Discover ways to celebrate Queensland Day

What better way to celebrate Queensland Day on Monday 6 June 2022 than talking with your family about the things you love about Queensland? From dinosaurs to barramundi, and the Daintree to Birdsville, there's a lot to love!

Queensland authors

• Stories for Little Queenslanders is a fun series of picture books for children 0-5 featuring local Queensland places, cheeky animals and quirky characters, created by authors and illustrators with a connection to Queensland to inspire a love of reading in young children 
• Other Queensland authors include Peter Carnavas, Katherine Battersby, Greg Dreise

Sharing stories is a wonderful way to get little brains firing and to build vocabulary. Try not to skip unfamiliar words or place names, spend time explaining them to build understanding.

Inspiring Queenslanders

High achievers can inspire children to try new things and pursue their dreams. Discuss how determination and perseverance are essential for success. Inspiring Queenslanders include:

• Ash Barty – former World number one tennis player from Ipswich
• Bee Gees – singing sensations from Redcliffe
• Bindi Irwin – conservationist
• Sir Charles Kingsford Smith – pioneering aviator
• Christine Anu – musician
• Lucas Patchett and Nicholas Marchesi – Orange Sky Laundry founders

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages

Today around 50 Indigenous languages are still spoken in Queensland. Explore local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander words and phrases including: 

• Saying G’day 
• Brisbane animal words 
• Body parts  

State Library resources

Visit the State Library website to discover collections documenting Queensland treasures, places and everyday life!

• You will find images of life in early Queensland. Get a taste of what is available with these albums on Flickr.
• Can you find your suburb in the list of early real estate maps? See what has changed.
• The Children’s Art Archive 1990 - 2020 is a great way to enjoy children’s artworks and find out what’s important to them

Activities

Here are some activities to continue the conversation at home:

• Find Queensland on the map of Australia
• Talk about the size of Queensland compared to the other states. Use words like vast, distance and remote
• Find Queensland places you have visited on the map
• Plot the dinosaur discoveries and vote for the next Queensland dinosaur emblem
• Dress up as a famous Queenslander
• Talk about the distance from Brisbane to Cairns or Longreach to Townsville
• Encourage children to draw pictures of Queensland icons (like the Big Pineapple, the Cooktown orchid, Ulysses butterfly or the cassowary)
• Bake some pineapple muffins or wattleseed and thyme damper
• Write a short story about a road trip in Queensland and the places you will see on the way.

For more information or to read a book by a Queensland author, visit a Queensland public library or Indigenous Knowledge Centre near you.