Australia’s northeast coast was claimed for the United Kingdom by British explorer Captain James Cook in 1770. In 1859, Queen Victoria declared the area a self-governing colony by signing the Letters Patent and it became the state of Queensland. The Queenslanders of the Sunshine State celebrate their independence on June 6. And, in honor of Alexandrina Victoria, who was the longest reigning queen and monarch of the United Kingdom and Ireland for nearly 65 years until her death in 1901, this bronze statue by Thomas Brock was erected in 1906 at the Queens Gardens in the capital city of Brisbane.
