Beaches, sunshine, a world-famous reef, sporting icons and national treasures are just some of Queensland’s offerings.

Bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean, Queensland is home to the World Heritage-listed Fraser Island, the Gondwana Rainforests and the Great Barrier Reef. A diverse landscape lures holidaymakers to Cairns, theme park capital Gold Coast (aka “Goldie”), Hervey Bay, Port Douglas, Sunshine Coast, the Whitsunday islands and the lush Daintree Rainforest. Brisbane, the state capital, is just 100km north of neighboring New South Wales. Resource-rich Queensland is a paradise of tropical fruits such as bananas, pineapples and mangoes along with vegetables, grains, cattle, cotton, sugar cane, wool and a laundry list of precious metals and minerals. Native fauna can be found in abundance at Alma Park (Logan City), Currumbin Sanctuary, David Fleay Park, Kumbartcho Sanctuary, Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, Steve Irwin’s Australia Zoo and UnderWater World. “Banana benders”, as Queenslanders are affectionately known, are passionate about rugby league, union and cricket (in that order). So much so that the State of Origin series is widely considered a religious experience.