Climate of Queensland

The variation in climate across an area the size of Queensland is considerable. Low rainfall and hot summers in the inland west, a monsoon season in the north, and warm temperate conditions along the coastal strip contrast with low minimum temperatures that can be experienced inland and about the southern ranges.

The climate of the coastal strip is influenced by the warm waters of the Coral and Tasman Seas, which in general, keep the region free from extremes of temperature and provide moisture for rainfall. The annual median rainfall along the coastal strip is generally within the range of 1000 to 1600 mm. increasing to over 3200 mm along parts of the north Queensland coast near Innisfail.

The mountains of the Great Dividing Range in Queensland attain a maximum height of 1622 metres at Mt Bartle Frere near Innisfail, and there are several peaks in excess of 1000 metres, mainly in the north and southeast. Along sections of the Great Divide, the elevation abruptly increases away from the coastal plain, and then west of the Divide it gradually descends onto the western plains.

On the western side of the Great Divide, the rainfall drops quickly to an annual median of about 700 mm. and then gradually decreases further. At the same time, average maximum temperatures gradually increase with increasing distance from the coast.

Further to the west the land slowly flattens out to the dry inland plains, marked by cold nights. It is here that the hottest temperatures in the State most commonly occur during summer, and where the annual median rainfall drops below 200 mm.

The way in which the climate changes across the State is reflected by marked changes in vegetation, which ranges from the tropical rainforests of the coastal zone of north Queensland to the cooler forests of the southern highlands, through the pastoral belt of areas such as the Darling Downs to the dry saltpans of the western inland.

Agriculture is one major source of income, and tourism, particularly along the coastal strip, is another. Outdoor activities also vary significantly across the State. Tropical cyclones are a natural hazard from about November through to May in coastal regions. They bring with them devastating winds, heavy rain and the threat of coastal inundation from tidal surges.

Whilst tropical cyclones are a threat to coastal communities, they are a major source of rain for the dry inland regions. Settlement to the west of the Great Dividing Range was made more difficult by the lack of a reliable water supply. Settlement onto the open plains that flourished during years of good rainfall foundered during drought periods.