South East Queensland

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The South East Queensland region. Toowoomba and/or Tweed (NSW) may or may not be considered part of the region depending on the source and usage. Source: Ourbrisbane.com

Image:SEQ-U-LGA-map.png

LGAs in the main urbanised portion of South East Queensland

South East Queensland (SEQ) is a rapidly growing region of the state of Queensland, Australia, which contains approximately two-thirds of the state population. The SEQ region covers 22,420 square kilometres and incorporates 18 Local Government Areas, extending 240 km from Noosa in the north to the Gold Coast and New South Wales border in the south (some sources include Tweed Heads (NSW) which is contiguous as an urban area with Brisbane/Gold Coast), and 140 km west to Toowoomba (Toowoomba is sometimes not considered to be part of SEQ).

1 Demographics
2 Immigration and Population Growth
3 Regional Planning
4 Environment
5 Local Government Areas
6 See also
7 References
8 External links

[edit] Demographics

The population of South East Queensland is estimated to be approximately 3.1 million, meaning that every one in seven Australians call the region home. The regional population is heavily urbanised and concentrated along the coast. The three largest population centres of Brisbane, Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast account for 90 per cent of the region's population.^[1]

[edit] Immigration and Population Growth

South East Queensland is the fastest growing region in Australia, fuelled principally by migration from the southern states. The region has experienced significant population growth over the last two decades, growing on average by 55,000 to 80,000 persons a year since 1986. This growth equates to 1000 new arrivals to the region every week. Current growth trends are expected to continue into the future, and the regional population is estimated to reach 3.71 million to 4.6 million by 2026.

[edit] Regional Planning

South East Queensland's future development will be heavily based on the South East Queensland Regional Plan, released by the Queensland state government in 2005^[2]. The regional plan covers the period from 2005 - 2026, with a formal review scheduled for 2010. The plan focuses on slowing development along the coast, in order to prevent creating a 200 km city, and instead aim for growth in the west, in particular around Springfield and Beaudesert^[3].

[edit] Environment

South East Queensland includes the following regional centres:

Brisbane, Queensland's capital and largest city
Gold Coast, Australia's premier tourist destination and surfing mecca to the south of Brisbane.
Sunshine Coast, another major tourist area to the north of Brisbane (consisting of the Noosa, Maroochy and Caloundra LGAs).
Ipswich, Queensland's oldest provincial city and industrial centre to Brisbane's west.
Logan, an industrial city between Brisbane and the Gold Coast.
Toowoomba, located on the Great Dividing Range and principal centre of the Darling Downs.

The State Government is encouraging Noosa, Maroochy and Caloundra LGAs to consider amalgamating into one City of the Sunshine Coast.^{[citation needed]} The LGA's of Caboolture, Kilcoy, Pine Rivers and Redcliffe are also currently investigating amalgamation or boundary changes.^[4]^[5]

Predominantly rural landscapes lie to the west of the urbanised coastal centres. The Lockyer Valley, a major agricultural area referred to as "South East Queensland's Salad Bowl", lies outside Brisbane. Many World Heritage listed rainforests are located along the region's southern border ranges, an area known as the Scenic Rim, such as Lamington National Park and Main Range National Park.

The economy of South East Queensland supports and relies on a wide diversity of agricultural manufacturing industries, commerce and tourism.

The region has an integrated public transport system, TransLink (excludes Toowoomba and Tweed).

[edit] Local Government Areas

v • d • e Local Government Areas in South East Queensland
Beaudesert · Boonah · Brisbane · Caboolture · Caloundra · Esk · Gatton · Gold Coast · Ipswich · Kilcoy · Laidley · Logan · Maroochy · Noosa · Pine Rivers · Redcliffe · Redland · Toowoomba

Please note: Toowoomba is sometimes excluded from South East Queensland

Please also note: Tweed is actually within NSW but is often included in planning processes for SEQ. While not officially part of the TransLink public transport network, Surfside Buses run a seamless service across the border that appears as though its integrated to passengers.