South East Queensland | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Regions of Queensland with South East Queensland in the bottom right hand corner of the state | |||||||||||||
| Country | Australia | ||||||||||||
| State | Queensland | ||||||||||||
| LGA | |||||||||||||
| Established | 1824 | ||||||||||||
| Area | |||||||||||||
• Total | 35,248 km2 (13,609 sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Population | |||||||||||||
| • Total | 4,000,000 (2024)[2] | ||||||||||||
| • Density | 113/km2 (290/sq mi) | ||||||||||||
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South East Queensland (SEQ) is abio-geographical,metropolitan andstatisticalregion of thestate ofQueensland inAustralia, with a population of approximately 4.0 million[2] people out of the state's population of 5.5 million.[3][4][5] The area covered by South East Queensland varies, depending on the definition of the region, though it tends to includeQueensland's three largest cities: the capital cityBrisbane; theGold Coast; and theSunshine Coast. Its most common use is for political purposes, and covers 35,248 square kilometres (13,609 sq mi)[6] and incorporates 11local government areas,[1] extending 240 kilometres (150 mi) fromNoosa in the north to theGold Coast andNew South Wales border in the south (some sources includeTweed Heads,New South Wales which is contiguous as aconurbation with Brisbane/Gold Coast), and 140 kilometres (87 mi) west toToowoomba (which is simultaneously considered part of theDarling Downs region). It is thethird largest urban area in Australia by population.
South East Queensland was the first part of Queensland to be settled and explored by Europeans. Settlements initially arose in theBrisbane andIpswich areas with activity by European immigrants spreading in all directions from there. Various industries such as timber cutting and agriculture quickly developed at locations around the region from the 1840s onwards. Transport links have been shaped by the range of terrain found in South East Queensland.
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. Thegross domestic product is $170 billion.[2]
The term South East Queensland has no equivalent political representation. The area covers many lower house seats at the federal and state levels. As Queensland has no upper house, there are no Legislative Council provinces or regions to bear the name either.
South Eastern Queensland, as aninterim Australianbioregion, comprises 7,804,921 hectares (19,286,380 acres) and includes theMoreton Basin,South Burnett, and theScenic Rim along with ten other biogeographic subregions. It extends as far north asGladstone, and south into north-easternNew South Wales.[7]
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South East Queensland was home to around 20,000 Aboriginals prior to British occupation. The local tribes of the area were theYugarapul of the Central Brisbane area; theYugambeh people whose traditional lands ranged from South of the Logan River, down to the Tweed River and west to the McPherson Ranges; theQuandamooka people whose traditional lands encompassed theMoreton Bay Islands to the mouth of theBrisbane River toTingalpa and south to theLogan River; and theGubbi Gubbi people whose traditional lands were known to exist north of thePine River, toBurrum River in the north, and west to theConondale Range. According to history researchers the Aboriginal population declined to around 10,000 over the next 60 years.[8]
Early explorers in the area includingMatthew Flinders,Allan Cunningham,John Oxley andPatrick Logan. Around 1839, European settlers were able to move into the region. Logging was the first industry to develop. Thefirst railway built in Queensland linkedGrandchester toIpswich in 1865 along a narrow1067 mm gauge.[9]
South East Queensland became the scene ofwar against the coalition of Aboriginal tribes from 1843 to 1855.
Major floods were experienced in1893,1974,2011 and2022. In 2005, the region suffered its worst drought in recorded history.[10] A rare tropical cyclone calledAlfred threatened the region in March 2025.[11]
Queensland's fifth highest peak,Mount Superbus, is located in the south of the region. TheCunningham Highway passes southwest to the Darling Downs viaCunninghams Gap. Several highways including theBruce Highway,Warrego Highway and thePacific Motorway link to the adjoining regions.
The region is mountainous.McPherson Range,Teviot Range,D'Aguilar Range,Little Liverpool Range,Blackall Range as well as theSpringbrook Plateau andTamborine Mountain Plateau. Isolated volcanic peaks are found atMoogerah Peaks and theGlass House Mountains. Along the coast are several large islands includingBribie Island,Moreton Island andNorth Stradbroke Island with many smaller islands inMoreton Bay. Several major water supply and flood mitigation dams have been constructed here. TheSEQ Water Grid,Western Corridor Recycled Water Scheme andGold Coast Desalination Plant were built to counter the effects ofdrought in South East Queensland. Just over half the land is used for grazing.[12] South East Queensland is flood-prone. The coastaldunes of South East Queensland represent one of the world’s oldest, largest and continuous systems of coastal dunes.[13]
South East Queensland includes 11 adjoining local government areas (LGAs) in their entirety, and one partially (urban extent of theToowoomba Region).
| Local government area | Subcategory | Population (2018)[14] | Area km2 | Density per km2 |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City of Brisbane | Greater Brisbane | 1,231,605 | 1,343 | 917 | |
| City of Moreton Bay | 459,585 | 2,042 | 225 | ||
| City of Logan | 326,615 | 958 | 341 | ||
| City of Ipswich | 213,638 | 1,094 | 195 | ||
| Redland City | 156,863 | 537 | 292 | ||
| Scenic Rim Region | — | 42,583 | 4,243 | 10 | |
| Somerset Region | 25,887 | 5,373 | 5 | ||
| Lockyer Valley Region | 41,011 | 2,269 | 18 | ||
| City of Gold Coast | 606,774 | 1,334 | 455 | ||
| Sunshine Coast Region | 319,922 | 2,254 | 142 | ||
| Toowoomba Region (urban extent) | 170,356 | 12,957 | 13 | ||
| Shire of Noosa | 55,369 | 870 | 63 |
The region is a complex, regional hybrid linking the Brisbane metropolitan area with several surrounding cities.[15] South East Queensland includes the following cities:
New developments are currently underway atSpringfield,Ecco Ripley,Yarrabilba andFlagstone. Some geographers suggest several more master-planned communities will be needed to cater for the expected population growth rates.[16]
The region exports a number of crop products including broccoli, onion, Chinese cabbage, sweet corn and celery.[17] A sizeable vegetable industry is established in theLockyer Valley. Timber cutting, mining and a range of agricultural pursuits including dairying were once prominent in South East Queensland. Tourism, in part due to Brisbane serving as major transport and export hub and destinations such as the Gold Coast and the availability of land for industry, has grown in recent decades together with specialised skills in professional services and manufacturing.[18]
Car dependency has a risen when the location of jobs in areas such as health and education are at distance from where the majority live.[19]Road transport in Brisbane relies on the car as the dominant form of transport.[19]
As of 2014, the population of South East Queensland is estimated to be approximately 3.4 million, meaning that between one in six and one in seven Australians call the region home.[20] The regional population is heavily urbanised and concentrated along the coast. The three largest population centres ofBrisbane,Gold Coast and theSunshine Coast account for 90 per cent of the region's population.[21] In the year to June 2020, the City of Ipswich was the fastest growing local government area in Queensland.[22]
South East Queensland is one of the fastest-growing regions in Australia. Growth in the state is fuelled principally by migration from the southern states and overseas.[23] In 2010, South East Queensland's population grew by an average of about 1,200 new residents each week.[24]
Between 1991 and 2016 the population rose from 1.9 million residents to 3.3 million.[25] South East Queensland is expected to be home to 4.4 million by 2031.[26] A 2010 report concluded that the region will reach 5.5 million people by 2051.[27]
The population growth rate in SEQ was more than twice the rate of the rest of Queensland over the past two decades. More than 80% of population growth in the state between 1999-2019 occurred in SEQ.[28]
Population growth was putting pressure on schools and hospitals in the region in 2021.[29][30]
South East Queensland's future development will be heavily based on theSouth East Queensland Regional Plan, released by the Queensland state government in 2005.[31] The regional plan covers the period from 2009–2031 and focuses on slowing development along the coast, in order to prevent creating a200 km city, and instead aim for growth in the west, in particular aroundSpringfield andBeaudesert.[31] Infrastructure planning in South East Queensland is almost exclusively designed to facilitate trans-metropolitan travel and reduce traffic congestion.[15]
The region's big picture planning document was updated for the third time in 2017 with the release of South East Queensland Regional Plan, Shaping SEQ.[32] Shaping SEQ was reviewed in 2023 because of rapid population growth in South East Queensland.[33]
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Predominantly rural landscapes lie to the west of the urbanised coastal centres. TheLockyer Valley, a major agricultural area referred to as "South East Queensland's Salad Bowl", lies outside Brisbane. ManyWorld Heritage listed rainforests are located along the region's southern border ranges, an area known as theScenic Rim, such asLamington National Park andMain Range National Park.
Within the region, thekoala is listed as vulnerable. In 2025, the region was estimated to have 16,000 koalas in the wild.[34] In South East Queensland the koala is threatened byhabitat loss, disease such aschlamydiosis[35] and increased mortality due to domestic animals and motor vehicles.[36] TheAustralian Koala Foundation says the animal is threatened by mining and land development.[37] Numbers inRedland City have seen a dramatic decline in recent years.[38] The state government launched the Koala Conservation Plan in 2006. The plan involved the rehabilitation of cleared areas, domestic dogs containment and koala signage.[38] Another initiative was launched in 2010 to protect and rehabilitate koala habitats by tree planting and the construction of koala friendly fencing.[39]
According to theIntergovernmental Panel on Climate Change SEQ is one of Australia's regions mostvulnerable to climate change.[25] After many years ofwater restrictions due tosevere drought, the Government of Queensland lifted restrictions across the whole of South East Queensland on 1 January 2013.[40]
Afire ant outbreak is underway in South East Queensland. In 2022, 60 new suburbs around Brisbane, Moreton Bay, and the Scenic Rim were added to the biosecurity zone as part of a national fire ant eradication program.[41]
The region features several major theme parks, including the largest in the country,Dreamworld atCoomera.WhiteWater World is next door and in nearbyOxenford isWarner Bros. Movie World.Sea World is located atMain Beach and opened in 1971.Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary was established in 1927 atFig Tree Pocket.David Fleay Wildlife Park is atTallebudgera andCurrumbin Wildlife Sanctuary was founded in 1947 atCurrumbin.Australia Zoo was established in 1970.
Q1 atSurfers Paradise is the tallest building in Australia.Brisbane Skytower, the sixth tallest building in Australia, is located in Brisbane. A casino is located atQueen's Wharf and another calledThe Star Gold Coast is located atBroadbeach.
TheEkka was established in 1876.Riverfire began in 1998.
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