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History
Home » Australia » Queensland History and Overview » HistoryAustralia was originally inhabited by indigenous cultures also known as Aborigines for 40,000 years before the first explorers from Europe came to the continent. There is a lot of debate as to where the Aborigines migrated to Australia from. Some speculation is that the culture came from India. The Indigenous Australians were primarily hunters and gathers. Research does not show that any of the different tribes relied on agriculture as a way of life. The Aborigines main hunting weapon was the spear in which they would throw with a spear launcher. Boomerangs were also used in hunting the non returning type was used to either kill or injure the hunted animal usually a kangaroo. Aborigine’s diets usually consisted of many different things such as kangaroo, wombat, snakes, birds, bugs, emu, as well as plants, nuts, and berries.
The late 1700’s and early 1800’s brought European explorers to Australia. In 1770 Great Brittan “discovered” the continent and named it New South Wales. During the next years more English settlers came to Australia and brought with them a number of infectious diseases such as smallpox, influenza, chickenpox, measles, and venereal diseases. The Aborigines were infected with these diseases and subsequently a large portion of their population was wiped out as a result. Many Aborigines were also killed by European settlers when resistance to English settlers was shown. Queensland was the most violent area in Australia for fighting between European settlers and the Aborigines. It has been said that during the 19th century more than 10,000 Aborigines and over 2,000 settlers were killed in battles between the two cultures.
1858 was the beginning of the gold rush in Australia. There were several areas in Queensland in which gold was discovered. This brought a large number of Chinese immigrants to the area to the goldfields.
The late 1800’s saw sugar becoming a large industry in Queensland. By 1867 there were 6 sugar mills located in the state and by 1870 the number of mills had grown to 28. The areas of Brisbane, Mackay, and Cairns were heavily populated with mills and to this day each area still produces sugar. Cattle ranching was also becoming a big industry in the region as well.
In 1901 Australia became a separate nation from England and was named the Commonwealth of Australia. Queensland had a population of 500,000 residents at the time. In 1902 Brisbane was declared a city and the state of Queensland began to establish its state government.
During World War II the state formed the 51st Battalion was formed to help protect Queensland from attacks. Despite this action several areas in Queensland were bombed by the Japanese during air strikes on Australia.
Today Queensland has a very strong economy through mining, farming, and tourism. The sectors of agriculture that are big business in Queensland are bananas, cattle, pineapples, wineries, cotton, wool, and sugar cane while copper, bauxite, and coal are what drives the mining business. The state has become one of the fastest growing areas in Australia.
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