The people who made up the State's population in the late 1800s became engaged in a whole range of activities, from mining to agriculture. This meant that the population was quite scattered across the State, and good transportation became increasingly important.

This led to considerable investment in the railways, with the result that three lines ran from the coast right into the heart of the interior. The northern line ran from Townsville, the central one from Rockhampton, and the southern line meandered through Toowoomba and onto Charleville.

The State laid great emphasis on rural communities, perhaps at the expense of Brisbane. This was because the activities in rural areas, like mining, timber felling and agriculture, were what was believed to be the backbone of the State. This in turn resulted in quite a degree of regionalism, which has persisted well into this century.

Of course in this century, a quite different industry has become a major contributor in the Queensland economy : tourism. Queensland is a beautiful place to visit, with its sparkling waters, coral reefs, fabulous offshore islands and rainforest. To add to these natural beauties is the fact that the temperature in Queensland is warm and sunny for most of the year, hence its popular name, the Sunshine State.

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