What was queensland originally called

On 22 May , Queensland Parliament opened for the first time. Immigration, communications and development issues broadly occupied Queensland's early politics.

The railway network extended as towns demanded their own link. One of the earliest decisions of the new parliament was to increase the population of the new colony as rapidly as possible. A land-order system was devised to attract new settlers. Over the next 3 years, nearly 25, people landed in Queensland attracted by the idea of owning land.

The discovery of payable gold near Rockhampton was one of many discoveries that encouraged development in Queensland and helped to protect the state from the effects of the Depression. Queensland pioneered the state secondary education system in the early s when the government subsidised municipalities to set up grammar schools—the first free education in Australia.

In , Queensland Treasury banknotes were issued for the first time. The Constitution Act defined the formal institutions of government including parliament and the executive government. In , the current design of the Queensland flag was officially adopted. By the s, Australians were beginning to consider themselves as part of a distinct island. Strategic concerns were becoming an issue as worldwide international tensions grew.

The Germans, French and Americans were slowly claiming the islands of the Pacific. The Germans actually claimed some of New Guinea which was very close to Australia. It was felt that it was time to consider pooling their resources in a Federation but it was also an expression of early Australian nationalism. The British were eager to help share the costs and burden of defending the island and eagerly agreed to the request for self-government made to them in In , the bird emblem of Queensland was named as the Brolga.

The Brolga is the only crane that is native to Australia. Brolgas can stand at one metre tall. During the mating season pairs of birds perform intricate dances to attract their partner. The Great Barrier Reef is made up of over reefs and islands.

It is both National Heritage and World Heritage listed. The Reef is home to dugongs, green turtles, whales, dolphins, seals, over species of birds, species of fish, species of hard coral, mangroves and 30 shipwrecks. The bridges are the most eastern crossing of the Brisbane River. The colonial era was over. At the start of the twentieth century the population of Queensland was at the half a million mark.

It was a time of establishment for the new state; Brisbane was proclaimed a city in , women voted in state elections for the first time in , the first National Park was declared in now Tamborine National Park , in the University of Queensland was established, and saw a small airline called Qantas founded to serve outback Queensland. A number of cities in northern Queensland were bombed during air attacks including Horn Island, Townsville , Cairns and Mossman.

There was a massive build-up of Australian and US forces in the state as MacArthur established his headquarters in Brisbane. In a major flood devastated the city of Brisbane causing widespread damage. The people rebuilt though and by Brisbane hosted the Commonwealth Games. Later the city hosted the World Expo 88 on the southern bank of the Brisbane River.