Southeast Queensland consists of an
eight-hundred-kilometre stretch between the New
South Wales border and Fraser Island containing
many of the classic features that lure visitors to
Australia's second-largest state. Surf rolls in to
long, sandy beaches, backed by vibrant towns in
exotic settings; behind them, the land rises a
thousand metres or more to lush, rainforest-clad
plateaus. It's one of Australia's busiest tourist
venues, a factor that will be central to your
impressions of the region: some love the hype and
pace of it's higher-profile attractions; others
loathe it for the same reasons and despair of ever
finding an untramped corner.
However, though parts of Southeast Queensland
undoubtedly live up to their glitzy reputations,
there's far more to the region than its popularity
on the "drunken backpackers" trail would
suggest. Set down towards the border, the state
capital Brisbane is an attractive, relaxed
city with good work opportunities and a lively
social scene, with some very underrated scenery
within easy reach - the best of which are the
giant, wooded, sand islands of shallow Moreton
Bay . South of Brisbane, the Gold Coast
is Australia's prime domestic holiday destination;
while its reputation was founded on some of
Queensland's best surf , this now takes
second place to a belt of beachfront high-rises,
theme parks, and the host of bars and nightclubs
surrounding Surfers Paradise . But even
here there are quieter corners, such as the often
almost empty beaches at the Gold Coast's
southernmost town, Coolangatta ; while just
an hour inland, the Scenic Rim 's green
heights provide the perfect antidote to coastal
concretions, with a chain of national parks
packed with wildlife and endless hiking trails.
Heading north of Brisbane, fruit and vegetable
plantations behind the gentle Sunshine Coast
benefit from rich volcanic soils and a subtropical
climate. Noosa is the hub here, an
up-and-coming resort town with more beaches and
famous surf. Beyond looms Fraser Island ,
whose surrounding waters host an annual whale
migration and where huge forested dunes,
freshwater lakes and sculpted coloured sands form
the backdrop for exciting safaris in a 4WD.
In a way, Queensland's popularity as a holiday
hotspot is surprising, as this is eastern
Australia's most conservative state, often
lampooned - somewhat unfairly - as being slow and
regressive. There are, however, very physical and
social divisions between the densely settled,
city-oriented southeastern corner and the large,
rural remainder, which is given over to primary
industries such as mining and farming. These
divisions date back to when Brisbane was chosen as
capital on Queensland's separation from New South
Wales in 1859; the city proved an unpopular choice
with the northern pioneers, who felt that the
government was too far away to understand, or even
care about, their needs. These needs centred
around the north's sugar plantations and the use
of Solomon Islanders for labour, a practice the
government equated with slavery and finally
banned. Ensuing demands for further separation,
this time between tropical Queensland and the
southeast, never materialized, but the remoteness
of northern settlements from the capital led to
local self-sufficiency, making Queensland far less
centralized than other states.
The darker side of this conservatism has seen
Queensland endure more than its fair share of
extreme or simply dirty politics . During
the 1970s and early 1980s, the stranglehold of a
strongly conservative National Party government,
led by the charismatic Sir Johannes
Bjelke-Petersen (better known as "Joh"),
did nothing to enhance the state's image. Citing
issues of law and order to justify granting the
police sweeping powers, Joh created a repressive
and domineering government, characterized by his
own peculiar, slippery oratory. He finally became
the victim of his own devices after initiating the
Fitzgerald Inquiry - an investigation into
government corruption - which implicated his
cabinet in a variety of offences and forced him
from office. But the following left-wing
government was not without controversy, and recent
investigations have uncovered high-level electoral
fraud by Labor (including one incident when a cat
was enrolled to vote); though state Labor leader
Peter Beatty escaped untainted from the
investigation in 2000 - and was re-elected as
Premier with a huge majority in 2001 - several
members of his cabinet were forced to resign. The
late 1990s were also blighted by the emergence
from Southeast Queensland of Pauline Hanson
and her One Nation Party, whose shallow, racist
outbursts have won favour with a fair number of
Australians who feel ignored by the main parties
and threatened by a slowing economy.
As a major tourist destination, Queensland's
south coast seldom presents travel or
accommodation problems, and in many places the
only trouble is making some sort of choice between
the vast array of options. However, during busy
periods - the Easter and Christmas holidays,
and at weekends - there are room shortages and
price hikes in all accommodation except hostels.
This is most pronounced on the Gold Coast, though
you'll find a degree of seasonal inflation right
throughout the region. Book in advance whenever
possible, and don't be afraid to bargain outside
the peak times.
