Queensland
Queensland accounts for almost a quarter of the country's land mass with a total area of 1,852,642 square km in the north-east corner and enjoys an elongated coastline along the Coral Sea and the Pacific Ocean. Queensland is the country's second largest state and third most populous, having over 4,500,000 residents as of June 2010.
Queensland was separated from the New South Wales on 6 June 1859, and that date is now known as Queensland Day, one of the states primary holidays. Its capital city of Brisbane was originally known as the Moreton Bay Penal Colony, but the state later encouraged free settlement.
Tourism and mining co-anchor Queensland's economy which revelled in a 5% annual growth from 1992 to 2002, outperforming all other states and territories. The country on the whole recorded only 3.9% annual growth during the same period.
Queensland currently claims the highest housing costs among all the Australian states and territories, up from Brisbane's lowest cost claim in 2003, with average annual costs in excess of AUD $15,000.
The tourism industry accounts for over 4.5% of Queensland's Gross State Product, and just a few of the popular destinations include The Great Barrier Reef, Fraser Island, Sunshine Coast, Daintree Rain Forest, and Gold Coast, sometimes called Australia's Theme Park Capital in tribute to its five major amusement parks.