Queensland People

In the same way restaurants and hotels are an extension of an owner or manager’s personality, so too is a destination. Queenslanders are friendly, laid-back, possess a dry sense of humour and are quietly smug at being blessed with one of the world’s best climates. Warm and welcoming, they are more than happy to share their knowledge of what to do and where to go.

The State’s popular premier, Peter Beattie, is a good example of someone representing a place’s personality. There have been no spin-doctors working overtime on his image – what you see is what you get – a likeable, rough-and-ready sort of bloke who would look just at home behind the counter of a butcher’s shop. He may well have a handshake capable of crushing walnuts, but manners would dictate a gentler greeting. I can imagine him on weekends, in floral shirt and shorts, behind a sizzling barbecue, a beer in a polystyrene cooler in one hand and tongs in the other. But I can only just see the tongs - those are big hands. ‘Hey fellas, did you hear the one about …?’