Queensland’s History

The history of Queensland began 50,000 to 60,000 years ago when settlers arrived from Southeast Asia. The pre-European population is a matter of conjecture, but may have been between 200,000 and 500,000.

The first known meeting of Europeans and Australian Aborigines happened in 1606 when Dutchman Willem Janszoon landed at the future Cape York. The next recorded European landing was in 1770 when James Cook claimed the east coast for King George III of England. European exploration and colonization continued into the 19th century, leading to bloody conflict with the Aboriginal population.

In 1859 Queensland separated from New South Wales and became a separate colony. Queen Victoria established the Federation of Australia on January 1, 1901. Brisbane became a city the following year. The University of Queensland, the oldest university in the state, opened in 1909.

Queensland has had its share of disasters, natural and man-made. In 1918 a magnitude 6 earthquake struck near Rockhampton, and June 1925 saw the Traverston Rail Disaster, Queensland’s worst railroad accident.

In World War II, Queensland became the front line in the conflict with the Japanese and a sizable US military presence existed there.

In the latter half of the 20th century, Queensland experienced rapid growth. The resulting population expansion has placed a strain on the local infrastructure, but new projects in highways, railways, water and power generation have been undertaken to alleviate the pressure.

Unfortunately, the recent history of Queensland has been dominated by the floods of 2011, which have caused widespread devastation.