23The Ekka (the Royal Queensland Exhibition) is held each August at the Brisbane Showgrounds. (from Queensland)
Image 24Noosa Heads on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland's third largest city and a major tourist destination (from Queensland)
Image 25Cricket game at The Gabba, a 42,000-seat round stadium in Brisbane (from Queensland)
Image 26Captain James Cook claims the east coast of Australia for the Kingdom of Great Britain at Possession Island in 1770 (from Queensland)
Image 27Skyline of the Brisbane central business district. Brisbane is a global city and the state's largest economic hub. (from Queensland)

Selected business

New Hope Coal is an Australian coal-mining and energy company with its headquarters in Brisbane, Queensland. The company's operations include New Acland Mine, Jeebropilly Mine, New Oakleigh Mine and Queensland Bulk Handling. New Hope Coal is 61.11% owned by Washington H. Soul Pattinson.

New Hope's first export shipment, 17,332 tonnes of Bundamba coal, was aboard MV "Floret" which sailed from the Maynegrain grain terminal at Pinkenba on 10 September 1980. At first the company met domestic demand however by 1986 New Hope's market mix had about-faced to 90 per cent export and 10 per cent domestic sales. On 18 July 2008, New Hope entered into an agreement to sell its New Saraji Coal Project to BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) for A$2.45 billion. (Full article...)

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Did you know (auto-generated)

... that despite being described in 1840, the chestnut-backed buttonquail was only confirmed in Queensland in 2020?
... that Lachlan Murdoch was forced to resign as a director of Prime Media Group because the company owned a radio station on Queensland's Sunshine Coast?

More did You Know?

... that Mount Bellenden Ker, Queensland's second highest peak, holds the record for the highest rainfall in a calendar year of 12,461 mm in 2000?
...that Lamington National Park contains the most northern stand of Antarctic Beech in Australia?
...that Urangan Pier (pictured) which was built between 1913 and 1917, originally to a length of 1107 metres, served as an extension to the Hervey Bay railway line?
... that the Queensland Ambulance Service is the fourth-largest ambulance service in the world?