Rockhampton Brisbane

The total value of Queensland's production—primary and manufacturing—is estimated (1925-26) at L63,243,000 or £73.44 per head of population; the (corrected) index number during the decade 1916-26 having varied between 2.046 (1924-25) and (1925-26) of the production in 1911. (Cf. Commonwealth as whole: 1925-26: 0.950.) Trade was valued (1926-27) at L28,219,000 (cf. 1925-26: .40,158,000—variations being due mainly to bad seasons), of which exports represented L14,721,000 (L16 53s. 9d. per caput) and imports L13,498,000 (Lis 6s. od.), these figures representing "overseas" trade only, though interstate trade amounts perhaps to about as much again. The chief items of export were wool (L8,500,000) ; sugar (L1,638,000); dairy products (£1,625,000) ; meat, excluding bacon (L1,46o,000); hides, leather, tallow, rabbit skins (LI,0I3,000 )—total pastoral : total agricul tural and dairy: L3,348,000; mineral: L34,200. The chief ports, in order of importance are (1927) : Brisbane (total overseas trade : L23,496,000) ; Townsville : £I,547,000; Cairns : Rockhampton : L761,000; Gladstone : L411,000; Mackay : £330,000 (qq.v.).

Of interest are the State (Queensland Government) trading and other enterprises which besides mines, batteries, drilling plants (see p. 843, section ii.) included (1927) 5 saw-mills (net capital value: L82,000); 14 cattle stations (total stock: 212,000) ; 112 retail trading establishments and agencies with a turnover of L1,100,000, in addition to the State services (including railways) usual in Australian States. The State public revenue was (1927) £18 6s. id. per caput and expenditure from revenue L18 13s. iod.

Transport

in Queensland ranges from the camel train and bullock-waggon of the pioneer to railway and motor traction and air transport. Motor-cars are, as elsewhere on the great plains of Australia, working a revolution, but a still greater is being worked by the aeroplane. Queensland "squatters" have shown great enter prise in the use of aeroplanes, not only for personal use, but also for the conveyance of fodder to drought-stricken herds. Official air-services covered (1926-27) 164,000 miles with the loss of 4 persons killed and I injured. The most important line is that linking the terminals of the 3 main railway systems—Charleville, Longreach, Cloncurry, with Mount Isa, Cammooweal and, by recent arrangement, continued to North Australia (825 miles in all). In the "bush," roads are mainly dirt tracks, liable to floods and "washaways" in wet seasons. There were (1927) 5,150 miles of gazetted roads in the State and 60,877 motor vehicles. Of rail ways, besides 302 miles (1925-26) of private (light) lines serving cane-fields, mines, etc., there were (1926-27), 6,30o miles (3' 6" gauge) Government lines. The main systems are based upon the ports, viz., Brisbane : with a fairly well-developed of lines serving the Brisbane Basin, the Darling Downs, and longer trunk lines serving the pastoral interior, south-west to centres such as Goondiwindi and Dirranbandi (416 miles), west to Roma, Charleville (483 miles), Quilpie (6o8 miles) and Cunna mulla (c. 600 miles) ; Rockhampton (q.v.), in addition to a local

"branchwork," has a main trunk system serving the pastoral centres Emerald (branch lines to Blair Athol 24o miles, Spring sure 206 miles), Barcaldine (361 miles), Blackall and Yaraka miles) and Longreach (428 miles), with extension under construction to Winton and Elderslie; Townsville, a similar trunk line to Charters Towers (83), Hughenden (236), Winton (368), Cloncurry (481), itself a centre for a branching system serving the mining area (Dajarra, 582 miles) ; Cairns likewise serves as a base for the Atherton Plateau and Forsayth lines into the interior. The main coast line links Brisbane with all the coast towns as far as Cairns, and Brisbane itself is linked with Sydney via Warwick Stanthorpe—and Tenterfield (New South Wales). The new "direct" route (standard gauge: 4' 81") is under construction from Warwick to Kyogle (New South Wales). In addition various ports (Bundaberg, Cooktown, Maryborough, Normanton, etc.) have smaller sections of local lines. It is proposed to join the western termini of the great inland lines by a transverse south east-north-west line which will probably be continued via Camoo weal and the Barkly Tableland to Daly Waters (North Australia, q.v.) thus linking this territory as well as the northern and north western portions of Queensland with Brisbane and Sydney (the latter via Bourke, New South Wales). The capital cost of Queens land's railway lines (including lines not yet open) was (1926-27) £60,162,380 and the deficiency upon working for the year 365. (See AUSTRALIA: Railways.) Queensland has a well-developed post and telegraph system and in addition sub-marine cables from Southport to Vancouver Island via Norfolk Island, Suva, Fanning Island, thence overland to Montreal, etc.; also Southport to Sydney; and, in addition to services of regular overseas steamship lines, coastal shipping services plying up the east coast to Thursday Island, the Gulf of Carpentaria and Darwin (North Australia). (0. H. T. R.) Explorers.—The Portuguese may have known the northern shore nearly a century before Torres, in 1605, sailed through the strait since called after him, or before the Dutch landed in the Gulf of Carpentaria. Captain Cook passed along the eastern coast in 1770, taking possession of the country as New South Wales. Flinders visited Moreton bay in 1802. Oxley was on the Brisbane in 1823, and Allan Cunningham on Darling downs in 1827. Sir T. L. Mitchell in 1846-47 explored the Maranoa, rego, and Barcoo districts. Leichhardt in 1845-47 traversed the coast country, going round the gulf to Port Essington, but was lost in his third great journey. Kennedy followed down the Barcoo, but was killed by the blacks while exploring York peninsula. Gregory, between 1855 and 1858, examined the Gilbert river and made his way right to Brisbane. Burke and Wills crossed western Queensland in 1860. Landsborough, Walker, M'Kinlay, Hann, Jack, Hodgkinson and Favenc continued the researches, and squat ters and miners opened new regions.