A tale as old as time

Turn the clock back 40,000 years and you’ll find the history of the Aboriginal people and their Dreamtime legends, which have shaped how you experience Queensland today. 

Touchpoints of Indigenous history can be found across the state, perhaps none more so than Tropical North Queensland where you can immerse yourself in Dreamtime culture. 

When it comes to ancient history, geology tells of stories of wind and rain, while Mother Nature has captured and preserved evidence that point to dinosaurs roaming our land. 

Fast-forward tens of thousands of years and Queensland’s modern history books are filled with stories of early European explorers who came ashore and charted the coastline clutching only compasses and paper maps, wound into scrolls.

Experience the first footsteps of these explorers in towns like 1770 and Cooktown, where tours and festivals recount the first landing. 

Further inland, Australian explorers made history with every step they took – with names synonymous with Australia’s settlement like Burke and Wills touching almost every Outback Queensland town. 

In between, you’ll find pioneering tales that prove Australia rode to prosperity on a sheep’s back, gold rushes and prospecting, which come to life through museums, attractions and guided tours across the state. 

Household names like Qantas have deep roots in Queensland, and you don’t have to scratch far under the surface to find many more.