| The
Symbols of Queensland
Flag
The
Queensland flag has been flown since 1876. It has a blue background
and shows the Union Jack in the upper left corner.
On the right
side in a silver (white) circle, is a Royal Crown on a Maltese cross.
No one knows why the Maltese cross was chosen as a symbol of Queensland.
It may have been inspired by the similar design of the Victoria
Cross, the award for gallantry bestowed by Queen Victoria in 1857
- two years before Queensland was established.
The colour
reference is: Blue PANTONE® 280, Red PANTONE®185, Light
Blue PANTONE® 298
Coat
of Arms
The
shield on the Queensland Coat of Arms symbolises the State's primary
industries; a sheaf of wheat; the heads of a bull (meat) and ram
(wool); and mining - shown by a pick and shovel and column of gold
rising from a heap of quartz.
Above the shield,
the State badge of the Royal Crown and Maltese Cross, is framed
by two stalks of sugar cane.
In 1977, in
her jubilee year, Queen Elizabeth II assigned supporters for the
arms: the Brolga represents native-born Queenslanders, and a Red
Deer to represent those people who come to Queensland from elsewhere.
(In the 19th century, Queen Victoria had given Queensland some red
deer from her royal herds.)
Underneath
the shield is Queensland's motto Audax at Fidelis - "Bold
but Faithful".
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Badge
The
badge of Queensland is taken from the State flag.
The colour
reference is Light Blue PANTONE® 298.
Use of the
symbols of Queensland is governed by the Badge, Floral and other
Emblems of Queensland Act 1959. Requests to use the State Coat of
Arms should be made in writing to: The Director, Protocol Branch,
Department of Premier and Cabinet, PO Box 185, Albert Street, Brisbane
QLD 4002
Other
Emblems of Queensland
The
Koala
became the faunal emblem of Queensland in 1971.
While people
think the koala is shy, colonies thrive near built-up areas, providing
there is enough bushland to provide a suitable habitat. The koala
is fairly common throughout eastern areas of Queensland, south of
Townsville.
As a marsupial,
the koala carries its young in its pouch - which opens backwards,
unlike other tree-dwelling marsupials. Young koalas cling to their
mother's back until they are about a year old. Koalas live for about
20 years.
Most koala
activity is at night when they actively forage for gum leaves. They
rarely drink water, normally gaining sufficient moisture from dew
and their diet of oily eucalypt leaves.
Once several
million koala roamed Australia. Now only a few hundred thousand
survive. Careful management practices help ensure they do not suffer
from diseases and loss of their natural habitat.
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The
Brolga
has featured on Queensland's Coat of Arms since 1977 and has been
the State's bird emblem since 1986.
Brolga stand
more than a metre tall and their wingspan can measure two metres
across. The adults are mainly light grey and have a long, thin neck,
a bare head and a patch of striking red coloured skin on the lower
part of the head below the eyes. Brolgas are Australia's only native
crane and they can be found along Queensland's coast from Rockhampton
to the Gulf of Carpentaria.
The
Cooktown Orchid
grows in trees and rocks in Queensland's far northern tropical rainforests.
Each plant
flowers for up to six weeks in autumn and winter. Individual flowers
grow to about four centimetres across and are usually purple with
sprays of up to 20 flowers on each stem.
Queenslanders
voted the Cooktown Orchid their favourite flower during their State's
centenary in 1959. Soon after, it was proclaimed the Queensland
floral emblem.
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The
Sapphire
has been mined in central Queensland since the 1870s and became
the State's official gemstone in 1985.
The sapphire
is a natural variety of corundum, or aluminium oxide and is second
only to diamonds in hardness. A clear gem, the sapphire comes in
many colours other than the traditional blue, including deep indigo,
yellow or green.
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