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OESR

Joined 15 February 2008
Map of official regions of Queensland.
Cities and highways in Queensland

The Regions of Queensland refers to the geographic areas of the Australian state of Queensland. Due to its large size and decentralised population, the state is often divided into regions for statistical and administrative purposes. Each region varies somewhat in terms of its economy, population, climate, geography, flora and fauna. Cultural and official perceptions and definitions of the various regions differ somewhat depending on the government agency or popular group by which they are being applied. These regions are known as “Statistical Divisions”.

Queensland is currently divided into 13 Statistical Divisions (SDs) (11 Prior to July 2006), as defined by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) in the Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC) [1]. These SDs can further be disaggregated into Local Government Areas (LGAs) (158 LGAs in Queensland in July 2006) and Statistical Local Areas (SLAs) (477 SLAs in Queensland in July 2007, 478 including the Unincorporated Islands SLA). Whilst LGAs tend to fit entirely within SDs, there are a few exceptions where LGAs are split across several SDs. SLAs, which are either the same size or smaller than LGAs, fit entirely within SDs.

Overview edit

Various Queensland state government departments adopt different definitions of regions for administrative and statistical purposes. The Queensland government Office of Economic and Statistical Research [2] uses the ABS definitions of the 13 SDs. These are (in standard order according to the Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC))):

These SDs are used by both the ABS [3] and OESR [4] and are the basis for this article. Sometimes several of these regions may be combined and referred to as a single region (for example the Mackay, Northern, and Far Northern regions may be referred to as 'North Queensland'). Smaller regions may also exist within these defined regions, such as the Torres Strait Islands or the Whitsunday Islands.

South East Queensland edit

South East Queensland is commonly considered to be a single region. It contains four SDs, Brisbane, West Moreton, Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast. The region has a population of 2,706,297 people [5], or 66.1% of the state's population. The area contains Brisbane, the state's capital city, as well as the cities of Gold Coast and Ipswich. It also contains the areas of the Sunshine Coast, which comprises several municipalities. The region is the major administrative and commercial centre and focus of tourism within Queensland. The total area of the region is 22,317.1 km² [6].

Brisbane edit

 
Brisbane is the largest city in both the South East Queensland region and the state of Queensland.

The Brisbane SD comprises the greater Brisbane metropolitan area, including the Brisbane City Council. The region consists of the state's largest urban area containing a population of 1,820,400 people, or 44.5% of the state's total [7]. It is the state's main commercial and administrative centre and contains the state's largest domestic and international airport. The total area of the SD is 5901.56 km² [8].

Local Government Areas within the region are [9]:

( (C) City, (S) Shire )

West Moreton edit

The West Moreton SD contains the rural areas west of Ipswich (Laidley, Gatton) but east of Toowoomba. [10]. The region has a population of 72,713, 1.8% of the state’s total [11]. The total area of the region is 11,421.43 km² [12].

Local Government Areas within the region are[13]:

( (C) City, (S) Shire )

Gold Coast edit

The Gold and Sunshine Coasts SDs, located south and north of Brisbane respectively, are two of Queensland's most popular tourist regions. Both are located along popular beaches and contain many hotels and resorts. Each region has an airport which caters primarily to tourists. The total area of the region is 1,869.59 km² [14].

The Gold Coast region has a population of 518,059 [15], 12.7% of the state's total.

Local Government Areas within the region are[16]:

( (C) City, (S) Shire )

Sunshine Coast edit

The Sunshine Coast region has a population of 295,125 [17], 7.2% of the state's total. The total area of the region is 3,124.52 km² [18].

Local Government Areas within the region are[19]:

( (C) City, (S) Shire )

Wide Bay - Burnett edit

 
Hervey Bay is part of the Wide Bay/ Burnett

Major centres within the Wide Bay – Burnett SD include Bundaberg and Hervey Bay. It also contains the town of Maryborough and Fraser Island a popular tourist destination and world's largest sand island. The area is rich in sugar cane farms and mills and has a significant tourism industry. The region borders the Sunshine Coast to the south and the Fitzroy region to the north. It has a population of 269,340, 6.6% of the state's population [20]. The total area of the region is 52,376.89 km² [21].

Local Government Areas within the region are[22]:

( (C) City, (S) Shire )

Darling Downs edit

Main article: Darling Downs, Queensland

The Darling Downs SD is a fertile agricultural region immediately west of the city of Toowoomba and approximately 200km west of Brisbane. The Darling Downs SD has a population of 227,074, 5.5% of the state's population [23]. The total area of the region is 90247.87 km² [24].

Local Government Areas within the region are[25]:

( (C) City, (S) Shire, (T) Town )

South West edit

The South West SD borders the states of New South Wales, South Australia and the Northern Territory and is sparsely populated. It contains the towns of Roma, Cunnamulla and Birdsville. Economic activities include cattle grazing, cotton farming, and natural resource extraction. The Cooper Basin gas field is a major natural gas reserve within the region which provides much of the state’s natural gas [26]. The towns of Cunnamulla and Quilpie are the centres of opal mining activities. The town of Birdsville, near the South Australian border is a popular tourist stop on the Birdsville Track, a four wheel drive route through the Strzelecki Desert. The South West SD has a population of 26,408, 0.6% of the state's population [27]. The total area of the region is 319,881.69 km² [28].

Local Government Areas within the region are[29]:

( (S) Shire, (T) Town )

See also: Channel Country

Fitzroy edit

The Fitzroy SD contains the major centres of Rockhampton and Gladstone, the coastal areas and popular holiday destination's Agnes Water and 1770, and well as the hinterland areas further west. The region's economy is heavily dominated by coal mining, and cattle grazing. A major aluminium smelter is located in Gladstone. The region has a population of 200,604 people, 4.9% of the state's population, [30] and covers an area of 122,968.64 km² [31].

Local Government Areas within the region are[32]:

( (C) City, (S) Shire )

See also: Central Queensland

Mackay edit

The Mackay SD is centred on the coastal city of Mackay and extends some 300km inland. It contains the Whitsunday Islands group and the coastal towns of Proserpine, Bowen and Sarina. The coastal areas are densely covered in sugar cane farms, while the less densely populated inland areas have several mining communities. The Mackay SD has a population of 159,869, 3.9% of the state's population [33]. The total area of the region is 90,346.46 km² [34].

Local Government Areas within the region are[35]:

( (C) City, (S) Shire )

Northern edit

Main article: North Queensland

The Northern SD is a coastal region centered around the city of Townsville. Townsville is the location of a major seaport handling exports from mines in Mount Isa and cattle exports from coastal and inland areas. The region also contains a bulk sugar exporting terminal at Lucinda in the region's north. It also contains the inland city of Charters Towers and the coastal towns of Ayr and Ingham. The Northern SD has a population of 209,588, 5.1% of the state's population [36]. The total area of the region is 80,038.41 km² [37].

Local Government Areas within the region are[38]:

( (C) City, (S) Shire )

Far North edit

Main article: Far North Queensland

The Far Northern SD covers most of Cape York Peninsula and stretches to the Torres Strait at the northern most part of the state.

The main population and administrative centre of the region is located in Cairns. Other key population centres include Cooktown, the Atherton Tableland, Weipa and the Torres Strait Islands. The region also consists of many Aboriginal and farming communities. In 2007 the region's population was 247,589, 6.1% of the state's population, of which 131,564 lived in the Cairns City Part A Statisitcal Subdivision [39]. Significant industries include tourism, cattle grazing, agriculture (sugar cane and tropical fruits) and mining of both sand and bauxite. The total area of the region is 273,160.19 km² [40].

Local Government Areas within the region are[41]:

( (C) City, (S) Shire, (T) Town, (IC) Island Council )

North West edit

The North West SD is located along the Gulf of Carpentaria coast. The region's terrain is mostly arid or savannah country. The major city in the region is Mount Isa with a population of approximately 20,000. Other population centres include Burketown, Cloncurry, Doomadgee, Kowanyama, Mornington Island and Normanton. The region has a population of 33,212, 0.8% of the state's total population [42]. 22.7% of the region's population identify as Indigenous[43]. The region's economy is heavily dominated by the Mount Isa Mines which extracts zinc, copper, silver and lead. Another significant industry is cattle grazing. The region covers an area of 308,086.95 km², roughly the size of New Mexico or Italy [44].

Local Government Areas within the region are[45]:

( (C) City, (S) Shire )

Other definitions edit

Other names for regions are also in popular usage, for example by other government agencies and in various maps of regions of Queensland. The state also contains some smaller regions within those discussed above which are not necessarily used for statistical purposes, but which are distinct in terms of their geography, economy or demographic characteristics.

Other regions in Queensland include:

Maps detailing such regions include:

Further demographic information on these regions can be found in the OESR Regional Profiles [46], QRSIS [47] and LGA Profiles [48], or the Australian Bureau of Statistics website [49].

References edit

  1. ^ Office of Economic and Statistical Research - population by region.
  2. ^ Australian Buraeu of Statistics. - Queensland, Statistical divisions.
  3. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics - Census of Population and Housing, North West ICP.
  4. ^ Santos website
  5. ^ Office of Economic and Statistical Research Regional Profiles
  6. ^ Office of Economic and Statistical Research QRSIS Database
  7. ^ Office of Economic and Statistical Research LGA Profiles
  8. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics

See also edit


Regions of Queensland|*

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