Queensland

Queensland calls itself the "Sunshine State," and with around 300 sunny days a year, that's no exaggeration. A vacation in Queensland takes you to the Great Barrier Reef, into the oldest rainforest on Earth, and to surf beaches that run almost seamlessly into one another. Australia's second-largest state stretches from subtropical cities in the south to the tropical Cape York Peninsula in the north.

Brisbane and the Southeast

Brisbane, known to locals as "Brissie," curves in loops around the Brisbane River. South Bank, with its artificial lagoon, museums and the Queensland Performing Arts Centre, is the city's gathering place, and CityCat ferries connect the neighborhoods. At Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary you can see koalas up close, and from Mount Coot-tha the view stretches all the way to Moreton Bay. Brisbane will host the Summer Olympics in 2032, so there is a lot of construction under way. An hour to the south, the high-rises of the Gold Coast glitter: Surfers Paradise, Burleigh Heads and Coolangatta offer miles of beaches and theme parks, and in the hinterland, Lamington National Park has rainforest and glowworm caves. To the north lies the quieter Sunshine Coast, with Noosa Heads, where Noosa National Park borders the beaches directly, and Australia Zoo near Beerwah. Inland, Toowoomba is known as the "Garden City," with a big flower festival in September.

Things to See in Queensland: The Reef

The Great Barrier Reef extends more than 2,000 kilometers (about 1,240 miles) off the coast and is the largest coral reef system on Earth, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981. Coral bleaching caused by rising water temperatures has hit parts of the reef hard, but many sections remain vibrantly colorful. The main starting points for snorkeling and diving trips are Cairns, Port Douglas and Airlie Beach in the Whitsunday Islands, home to Whitehaven Beach with its almost pure quartz sand. Farther south, Lady Elliot Island and Heron Island are especially popular with divers, and off Hervey Bay, humpback whales pass through between July and October. K'gari, formerly Fraser Island, is the largest sand island in the world, with freshwater lakes and dingoes.

Queensland Destinations in the Tropical North

Cairns is the gateway to the tropical north. Behind the city, the Wet Tropics rainforest rises up, which you can reach by the Kuranda Scenic Railway or the Skyrail cableway. Farther north, the Daintree Rainforest, many millions of years old, meets the reef directly at Cape Tribulation – two World Heritage sites side by side. Townsville, the largest city in the north, is the starting point for Magnetic Island, home to wild koalas. Rockhampton, on the Tropic of Capricorn, is considered Australia's beef capital; in the vast hinterland, the Outback with towns such as Longreach and Winton, museums tell the stories of cattle drovers and dinosaur finds.

Culture and History

Queensland is home to numerous Aboriginal peoples and to the Torres Strait Islanders in the far north. Art centers and cultural parks in Cairns and Kuranda introduce their traditions. The British colony began in 1824 as a penal settlement on Moreton Bay and was separated from New South Wales in 1859. Sugarcane, cattle and mining made it wealthy; the typical wooden houses on stilts, known as "Queenslanders," remain an architectural landmark to this day.

Food and Drink

Typical specialties include Moreton Bay bugs (a type of flat slipper lobster), mud crabs from the mangroves, and barramundi. Tropical fruits such as mangoes, lychees and bananas grow around Bowen, Innisfail and Tully. Brisbane has developed a lively scene of craft breweries and rooftop bars, and the Sunshine Coast hinterland is known for markets such as the Eumundi Market.

Best Time to Visit and Getting There

The best time to visit the north is May through October, when it's dry and warm. From November to April, the tropical north has its rainy season with a risk of cyclones, and venomous box jellyfish appear at the beaches, so you should swim in netted areas or wear a stinger suit. The southeast can be visited year-round. International airports are in Brisbane (BNE), on the Gold Coast (OOL) and in Cairns (CNS). The Bruce Highway runs along the coast, and trains such as the Spirit of Queensland connect Brisbane with Cairns.