1. Where is it?
2. EUROPEAN BEGINNINGS
3. Symbols
The Badge and flag of Queensland
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Queensland's official gemstone is the Sapphire.
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4. Brisbane
Interesting Facts About Brisbane
Did you know:
Did you know:
- Brisbane is the capital city of Queensland, Australia.
- In the Turrbal language, Brisbane is known as Meanjin which means “place shaped like a spike.”
- The first ever lamington was made in Brisbane in 1900 at Old Government House.
- Over 2.5 million people live in Brisbane.
- Before it became known as Brisbane, the city was called Edenglassie.
- A person who lives in Brisbane is known as a Brisbanite.
- The population of Brisbane is estimated it over to 2.4 million people, making it the third most populated Australian capital city after Sydney and Melbourne.
- Brisbane has a humid, subtropical climate with warm, dry winters and hot, wet summers.
Things to See and Do in Brisbane
- Brisbane Lookout Mt Coot-Tha Although not in Brisbane city, this lookout located in Mt Coot-Tha, provides the best views of the city.
- Wheel of Brisbane The Wheel of Brisbane towers 60 metres over the city. It is the number one place to get an up close look at the centre of Brisbane.
- Cruise Down Brisbane River Snaking through the centre of Brisbane is the massive Brisbane River. You can travel along this landmark on one of Brisbane’s many ferries.
- Brisbane Botanic Gardens Features a range of attractions including weeping figs and a bamboo grove.
- Gallery of Modern Art Also known as GoMA, this modern art gallery is a hub of Brisbane’s best art pieces. It even has exhibits made just for kids!
- Explore South Bank South Bank is one of Brisbane’s most beautiful locations. Featuring rolling green hills, pop-up markets, a range of restaurants and the amazing flower covered Grand Arbour.
- Swim at Streets Beach Have you ever been to a beach in the middle of a city? Streets Beach is a manmade beach covered in golden sand and tropical plants.
- Whale Watching If you’re visiting Brisbane in Winter or Spring, you can watch whales migrate from the comfort of a whale watching ferry.
History of Brisbane
Brisbane is found on Yuggera land and has been inhabited for over 32 000 years. They were fisher people and used nets and spears to catch fish. The first European settlement was built in the Redcliffe area in 1824 before being moved closer to the Brisbane River a year later. Brisbane was named after Sir Thomas Brisbane, the governor of New South Wales at that time. The town was initially established as a penal colony, and the government wanted to keep the jail isolated from the wider community. Therefore, free settlement did not happen until 1842. |
5. Gold Coast
The Gold Coast City is the sixth largest city in Australia with a population of more than 732,000 people (2023). It has a humid subtropical climate. Summers are hot and wet; winters are warm with moderate rainfall.
Kombumerri People
The Aboriginal Australian people of the Gold Coast area are the Kombumerri people, who are one of the nine language groups of the Yugambeh people. The Kombumerri people are the Indigenous Australian people of the Nerang area, now known as the Gold Coast.
The Aboriginal Australian people of the Gold Coast area are the Kombumerri people, who are one of the nine language groups of the Yugambeh people. The Kombumerri people are the Indigenous Australian people of the Nerang area, now known as the Gold Coast.
Tourism
The Gold Coast welcomes around 14 million visitors each year who contribute approximately 6 billion dollars into their economy.
It is a very popular place for holidays and has its own international airport. Many people go there for the beaches and to visit the theme parks which include Warner Bros. Movie World, Dreamworld, Seaworld and Wet and Wild.
The Gold Coast welcomes around 14 million visitors each year who contribute approximately 6 billion dollars into their economy.
It is a very popular place for holidays and has its own international airport. Many people go there for the beaches and to visit the theme parks which include Warner Bros. Movie World, Dreamworld, Seaworld and Wet and Wild.
Beaches
The Gold Coast has some of the best beaches in Australia which cover over 70km of the coast. The water temperature is between 21-26°C throughout the year. The Gold Coast is famous for its surf beaches which include Coolangatta, Currumbin, Palm Beach, Burleigh Heads, Miami, Broadbeach, Surfers Paradise and Main Beach. Lifeguards Queensland has the largest professional lifeguard service in Australia. The Gold Coast beaches have 40 specially designed surveillance towers and 40 permanent life guards. Living on the Gold Coast Many houses on the Gold Coast are built in canal estates with over 260 km of canals. Q1 is the tallest residential building in the world. Including the spire it reaches 322.5 metres above the street. |
6. Great Barrier Reef
The Great Barrier Reef is located off the Queensland coast, in the Coral Sea.
It is the world’s largest coral reef system, stretching over 2,000km.
The Great Barrier Reef is listed a World Heritage Site due to its environmental importance and unique natural attributes.
Over 1600 species of fish, 5000 types of mollusc, 125 species of shark and stingray can be found as part of the Great Barrier Reef’s diverse wildlife, as well as 80 species of whale, dolphin, porpoise and dugong.
Fast Marine Facts
Visitors to the Great Barrier Reef can swim, snorkel, dive, sail, fish in designated areas and take scenic flights.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples are the traditional owners of the Great Barrier Reef. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples have used the sea to give them food for thousands of years. Today, food from the sea is important to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, who still collect food and prepare meals using their traditional methods.
It is the world’s largest coral reef system, stretching over 2,000km.
The Great Barrier Reef is listed a World Heritage Site due to its environmental importance and unique natural attributes.
Over 1600 species of fish, 5000 types of mollusc, 125 species of shark and stingray can be found as part of the Great Barrier Reef’s diverse wildlife, as well as 80 species of whale, dolphin, porpoise and dugong.
Fast Marine Facts
- Dolphins and whales love warm water.
- Some whales swim in the Great Barrier Reef just to give birth.
- Largest animal of the Great Barrier Reef is the humpback whale.
- Bottlenose dolphins like to travel in groups.
- The flat-back turtle is endangered.
- Sea snakes are venomous.
- The Dugong is a herbivore.
- Starfish eat coral.
- Manta rays are large fish found in the Great Barrier Reef.
Visitors to the Great Barrier Reef can swim, snorkel, dive, sail, fish in designated areas and take scenic flights.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples are the traditional owners of the Great Barrier Reef. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples have used the sea to give them food for thousands of years. Today, food from the sea is important to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, who still collect food and prepare meals using their traditional methods.
7. Big Things
Big Golden
Gumboot The Golden Gumboot is located in Tully. It represents the town's highest rainfall in the year 1950, 7.9 meters, and was built in 2003. It is almost 8 metres tall. You can go inside and climb the stairs to the top. |
The Big Mango
The Big Mango is located at Bowen and built in 2002. The town Bowen is known for its delicious mangoes. The Big Mango is 10 metres high. In February 2014, the Mango was temporarily "stolen" by restaurant chain as a publicity stunt. |
The Big Brolga
The Big Brolga is located in Townsville in front of the 'Townsville Southern Highway Visitor Information Centre’. It was built in 1988. |
The Big Pineapple is located in Woombye
on the Sunshine Coast. It was built in 1971 and was once the most popular ‘big thing’ tourist attraction. |
The Big Marlin is located in Cairns.
It was built to remember the first 1000 pound black marlin that was caught off the coast of Cairns. A marlin is a type of fish. |
The Big Sapphire Ring is located in a town
called Sapphire in central Queensland. It is outside the local gem store. The Sapphire Gemfields are the largest in the world and are located all around the town and neighbouring towns. |
The Big Spider is in Townsville and hangs above one of the main streets.
It is a Silver Orb Spider. It is believed to be one of the biggest anatomically correct spider replicas in the world at 6 metres by 4 metres. |
The Big Watermelon is located in Chinchilla.
It weighs 4 tonnes and is 9 metres wide and 3 metres tall. |
There are a few Big Whale statues
in Hervey Bay, as whales are constant visitors to Hervey Bay. This one is named Nala after the real whale that has been visiting the bay since 1992. |
The Big Wombat, named William, is located in Thallon.
He is an endangered Hairy Nosed Wombat. He is 2 metres high and 3.5 metres long. |
The Big Camel is located in Nankin, outside a property with various other statues.
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The Big Cane Toad is nicknamed Buffy and is located in the main street of Sarina.
It was originally made out of paper mache for a float, but got revamped and made out of fibreglass for the town. |
There are four Big Cartoon Characters located around a
park in Mackay. There is Fred Flintstone, Snoopy, a Crocodile and Old Mother Hubbard's shoe house. |
The Big Cassowary is located near
Wongaling Beach at Mission Beach. It is 5 metres tall. The area is known for real life cassowaries in the area. |
The Big Easel is located in Emerald.
It is said to be the biggest painting in the world on an easel. The painting is a reproduction of Van Gogh's painting ‘Sunflowers’, as the area is known for sunflowers. |
8. Daintree RainForest
The Daintree Rainforest is a tropical forest north of Cairns, on the far northeast coast of Queensland, Australia. It measures 1,200 square kilometres. The Daintree Rainforest is where the largest number of different animals and plants grow in the world.
Animals Found in the Daintree Rainforest
Some of the world's most strange animals live in the Daintree Rainforest. Some of these are the Tree Kangaroo, Boyd's Forest Dragons, Double Eyed Fig Parrot and the Southern Cassowary.
Some of the world's most strange animals live in the Daintree Rainforest. Some of these are the Tree Kangaroo, Boyd's Forest Dragons, Double Eyed Fig Parrot and the Southern Cassowary.
The Southern Cassowary
The southern cassowary eats fallen fruits, including many types which are poisonous to humans. The bottom claw on each foot is very long and sharp. The birds will strike out with these when they are defending their home, or if they are defending themselves from other animals or humans.
Tree Kangaroos
Tree-kangaroos have adapted to spend their lives in the trees of the Daintree Rainforest. Tree-kangaroos are active for short amounts of time both in the day or at night. After too much activity they will have a nap!
Double Eyed Fig Parrot
Australia’s smallest parrot eats almost entirely figs.
Boyd's Forest Dragon
Boyd's Forest Dragons are active during the day. They are sit and wait predators, catching prey that they spy from their perches. Boyd's Rainforest Dragons eat mainly invertebrates, including earthworms. Small fruits and vertebrates are also sometimes eaten.
They have a body temperature lower than any other rainforest lizard in this area so that they are not seen by pythons (pythons can see warm-blooded prey more easily).
The southern cassowary eats fallen fruits, including many types which are poisonous to humans. The bottom claw on each foot is very long and sharp. The birds will strike out with these when they are defending their home, or if they are defending themselves from other animals or humans.
Tree Kangaroos
Tree-kangaroos have adapted to spend their lives in the trees of the Daintree Rainforest. Tree-kangaroos are active for short amounts of time both in the day or at night. After too much activity they will have a nap!
Double Eyed Fig Parrot
Australia’s smallest parrot eats almost entirely figs.
Boyd's Forest Dragon
Boyd's Forest Dragons are active during the day. They are sit and wait predators, catching prey that they spy from their perches. Boyd's Rainforest Dragons eat mainly invertebrates, including earthworms. Small fruits and vertebrates are also sometimes eaten.
They have a body temperature lower than any other rainforest lizard in this area so that they are not seen by pythons (pythons can see warm-blooded prey more easily).
Layers of the Daintree Rainforest.
The canopy layer is where most of the insects and animals of the entire forest live. The canopy provides protection from predators and lets them be closer to the warmth of the sunlight.
The understory of the rainforest is dark and cool because hardly any sunlight reaches this layer. Plants and animals which require little sunlight and a damp environment to survive live there. Wildlife such as ferns, palm trees, birds, geckos and lizards can be found in the understory.
The shrub layer has shrubs, bushes and other small trees. The shrub layer is the greenest layer of the rainforest.
The herb layer is under the shrub layer and plants which grow here include ferns, grass and soft moss.
The canopy layer is where most of the insects and animals of the entire forest live. The canopy provides protection from predators and lets them be closer to the warmth of the sunlight.
The understory of the rainforest is dark and cool because hardly any sunlight reaches this layer. Plants and animals which require little sunlight and a damp environment to survive live there. Wildlife such as ferns, palm trees, birds, geckos and lizards can be found in the understory.
The shrub layer has shrubs, bushes and other small trees. The shrub layer is the greenest layer of the rainforest.
The herb layer is under the shrub layer and plants which grow here include ferns, grass and soft moss.
Indigenous Australians and The Daintree Rainforest
This area is owned by the eastern Kuku Yalanji Aboriginal people.
Lots of different plants and animals provided food for the eastern Kuku Yalanji people.
The eastern Kuku Yalanji people understand the weather and its effects on plants, and this makes it easier for them to find a variety of food throughout the year. Many of the animals that live in trees were also hunted including tree-kangaroos, possums and flying foxes.
9. Animals
The cassowary is a bird that does not fly. They live in rainforests. Cassowaries eat fruit and seeds.
They have a helmet on their head. They have feathers on their body and blue skin on the head and neck. |
The palm cockatoo is a black or dark-gray parrot of the cockatoo family.
In the wild, it eats nuts and palm tree fruit by cracking them open with its strong and curved beak. |
A quokka is a kind of wallaby.They are small with thick grey fur.They eat leaves and grass.They sleep in the day and move about at night.The female has a pouch for its babies to grow in.
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The white-lipped tree frog is Australia's largest native frog growing up to 14 cm. Ranging in colour from pure green to greenish-brown or pale brown, it has a brilliant white stripe that runs along its lower jaw and the side of its head. Its diet is mainly insects.
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10. Marine life
The giant clam weighs a great average of 200kg. It has a wide variety of colours. Giant clams are filter feeders, taking in plankton through a large, central opening.
Giant clams can live up to 100 years. |
Turtles are reptiles. They have shells. Some turtles live in the sea, some live in fresh water.
Most turtles eat plants and meat. Turtles have been on earth for over 200 million years, since before the dinosaurs. There are about 335 species (kinds) of them existing today. |
Activities
Find a Word
If you enjoy find a words, try this one. 1. Download the worksheet and print to the library printer. 2. Highlight the words as you find them. |
Notes to Sentences
1. Download the worksheet and print to the library printer. 2. Choose 3 notes and write them in sentences. |
Distances in the QLD
1. Download the worksheet and print to the library printer. 2. Look at the map and choose 3 towns. 3. Using Google search find the distance between each of the 3 towns and Brisbane- e.g. Brisbane to Cairns. 4. Record your answers. |
Map Reading
1. Download the worksheet and print to the library printer. 2. Find the Queensland. (Make use of section 1 to help you) 3. Colour the states that share a border with the Northern Territory. |
MAKE a TIMELINE
1. Re-read Section 7. Big Things.
2. Make notes in your exercise book of 5 big things and when they were created.
3. Construct a timeline in your book.
1. Re-read Section 7. Big Things.
2. Make notes in your exercise book of 5 big things and when they were created.
3. Construct a timeline in your book.