Eastern states of Australia facts for kids

The eastern Australian states. States in red are always defined as eastern. The term can sometimes be applied to the states in orange

The eastern states of Australia are a group of states and territories located along Australia's eastern coast. These include the mainland states of Victoria, New South Wales, and Queensland. The island state of Tasmania is also part of this group.

Even though they are not states, the Australian Capital Territory and Jervis Bay Territory are also counted. Sometimes, South Australia is included too. This is because it has strong economic links with the eastern states.

Most of Australia's population lives in these eastern states. They are home to Canberra, Australia's capital city. They also contain the three largest cities: Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane. These cities are the capitals of their respective eastern states. Many other big cities are also found here.

The climate in this area is mostly warm and humid, like a humid subtropical zone. Some parts of Queensland have a tropical climate. Other areas, like Victoria and New South Wales, have an oceanic climate, which means it's influenced by the ocean. For this article, the eastern states are mainly defined by those that use Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST).

Connecting Australia's East and West

Australia is a very big country. Because of its size, there are not many direct links between the eastern states and Western Australia.

For example, there is only one main railway line that connects the east to Western Australia. This is called the Trans-Australian Railway. It first opened way back in 1917.

Similarly, only one major highway links the eastern states to Western Australia. This road is the Eyre Highway, which was completed in 1942.

Since the 1980s, there have been ideas to build a high-speed rail in Australia. This fast train would mostly connect Victoria, New South Wales, and Queensland. Sometimes, Adelaide in South Australia is also included in these plans.

The eastern states are very popular with visitors from other countries. In 2015, international tourists spent about $24.1 billion in Australia. A huge part of this money, about $20.5 billion, was spent in the eastern states. This shows how important these states are for tourism.

Population and Major Cities

The eastern states and territories have a large population. Queensland, New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, Victoria, and Tasmania together have about 19.5 million people. This is about 81% of Australia's total population.

These five states and territories cover a large area. They make up about 2.8 million square kilometers. This is roughly 37% of Australia's total land area.

Major Cities in the East

Here is a list of major cities in the eastern states. These cities have populations over 30,000 people. They are listed from north to south.