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Aerial view of the Mooloolaba Canal Development, 1975
Noosa weekend cottage set in a brightly coloured garden, 1938
The 200 Kilometre City
During the past 50 years the face of southeast Queensland, the fastest-growing region in Australia, has changed beyond recognition.
What used to be called the “south coast” has become the Gold Coast and the small coastal resorts have been joined by urban development, from Southport to Coolangatta. What used to be called the “near north coast” has become the Sunshine Coast and the same fate has happened to its once separate settlements, from Caloundra to Noosa.
Small, self-contained settlements have been linked by seemingly unstoppable suburban growth, which has subsumed all the coastal communities. Southeast Queensland is now home to more than 2.5 million people, with another million predicted to move here in the next 20 years.
Virtual exhibition
In January 2005, the Museum of Brisbane [new window], in partnership with The Brisbane Institute [new window] and the State Library of Queensland, held an exhibition entitled The 200 Kilometre City. The online version of the exhibition displays many photographs from the John Oxley Library collection.
View more images from the 200 Kilometre City exhibition.
More information
If you have an enquiry, you can contact us in any of the following ways:
For general enquiries:
- Ask at your local Queensland public library
- Other libraries [new window]
Last updated: 9th November 2009
Creatively linking Queenslanders to information, knowledge and each other
