10 Interesting Things About Queensland

1. There are 7400 km of coastline in this province alone. This includes beaches, marshes, and mangroves. (source: qldbeaches.com)

2. Queensland has 5 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Fraser Island, the biggest sand island in the world. Gondwana Rainforest, a unique collection of sub-tropic and temperate rain forests that occur in the border region of Queensland and New South Wales. The Great Barrier Reef, this one should speak for itself. Riversleigh a site of a large collection of fossils that show the evolution of many of Australia’s unique creatures. Lastly, the Wet Tropics of Queensland which meet four of the UNESCO standards for becoming a World Heritage Site. The Wet Tropics parks are a series of preserves that run from Cooktown to Townsville and as such are right outside my front door!


(source: http://www.wettropics.gov.au  and  http://www.derm.qld.gov.au/parks_and_forests/world_heritage_areas/)

3. As of last October there were 66 (and counting) endangered species of terrestrial animals in Queensland.

4. Yes kangaroos are a very common animal in Australia, but did you know the management of them is a bit of a controversial issue? Are they a pest, a source of meat, or a lovable icon to be protected?

5. Queensland has over 850 species of birds and an active bird watching community.
(source: http://www.wildlife.org.au/wildlife/index.html)

6. Australia’s longest river, the River Murray, has its beginnings or headwaters located in Queensland. The second largest river by state, Flinder’s River is also a Queensland River.
(source: http://www.ga.gov.au/education/geoscience-basics/landforms/longest-rivers.html)

7. There are over 100 declared weed species (pesky plants) in Queensland that the state wants to keep an eye on. (source: http://www.derm.qld.gov.au)

8. Wallaman Falls in Queensland contains the largest waterfall drop in Australia at 268 meters.              ( source: http://www.ga.gov.au/education/geoscience-basics/landforms/significant-waterfalls.html)

9. The animal symbol for Queensland is a Koala.
(source: http://www.australianfauna.com/faunaemblem.php) 

10. Poisonous creatures of Queensland include snakes, funnel web spiders, insects, and a variety of marine creatures. Not to mention plants and fungi!
(source: http://www.health.qld.gov.au/poisonsinformationcentre/bites_stings/default.asp )