Iconic Queensland

Next year Queensland celebrates its 150th year of independence from New South Wales. As part of the 'Q150' events the Premier today invited nominations for icons that define Queensland’s identify. I’m not sure whether my vote counts but here it is anyway:

People...

• State-shapers: My slightly odd choice would be Kevin Rudd. Not because he’s now PM but because he ran the Queensland public service in the early 90s under the first Labor Government for over twenty years. Before this Queensland really was a banana republic having long been governed by a fascist Liberal government under Joh Bjelke-Peterson (e.g. public protests and street marches were banned in the 1970s and 1980s). So Rudd was an important figure in helping modernise the state (and no doubt will continue to have a role in shaping the state).
  


• Influencing artists: I’m going to go for the author Nick Earls as I’ve got to know him a bit and I think he’s a strong and effective ambassador for Queensland and of those soft influencers in life who often have much the more impact.



• Sports legends: Cathy Freeman. Obvious choice really – her victory in the Sydney Olympics 400m was a massive moment for Australia’s Indigenous population and arguably up there with the greatest sporting moments of all time.

Places…

• Locations: Brisbane's South Bank. It really is a fantastic stretch of well designed architecture – stretching from the Gallery of Modern Art at one end to the Kangaroo Point Cliffs at the other which much in between.



• Natural attractions: Great Barrier Reef. No contender here surely?
  


• Structures and engineering feats: the Kuranda railway in northern Queensland. Seriously impressive railway built by hand (mostly by Irish labour) in the 1880s through the rainforest, originally to serve the mines and now a spectacular scenic railway.

Stories…

• Defining moments: Expo ’88. This renovated large parts of Brisbane, particularly around the river. More to the point it was also a defining moment in that it put Brisbane (and Queensland) out to the world.



• Inventions and innovations: the cervical cancer vaccine developed at the University of Queensland.
  


• Events and festivals: has to be the Ekka.
  


• “Typically Queensland”: tough choice this one. Close contenders were XXXX beer and Queenslander houses. In the end, given that three-quarters of Queenslanders live along the coast I had to go for a beach theme… so invoking fully the laid back and relaxed beach lifestyle of the state the 'Boardie Short' wins this category for me.

The Brisbane outpost in the early 1860s: