History of Queensland

From ArticleWorld

The history of Queensland could be said to have begun some 40 000 years ago with the arrival of the Aboriginals, presumably from Southeast Asia; though archaic Homo Sapiens are believed to have been present in the area 80 000 years earlier. Dutch, Portuguese and French explorers flirted with landing on the Queensland coast in the 16 to 1700’s but it was James Cook who accomplished it when his ship, the Endeavour, ran aground on coral reefs in the far north of the state in 1770. Further exploration was carried out by Matthew Flinders in 1799 and 1802.

The first settlers

The penal colonies established in the south of the country were having problems with the more hardened offenders and so the need arose for a more remote penal settlement. In 1823, John Oxley arrived at the mouth of what is now the Brisbane River and located an ideal site, originally where the city of Redcliffe now stands but then transferred into what is today the Central Business District of the state’s capital, Brisbane. For years, the penal colony had the reputation as being the country’s harshest before closing in 1839.

Free settlers were allowed into the area in 1842, the first of which were Lutheran ministers from Germany, and the colony separated from New South Wales in 1859 to become a self governing state. The towns of Ipswich and Rockhampton were established in 1860 followed by Warwick and Maryborough in 1861. Expansion of the white settlements came at a price however, with the death of an estimated 10 000 Aboriginals and 2000 white settlers in fighting during the 19th century.

Industry

In the meantime, gold had been discovered in the north and the subsequent influx of prospectors, including 17 000 Chinese, increased the population of the state substantially. Sugar production, begun in 1867, is still a major industry in Queensland as is the cattle industry which was thriving in 1888.

Flooding and fires devastated the town of Brisbane in 1864 and in 1865, the first steam trains made their appearance. Transport was to play a major role in opening up the state with railway lines running north and south operational in 1888.

In the 1900’s

The new century started with a bang when the country was federated in 1901. The population of Queensland was half a million and a year later, Brisbane was declared a city. The early part of the century saw many changes with Women’s Suffrage granted, the establishment of the University of Queensland in 1909 and the General Strike in 1912. In 1928, the Royal Flying Doctor’s made their first flight to Cloncurry and in 1925, the worst rail disaster in Queenland’s history – the Traverston Rail Disaster – claimed many lives.

In the Second World War, the state played an important role in the defence of the country and suffered bombing attacks by the Japanese.

In the latter half of the century, Queensland has become the fastest growing state in Australia, popular for its temperate climate and easy-going pace of life. The successful hosting of the 1982 Commonwealth Games and the World Fair in 1988 provided the state with valuable publicity.