Captain Cook was the first European to visit Northern Queensland. He was forced to set his damaged vessel, the Endeavor, on there land. However, this area remained a mystery for almost 100 years until other Europeans began to venture north. These expeditions were dangerous and in 1844 Ludwig Leichardt and his group went to venture from Brisbane to Port Essington, most of the men were killed or wounded by the Aboriginal tribes. Then on 1848 Edmund Kennedy tried to venture from Cairns to the top of Cape York. All but two men, Kennedy being on of the two, were killed by the Aboriginal tribe as well.

Today, most of the areas wealth comes from its growing tourist trade. Luxury resorts line the coastline and tourists come to experience the spectacular natural wonders of the Great Barrier Reef. This was not always the case. In the late 19th century, Northern Queensland found prosperity through the discovery of gold in the region. The population grew to service the mines until the beginning of the 20th century, when the gold had dried up.

Today the Queensland’s Outback is mostly associated with agriculture as well as gold, silver and iron mining. There is also a lot of Australia’s national heritage here such as the Tree of Knowledge, which was the first meeting place for the Australian Labor Party in 1891. You can also find the town, Winston, that Banjo Paterson wrote Australians national song “Waltzing Matilda” in 1895.

Australians sugar producing fields are just north of Cairns. Cairns is the only city in this area, most are just small towns like Port Douglas and Mossman. In this region you can also find the Cape York Peninsula, one of the last untouched wildernesses, at 200,000sq kms. In the wet season this area is green and the rivers are full, but the opposite can be said for the dry seasons.

North of Port Douglas and the outback region require a car, to travel, unless you take part in an organized tour. Cairns, however, offers numerous forms of public with regular air, train and coach connections. They also have an international airport.

If you are looking for information on Port Douglas accomodations or Cairns accommodations you should visit www.TropicalNorthQueensland.com.au. They have everything you are looking for from hotels to points of interest your whole family will love.