Welcome to Queensland.

When to visit?......Where to Stay?.....Cruises Available?

Childrens Holidays?.....Pet Friendly Accom?.....Have we a Map?.....How far is It?

Dive Medicals?.....Backpacker Accom?.....The Barrier Reef?.....The Outback?

Queensland Tourism Awards 2009.______________________Whitsundays Tourism Awards 2009.

Destinations.

Queensland - Australia.

Each relevant page on this site has a comprehensive list of accommodations that will cover the expectations and demands of the most discerning traveller. It is indeed, with great pleasure, we have included in our listings a 'Pet Friendly' section for those of you who are reluctant to leave the family pet. Bookings can be made online for each individual listing, and last minute bookings can also be catered for. For a specific requirement search, try our Themes Accommodation Page which also includes the full Queensland Listings and some articles relative to a Queensland visit.

Australia Nationwide Accommodation.

Our Accommodation Page includes listings from all States in Australia. These listings are provided in conjunction with our long association with our partners at Takeabreak.com

View to South Molle Island from Authors Verandah.

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Transport.

Queensland Accommodation Listing Pages.

On our journey on this site we will be passing through the most popular Queensland areas visited by tourists. See the magic of Southern Queensland, where the golden beaches and numerous attractions of the Gold Coast await the discerning visitor .
We visit Queensland's Tropical North, The Daintree Rainforest and most prominent of all the Attractions,The Great Barrier Reef. Beautiful Coral Cays and sparkling clear waters of The Reef lie waiting for the delight of all who seek the adventure.

Hamilton Island Yacht Club.

Fantasea Cruises 'Wonder'.

The Beginning.

It was in 1821 when the Governor of New South Wales, Sir Thomas Brisbane, sent the Surveyor General, John Oxley, north into a vast area previously unknown to Europeans. His prime objective was to find a suitable place for a Penal Colony to house a growing number of incalcitrants. Redcliffe on Moreton Bay was selected primarily, but after several nasty encounters with the local tribes and a lack of fresh drinking water, it was decided to move to the Brisbane River site, where the water was available in abundance.This particular Colony had a reputation as being severe on it's treatment of convicts and remained that way until the 1850's. After the discovery of The Darling Downs, large numbers of free settlers moved north and on December 10th. 1859 the 'State of Queensland' was declared. Independance gave rise to an ever growing pride, still discernable to the present day.

The State of Queensland.

With an area of 1,727,000sq.klms. the State of Queensland is so large that weather conditions vary significantly From the Channel Country in the far west of the state where it seldom rains, to the far north where the rain is torrential in the monsoon season.The enormous distances that separate communities in the outback gave birth to the now famous Flying Doctor Service.In remote stations it can be several hours driving to the nearest centre for provisions of any kind.Thank goodness that telecommunications are being upgraded in the outback, as this service has been unsatisfactory in the past,owing to a lack of funding from successive governments.The people in the bush deserve the support of the people in the city because they are doing a fine job in spite of the difficult circumstances.City dwellers could not imagine living 300 kms from their nearest neighbour.!! Queensland is a State with huge natural resources.Originally, the prime gold producing area of the State was Mt. Morgan,40 kms west of Rockhampton.But when resources of gold began depleting in this area,lo and behold, they found huge deposits of copper underneath the original gold platform.It was in 1863 when gold was first found in the Northern Cape area on the Palmer River.This 'rush' instigated the settlement at Cooktown on the Endeavour River.An estimated 17,000 Chinese miners worked on the Palmer River Field.At that time they were in direct competition with the European miners and this gave rise to considerable aggravation between the Parties.Following these outbreaks of violence the Queensland Government amended the Goldfields Act by introducing a Poll Tax to be paid by all Chinese who entered Queensland, and prohibited them from working the fields until they had been in the state for 3 years.To further dampen their desires the Government also increased import duty on rice.

Far NorthQueensland.

Queensland from South to North.

On our principal journey on this site we will be passing through the most popular Queensland areas visited by tourists. We will traverse Queensland from South to North on The Bruce Highway. Starting on the Gold Coast and working our way North until we come to the tiny community at Cooktown where Captain Cook sailed his damaged ship The Endeavour to make repairs.
The southern most part of Queensland which is the most populous, is where the relaxing golden beaches and numerous attractions of the Gold Coast lie waiting for the expectant visitor. From here we head North to take a look at Brisbane, Queenslands Capital. A stop off at The Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary is a must for visitors as is a look at South Bank and The Queen Streeet Mall in The City Centre.
An hour and a half detour West will find us in the Garden City of Toowoomba which is the largest Regional Antique Centre in Australia. Before you leave, take a drive up to Picnic Point, where you will find beautifully maintained parklands, a cafe and restaurant on site and the views over the City and the Lockyer Valley are unforgettable.
Back on the main highway in just over an hour we enter the southern tip of the Sunshine Coast with it's Glass House Mountains,superb Hinterland, The Big Pineapple Plantation and numerous fabulous beaches.
Next port of call is Hervey Bay, the gateway to Fraser Island,the largest Sand Island in the world. This is the Whale Watching centre of Queensland. After a long 8 hour drive, we pass through Rockhampton, the centre for the cattle industry in Queensland,and 3 hours later we enter The Sugar Capital, Mackay.
120 klms further North we are nearing Airlie Beach, when we see the chimneys belching smoke from the Proserpine Sugar Mill. Twenty minutes later we are in the centre of Airlie Beach. Backpackers abound in this small town that provides a stepping stone to the magnificent islands of the Whitsunday Passage and The Great Barrier Reef.Boaties from around the globe relate their tales with alacrity, in the Yacht Club.
Reluctantly we leave them and make our way northward again. Another 2 and a half hour journey takes us to Townsville, another major city in the north, home of The Queensland Cowboys.Visit Magnetic Island and then onto Cairns,the port that takes visitors to The Reef ,and is the main area for Big Game Fishing in the Tropical North. To the west of Cairns is Kuranda with it's Scenic Railway and the Cableway.
The Athertone Tablelands lie even farther west. An hours drive, following the most glorious costal highway north,to the beautiful town of Port Douglas. The place to unwind after an almost 2000 klm. trek from the Gold Coast in the south. The Low Isles , and The Rainforest Habitat are but 2 of the sites to see here. Within an hours drive north from here there is Mossman Gorge, Cape Tribulation and the Daintree National Park .
Our journey North is completed with a three hour drive on the inland road to Cooktown to take in the beautiful views from Grassy Hill Lookout and see the history of Cooks visit to those shores many years ago from The Museum in town.

The Queensland Outback.

The two photos opposite, depict the Queensland Outback in different ways. A sand dune close to Windorah shows the remoteness of the area and The Betoota Hotel right, being the last remaining building in the town with a population of zero before the journeys end 174 kilometres to the west at Birdsville just outside the borders of South Australia and The Northernh Territory.

The Hotel ceased to operate in 1997 when Betoota's sole resident, Simon Remienko retired at the age of 82 and was later forced to move out due to ill health.

Outback Destination Pages.

The Bush Tucker Man.

Ex - Australian Army Major, Les Hiddins, world famous for his Bush Tucker Man television series, embarked on a new venture with a few like minded colleagues in 2000. As a Vietnam Veteran, Les was aware of a growing need for a retreat to be established for veterans to get away from it all, so he set up camp on Kalpowar, an abandoned station in Far North Queensland.

This website unearths a few unknown facts relating to the plight of our Vietnamese Veterans, and explains the reasons behind the severity of trauma suffered by those involved in this particular conflict.

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