Beautiful one day, perfect the next; that's the official slogan, and it's not far from the truth. Queensland is huge, and the northern towns are closer to Asia than they are to the state capital Brisbane, its the fastest-growing state in Australia and the weather is almost always outstanding (as long as you like it hot and/or wet).
It's known affectionately as Bris-vegas, but no-one really knows why (although it does have a gorgeous, heritage-listed casino). It's not quite as beautiful of Sydney, but it beats the pants off Melbourne in the looks department, and you'd be hard-pressed to find a more liveable city on the planet.
The undisputed holiday capital of Australia, the Gold Coast isn't for everyone, but if you enjoy the sun and surf you'll fit right in. 40km of beachfront high-rise apartments make it sound on paper like a Floridian nightmare, but there's no gators and the pristine national parks in the surrounding mountains provide welcome relief from the glitz and, ahem, glamour.
Officially the fastest growing region in the country, people flock to the 'Sunny Coast' for, well, lets just say it's not the clouds. Unlike the Gold Coast, which feels like a city, the Sunshine Coast feels like a string of small, but bulging coastal suburbs, hugging a pristine, antipodean coastline, surrounded by a quirky mountain range.
While the rest of Queensland is hot, far north Queensland, with Cairns as its capital, is just plain balmy. A tropical paradise that looks like Papua New Guinea on the edge of the bluest ocean in the world (teeming with killer jellyfish and man-eating crocodiles; it was obviously created by a deity with a sense of humour). Bone-dry in winter and soaking wet in summer, it's a land of extremes.
Just like the Caribbean, but without reggae, pirates, or Americans, The Whitsunday Islands are the jewels in the crown that is The Great Barrier Reef. World-class diving, yachting and drinking are the main attractions.
While the Queensland coastline prides itself on blue skies, Newton's third law sometimes applies when you least want it to. While a beach holiday without rain is a blessing, trying to scratch out a living in a state with perpetual sunshine is no mean feat. Here the cows are herded with modified military vehicles, the sheep glow with the ochre dust and the endless fields of cotton are the closest thing you'll ever see to snow.
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