Time to celebrate: Queensland's top 10 moments of 2022

What a year it’s been! From Queensland starring on the silver screen to the sighting of some of our rarest sea creatures, it’s been a momentous year.

But before we say goodbye to 2022, let’s stop and look back at Queensland’s top 10 moments of the year (plus a few cheeky honourable mentions because we can’t help ourselves).

Queensland reopens to the world

From Cape York to Coolangatta and from the ocean to the outback, we couldn’t wait to roll out the welcome mat when international travel resumed earlier this year. There were smiles from ear to ear as we welcomed back old friends and said g’day to new ones.

Visitors from New Zealand, Japan, Singapore and South Korea were amongst first to return, but it wasn’t long before our borders were open to everyone.

Queensland stars at the movies

Hollywood can’t help falling in love with Queensland (and who can blame them?), with two of the biggest movies of 2022 filmed here.

The boutique Palm Bay Resort and silica sands of Whitehaven Beach joined Mt Tambourine alongside George Clooney and Julia Roberts in Ticket to Paradise.

Meanwhile, the Gold Coast was ‘All Shook Up’ after the release of Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis (starring Tom Hanks and Austin Butler), filmed at Village Roadshow Studios.

K’gari Returns to its Indigenous name

It’s the only place on earth where rainforests grow in sand, and now the UNESCO World Heritage listed K’gari is set to officially return to its Indigenous name.

Community consultation on the change finished in October, with the renaming expected to be formalised before the end of the year.

The move comes after the K'gari World Heritage Area last year adopted the name given to it by the traditional owners and custodians of the land, the Butchella people.

And the winner is… Queensland!

Some of our favourite destinations won awards in 2022, with the palm-fringed sand and bohemian vibes of Mission Beach named the Fifth Most Beautiful Village in the World.

Wotif asked the public to vote on Australia’s best islands as part of their Uniquely Aussie Awards, and it turns out the people love our islands as much as we do. Five Queensland islands made the top ten, including Hamilton Island, K’Gari (Fraser Island) and Magnetic Island.

Sunshine Coast Named as UNESCO Biosphere

One, two, three! That’s the number of UNESCO Biosphere Reserves in Queensland following the recognition of the Sunshine Coast’s rich biodiversity and natural wilderness.

The region joins the existing Noosa and Great Sandy Biosphere Reserves in forming a cluster of neighbouring Biospheres—the only three adjoining Biospheres on the planet.

Together they span 100km, taking in wonders including the pristine wetlands of the Noosa Everglades, the volcanic peaks of the Glass House Mountains and the white sands, emerald lakes and lush rainforests of K’gari .

The Langham opens on the Gold Coast

The ‘gold’ was put into the Gold Coast this year with the opening of the Langham Hotel. Located just metres from the sand on the edge of Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach, the Langham is the region’s first new luxury beachfront hotel in three decades.

This jewel in the glittering Gold Coast skyline features 339 rooms offering five-star luxury looking out over the Pacific Ocean or Gold Coast Hinterland.

Guests have Akoya restaurant’s exquisite seafood buffet at their fingertips as well as a one-of-a-kind holistic wellness menu and don’t get us started on the stunning pool area.

Master Reef Guides graduate

School's out for summer, with the latest class of Master Reef Guide graduates bringing the number of guides to over 100.

Master Reef Guides are the official ambassadors, storytellers and interpreters of the Great Barrier Reef, the world’s largest living organism.  

Next time you're on the reef, consider a tour with a Master Reef Guide—they know all the secrets of the 3,000 separate reefs and 900 continental islands and coral cays.

Rare marine life caught on camera

There was worldwide attention after Master Reef Guide Jacinta Shackleton spotted a Blanket Octopus shimmying in the waters off Lady Elliot Island, its fluorescent ‘cape’ trailing behind it.

Marine Biologist Jorja Gilmore made another stunning discovery when she sighted a juvenile Oarfish cavorting in the coral at Opal Reef.

Master Reef Guide Tahn Miller caught the Oarfish’s ‘polished chrome’ body and thin-line dorsal fin on video, marking the first recorded sighting on the Reef.

Mavis the Koala broke the internet

Say hello to Mavis, the cutest koala ever! (that’s what the internet said – and we agree).

Social media audiences went mad for Mavis with her adorable face and teddy-bear like looks! If you can’t bear not meeting her for yourself, head to her home at Paradise Country on the Gold Coast.

Queensland is one of just two states where you can hold a koala, with cuddly encounters (that are both safe and ethical!) on offer at the likes of Australia Zoo, Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary and Lone Pine Sanctuary.

Wonder Reef opens

Divers, mark this one on your bucket list! Queensland added a new dive site to any must-do diving itinerary with the opening of Wonder Reef.

Ten minutes by boat from the Gold Coast Seaway lies the world’s first ‘buoyant reef’. This magical underwater garden brings together art and science and features nine mystical ‘twirling reef flutes’ teeming with Indian scad bait fish and sequined mulloway.

Honourable Mentions

After such a big year, we couldn’t keep it to just ten… Other highlights included:

• Some of our favourite events returning after taking a break. Supercars once again thundered around the Gold Coast during the GC500, while Ipswich saw the good times roll with the return of CMC Rocks.
• WFH stands for ‘Work From Holiday’, right? Airbnb named Queensland as one of the world’s top remote work destinations.
• The stars glammed up for the Logies, television’s night of nights held on the Gold Coast.
• Hotel Indigo and voco in Brisbane and the Holiday Inn Express on the Sunshine Coast opened—the latter the coast’s first internationally-branded hotel in 30 years.
• Gold Coast Airport opened the doors to their new international terminal.
• Nutbush city limits extended to the Outback with more than 4,000 boot scooting enthusiasts breaking the world record at the Big Red Bash.

To read more about our achievements in 2022, check out the latest news updates here.