Captain Cook was the first European to visit Northern Queensland. He was forced to set his damaged vessel, the Endeavor, on there land. However, this area remained a mystery for almost 100 years until other Europeans began to venture north. These expeditions were dangerous and in 1844 Ludwig Leichardt and his group went to venture from Brisbane to Port Essington, most of the men were killed or wounded by the Aboriginal tribes. Then on 1848 Edmund Kennedy tried to venture from Cairns to the top of Cape York. All but two men, Kennedy being on of the two, were killed by the Aboriginal tribe as well.
Today, most of the areas wealth comes from its growing tourist trade. Luxury resorts line the coastline and tourists come to experience the spectacular natural wonders of the Great Barrier Reef. This was not always the case. In the late 19th century, Northern Queensland found prosperity through the discovery of gold in the region. The population grew to service the mines until the beginning of the 20th century, when the gold had dried up.
The Tree of Knowledge at Barcaldine, in Queensland’s Outback region, is the first meeting place of the Australian Labor Party in 1891. In 1895, in the town of Winston, Banjo Paterson wrote Australia’s national song Waltzing Matilda”. Today the majority of the Outback is known for its agriculture as well as gold, silver and iron mining.
The area north of Cairns is Australians sugar producing country, the cane fields backed by the Great Dividing Range. Northern Queensland is sparsely populated. Cairns are the only city while Port Douglas and Mossman are small towns. The only other villages of note in the region are Daintree and Cooktown. Cape York Peninsula is one of the last untouched wildernesses in the world covering 200,000 sq kms (about the same size of Great Britain) The landscape varies according to the time of year: The wet season November to March makes the landscapes green and the rivers swollen; and during the dry winter the rivers are dry and the countryside is bare and arid.
North of Port Douglas and the outback region require a car, to travel, unless you take part in an organized tour. Cairns, however, offers numerous forms of public with regular air, train and coach connections. They also have an international airport.
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If you are looking for information on Port Douglas accomodations or Cairns accommodations you should visit www.TropicalNorthQueensland.com.au. They have everything you are looking for from hotels to points of interest your whle family will love.