South East Queensland

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The South East Queensland region. Toowoomba and/or Tweed (NSW) may or may not be considered part of the region depending on the source and usage. Source: ourbrisbane.com

South East Queensland (SEQ) is a rapidly growing region of the state of Queensland, Australia, which contains approximately two-thirds of the state population. The SEQ region covers 22,420 square kilometres and incorporates 18 Local Government Areas, extending 240 km from Noosa in the north to the Gold Coast and New South Wales border in the south (some sources include Tweed Heads (NSW) which is contiguous as an urban area with Brisbane/Gold Coast), and 140 km west to Toowoomba (Toowoomba is sometimes not considered to be part of SEQ).

The population of South East Queensland is estimated to be approximately 2.8 million, meaning that every one in seven Australians call the region home. The regional population is heavily urbanised and concentrated along the coast. The three largest population centres of Brisbane, the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast account for 90 per cent of the region's population.

South East Queensland is the fastest growing region in Australia, fuelled principally by migration from the southern states. The region has experienced significant population growth over the last two decades, growing on average by 55,000 persons a year since 1986. This growth equates to 1000 new arrivals to the region every week. Current growth trends are expected to continue into the future, and the regional population is estimated to reach 3.71 million by 2026.

South East Queensland includes the following regional centres:

Brisbane, Queensland's capital and largest city
Gold Coast, Australia's premier tourist destination and surfing mecca to the south of Brisbane.
Sunshine Coast, another major tourist area to the north of Brisbane (consisting of the Noosa, Maroochy and Caloundra LGAs).
Ipswich, Queensland's oldest provincial city and industrial centre to Brisbane's west.
Logan, an industrial city between Brisbane and the Gold Coast.
Toowoomba, located on the Great Dividing Range and principal centre of the Darling Downs.

Predominantly rural landscapes lie to the west of the urbanised coastal centres. The Lockyer Valley, a major agricultural area referred to as "South East Queensland's Salad Bowl", lies outside Brisbane. Many World Heritage listed rainforests are located along the region's southern border ranges, an area known as the Scenic Rim, such as Lamington National Park and Main Range National Park.

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 (excludes Toowoomba).