December 10, 1859 – Today is Proclamation Day, marking Queensland’s official separation from New South Wales

Timeline Maps of Australia

When the First Fleet arrived in Australia in 1788, the entire eastern half of Australia came under the name of New South Wales.

The colony of Van Diemen’s Land (later Tasmania) was established in 1825, and Victoria (Port Phillip District) separated from New South Wales in 1851.

The first settlement in what is now Queensland was established at Redcliffe in 1824, and later moved to Brisbane. The first free settlers moved to the area in 1838.

In 1859, Queen Victoria signed Letters Patent, which declared that Queensland was now a separate colony from New South Wales.

Queenslanders celebrate June 6 every year as Queensland Day, the day which marks the birth of Queensland as a self-governing colony.

Queensland actually separated from New South Wales on 10 December 1859, and this has now come to be known as “Proclamation Day”.

The western border was set at 141 degrees East. On this day, the new Queensland ensign, a light blue flag with a red St George’s cross, and union jack in its upper left hand corner, was raised.

On 1 January 1901, Queensland became one of the six founding States of the Commonwealth of Australia.