Queensland Attractions

Off the coast, like a gigantic breakwater, is the Great Barrier Reef, a complex of coral reefs which in character and scale is unique in the world. It

extends from the Torres Strait, to the north of Cape York, where it comes close to the land, for almost 2000km and ends, 300km off the coast, in the latitude of Bundaberg and Gladstone, following the escarpment of the continental shelf. Within the area of the Great Barrier Reef are some two dozen islands equipped to cater for holidaymakers.

Tourist attractions

Queensland's principal attractions, both for Australians and for visitors, are its magnificent beaches. Along its 2000km of coast (measured as the crow flies) a number of different regions can be distinguished - southeastern, central and northern Queensland and the far north - with numerous holiday places along the coast and road and rail links with their hinterland in the Great Dividing Range. From these various resorts the coastal islands and those on the Great Barrier Reef can be visited. There are also over 300 national parks and other reserves (some of them very small) established to protect endangered areas, in particular expanses of rain forest and the Great Barrier Reef.

The city center, in a sharp bend on the Brisbane River, is laid out on a rectangular plan which makes it easy for visitors to find their way about. Streets running southeast/northwest are named after British kings and princes (William, George, Albert, Edward), the cross streets after queens and princesses (Ann, Adelaide, Elizabeth, Charlotte, Mary, Margaret, Alice). While in the 19th C most of the private houses in central Brisbane were built on stilts to adapt to the subtropical climate (though this is often concealed by later façades), the public buildings of the period were designed to impress, reflecting the increasing self-confidence of their Victorian builders.

The surviving 19th C buildings are in sharp contrast to the high-rise buildings of reinforced concrete and reflective glass which tower heavenwards in the center of Brisbane as in the other Australian capitals.

The distances in central Brisbane are not great, and it is perfectly possible to see the principal sights on foot. A convenient starting point for a sightseeing tour is Central Station (built 1900; suburban services) in Ann Street, opposite Anzac Square.