Queensland - The Sunshine State

Queensland. More than coral and warm water?

Ask most people about Queensland and they will tell you its home to The Great Barrier Reef, the world famous 1200 km long reef that provides some of the worlds best snorkeling, diving, beaches and, for those that live nearby, an enviable lifestyle.

The warmer weather in Queensland makes it an ideal place to study for a lot of students. But there is more to the state that beaches and surf. Head inland and you will find rainforests, the Outback and lots of mountain experiences among the hills of the Great Dividing Range.

Amazing weather
Queensland is such a big place, and so varied, that the wettest town, Tully receives 4,500mm of rain per year, compared to Birdsville in Outback Queensland receives only 150mm per year (on a good year!)

Facts about Queensland
There are approximately 3.6 million people living in Queensland – or about 19% of the population of Australia.

Queensland covers 1.7 million square kilometres of north-east Australia.

North to south, it extends 2100km and measures 1450km east to west. The one thing that raises a lot of eyebrows is the fact that Queensland has 7400km of coastline, including islands in the Torres Strait and the Coral Sea. That’s a lot of beaches.

Brisbane (a quick guide)

For people who have never been to Brisbane, what are the first 5 things you should do when you get there? Here’s our list:

Top 5 attractions in Brisbane

1. Go and hug a koala, or at least look enviously at them sleeping way up in the gum trees without a care in the world.

Where? Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

2. Go to Moreton Island and see some of the highest sand dunes in the world. A short barge trip across the river from Brisbane and you’re right there on the beach. Lovely!

3. Walk around South Bank, where there is always something going on.

4. Go out and night and experience the nightlife. Some people say you should head to The Valley, and others say you should avoid it like the plague. Make up your own mind, maybe by starting at The Monastery

5. Go and take some photos up at Mount Cootha and enjoy a picnic or a BBQ while you're there.

How many international students are there in Queensland?
From 2003 figures there were 35,000 international students in Queensland, making it the third highest in Australia, behind Victoria and New South Wales.

Other useful information for Queensland

Most popular beer (important things first)
XXXX is the most popular beer. You are going to have to order that in a ‘pot’ By the way, that beer is really called XXXX, as in Fourex. Just in case you were wondering.

For more on this, and other Australian beers, check out the australianbeers.com website

The Queensland BBQ
If you stay in Queensland (or even Australia to for that matter) for any length of time, you are sure to come across an invitation to a BBQ. Be prepared for meat, salads and beer. If you are new to Australia the bes thing to do is to sit back and enjoy the feast.

Major Universities
University of Queensland, Griffith University, Queensland University of Technology