Map 1. Reef State Regions and their Capitals.

Map 2. Reef State Compared with NSW, ACT, Vic, Tas.

How did these regions evolve?

Historically, as the State grew, strategic seaports and service centres established themselves northward along the coast, to better service the areas north of Brisbane.

The ports established themselves naturally, initially because they provided superior safe anchorages required by the transport technology of the time to move freight and people via sea to and from their regions.

Railway lines (the best land transport technology of the time), were built to move freight and passengers from these ports and centres into their regional hinterlands. Further on in time, as road technology improved, this was complemented by road transport. Major regional airports were established as air transport technology developed.

Over the years, these ports/centres grew as major service hubs effectively becoming regional capital cities bringing higher order metropolitan type services to their regions. This, in turn, reduced costs of living and doing business, improving feasibility of developing the State’s large, previously underdeveloped agriculture and minerals, marine and tourism resources – a process that in the 1950s to 1990s, changed Queensland from being the “Cinderella State” to being a leader in national development.

As population grew, this regional structure has continued to consolidate with road and rail networks (and in the larger northern regions air service networks), radiating out from their hub cities with growing connections to the rest of Australia and overseas.

These regional areas form the backbone of Queensland’s economy accounting for the great bulk of the State’s earnings from overseas and the rest of Australia.