Portal:Queensland

Topics Culture Geography Health History Mathematics Nature People Philosophy Religion Society Technology Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern corner of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory to the west, South Australia to the south-west and New South Wales to the south. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean. The state is Australia's second largest by area, following Western Australia, and the country's third most populous after New South Wales and Victoria. The area was first colonised by Indigenous Australians and Torres Strait Islanders, who arrived between 40,000 and 65,000 years ago, according to various dating methods. Later, Queensland was made a British Crown Colony that was separated from New South Wales on 6 June 1859, a date now celebrated annually as Queensland Day. The area that currently forms Brisbane was originally the Moreton Bay penal colony, intended as a place for recidivist convicts who had offended while serving out their sentences in New South Wales. The state later encouraged free settlement, and today Queensland's economy is dominated by the agricultural, tourist and natural resource sectors. The population is concentrated in the south-east corner, which includes the capital Brisbane, Logan City, Redland City, Ipswich, Toowoomba, and the Gold and Sunshine Coasts. Other major regional centres include Cairns, Townsville, Mackay, Rockhampton, Bundaberg, and Mount Isa. Queensland is often nicknamed the Sunshine State, since it enjoys warm weather and a sizable portion of the state is in the tropics. The 2010–2011 Queensland floods were a series of floods hit Australia, beginning in December 2010, primarily in the state of Queensland including its capital city, Brisbane. The floods forced the evacuation of thousands of people from towns and cities. At least 70 towns and over 200,000 people were affected. Damage initially was estimated at around A$1 billion. The estimated reduction in Australia's GDP is about A$30 billion. Three-quarters of the state of Queensland was declared a disaster zone. The 2010–2011 floods killed 35 people in Queensland. As of 26 January, an additional nine persons are missing. The Queensland floods were followed by the 2011 Victorian floods which saw more than 50 communities in western and central Victoria also grapple with significant flooding. The Treasury Casino, also known as The Treasury is a casino in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It also houses a hotel, five restaurants, seven bars, and a nightclub. The casino was opened on April 1995 and is operated by ECHO Entertainment Group. Bank of Queensland (BOQ), one of the oldest financial institutions in Queensland, Australia, is a retail bank with a network of almost 270 branches, including 152 in Queensland, 52 in New South Wales, 23 in Victoria and 34 in Western Australia. Following the Home Building Society and Pioneer mergers, it now has more than 650,000 customers. In 2007, customer satisfaction with the bank was placed at 88%. In 1874, the Brisbane Permanent Benefit Building and Investment Society was established as the first permanent building society formed in Queensland. The Society incorporated in 1887. The company amalgamated with City and Suburban Building Society in 1921. The company amalgamated with Queensland Deposit Bank a decade later. The company received a licence to operate as a trading bank in 1942. 1971 saw the bank become a publicly traded company listed on the Australian Stock Exchange. In 2011, the bank experienced a profit slump due to lending losses from the 2010–2011 Queensland floods. ...that Wayne Bennett, an Australian professional rugby league football coach and former player, had a reputation for almost never smiling? ...that although Brisbane City Hall (pictured) was officially opened on 8 April 1930, it had been partially occupied since 1927? ...that the Clem Jones Tunnel in Brisbane has Queensland's highest concentration of fixed speed detection devices? ...that the Capricorn Coast is home to a large South Sea Islander population, who are descendents of people indentured, often against their will, to work the sugar cane farms in the 1890s? Main: Queensland ▼ Queensland ► Buildings and structures in Queensland ► Geography of Queensland ► History of Queensland ► People from Queensland ► Queensland-related lists ► Sport in Queensland ► Transport in Queensland ► Visitor attractions in Queensland Queensland Australia More WikiProjects Queensland Northern Territory Western Australia South Australia New South Wales Victoria Tasmania Australian Capital Territory Visit Australia Portal Australia Oceania Micronesia Geography edit {{Wikipedia:WikiProject Queensland/To-do}} Template:/box-header The following Wikimedia sister projects provide more on this subject: Government of Queensland Queensland State Archives Queensland Places ABC News: Queensland What are portals? List of portals Featured portals