Queensland Queen Victoria signed Letters Patent to form the separate colony of what is now Queensland. Brisbane was appointed as the capital city. On 10 December 1859, a proclamation was read by British author George Bowen, whereby Queensland was formally separated from the state of New South Wales. As a result, Bowen became the first Governor of Queensland. On 22 May 1860 the first Queensland election was held and Robert Herbert, Bowen's private secretary, was appointed as the first Premier of Queensland. Queensland also became the first Australian colony to establish its own parliament rather than spending time as a Crown
Museum of Tropical Queensland mutiny on the "Bounty". The Maritime Archaeology Section administers the "Historic Shipwrecks Act 1976", which covers sites including HMS "Pandora" and SS "Yongala" wrecks. Access to these sites is through permit only. In 2006, worldwide attention was received for the discovery of the Australian Snubfin Dolphin, the first species of dolphin to be discovered in 56 years. The museum also houses what has been described as 'the scientifically most important coral collection in the world'. Museum of Tropical Queensland The Museum of Tropical Queensland (abbreviated MTQ) is a museum of natural history, archaeology and history located in Townsville, Queensland, Australia.