Queensland's share of the richest Australians have marked out their interests in the property, mining, wine, tourism and childcare sectors of the state.
Here are the men and women who have generated the most wealth in Queensland's rising economy, sourced from the lists published in Australia's most authoritative business magazine, BRW.
The BRW Rich 200 includes 26 Queenslanders among the 200 Australians who have amassed a collective worth of over $150 billion.
We have broken them into individuals, and then families.
But who are the individuals who are generating most personal wealth in Queensland. What business interests do they have and where did they start?
THE INDIVIDUALS
1. Terrence Peabody, 67 (married), Brisbane
Worth: $1.44 billion (last year $1.2 billion)
Business: Waste management
Mr Peabody's major company is Transpacific. He moved to Australia in the 1960s to work as an engineer on the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme, where he discovered that the main waste product from coal-fired power stations - fly ash - could be added to concrete to strengthen the concrete.
2. Timothy Fairfax, 60 (married, two children), Brisbane
Worth: $1.39 billion (last year $1.1 billion)
Business: Media investment
John B Fairfax and Timothy Fairfax returned to the Fairfax family company when the Fairfax Media merger with Rural Press - which was majority owned by John and Timothy's company Marinya Media - was approved in April 2007. The Fairfax family has been associated with Fairfax Media (or John Fairfax Holdings) since 1841. The two brothers bought Rural Press from their cousin Warwick and expanded the firm. The Brisbane Times, launched in March 2007, is one of the newest additions to the Fairfax empire. Publishes BRW.
3. Gordon Merchant (divorced, four children), Gold Coast
Worth: $904 million (last year $830 million)
Business: Founder, Billabong Surfwear
Still a keen surfer, the firm started when Merchant and his then-wife, Rena were making 20 pairs of boardshorts a week and selling them from a car. Today Billabong makes hundreds of thousands of garments a year and earns about 70% of its revenue overseas. Recently in the news for because his home sits beside the new Tugun Bypass on the Gold Coast.
4. Tom Hedley, 56 (divorced, one son), Cairns
Worth: $715 million (last year $515 million)
Business: Hotel and other property investments
Extra wealth is generated from the booming hotel industry. Mr Hedley has also bought nine Sydney hotels for around $300 million this year. He has a big interest in racehorses and is described as a "straightforward character". The Hedley Group includes a property investment arm, a construction business and a sheet metal and joinery division.
5. Kevin Seymour, 66 (married, two children), Brisbane
Worth: $598 million (last year $503 million)
Business: Property investment
Veteran Queensland property developer, who launched his own funds management business, Seymour Funds Management. Taps into the growth in Queensland's mining and infrastructure businesses. He was one of the original investors in TAB Queensland, which changed its name to UNiTAB, which merged with Tattersalls last year. His company, the Seymour Group is a major property developer and has built about 30 large businesses in Brisbane's CBD. Now starting to look outside Queensland for investments.
6. Denis Jen, 83 (married, two children), Toowoomba
Worth: $589 million (last year $580 million)
Business: Property investment
Mr Jen's property development group, Jen Retail Properties, has development applications set for major expansions at Marshall Lane at Kenmore and at the Birkenhead Point shopping centre in Sydney. The company already owns Kenmore Plaza and Kenmore Village Shopping Centre. Mr Jen moved to Australia from Taiwan and began property investments in the 1990s.
7. Gordon Fu (married, two children), Brisbane
Worth: $574 million (last year $430 million)
Business: Property and investments
Mr Fu owns 18 shopping centres in South-East Queensland and concentrates his business interests in retail property development. Among his properties are Toowong Village, Australia Fair at Southport, Booval Fair, Aspley Hypermarket and Redbank Plaza.
8. Ken Talbot, 56 (married, four children), Brisbane
Worth: $465 million (last year $447 million)
Business: Major investments in coal and hotel developments
Mr Talbot remains a director of Macarthur Coal, but has stood down as chief executive officer until the matter of court charges are resolved. Talbot faces 35 charges of corruptly gaining a valuable consideration after it was revealed he made loans of about $300,000 to former Queensland Government minister Gordon Nuttall. Earlier this year the Talbot Group and Chinese company CITIC took an interest in a small uranium firm called Southern Uranium.
9. Maha Sinnathamby, 67 (married, four children), Brisbane
Worth: $445 million (last year $405 million)
Business: Property development
The man who saw the potential of Springfield, the residential property development between Ipswich and Brisbane, which could have 85,000 residents by the year 2020. Mr Sinnathamby bought the 2860 hectare site for $7.9 million in the early 1990s and began development through his private company, Springfield Land Corporation. It now includes campuses of the University of Southern Queensland and Bremer TAFE, and an education precinct concept is being steadily developed. It is likely to be connected to the Brisbane CBD by rail within a decade.
10. John Longhurst, 74 (divorced, six children), Queensland
Worth: $404 million (last year $203 million)
Business: Property development
Bought the original 85-hectare site at Coomera, which is now the Dreamworld theme park. He is also a half-share owner in the Logan Hyperdome, which is worth more than $280 million. His son Tony Longhurst won Bathurst 1000 race twice.
11. Reg Rowe, 63 (married), Brisbane
Worth: $408 million (last year $260 million)
Business: Retail and property investments
Founded the Super Cheap Auto chain. He has stepped back from the day-to-day operations, but still retains a 49% interest in the company. Super Cheap Auto is Australia's leading auto accessory store. It began as a mail-order company in 1972 from the Rowe's family home.
12. Philip Adams, 52 (married, four children) and Michael King, 42 (married), Gold Coast
Worth: $370 million (last year $210 million)
Business: Investment and property
The pair owns a large share in the investment bank MFS which was born out of the Gold Coast law firm, McLaughlins Solicitors. The firm is steadily growing interests in property management trust. BRW expects MFS to announce a series of hotel deals in the Middle East in the next 12 months.
13. Philip Sullivan, 63 (married, three children from previous relationship), Brisbane
Worth: $339 million (last year $300 million)
Business: Finance and property
Mr Sullivan runs the finance and property group, City Pacific. The firm is involved in investment products, finance products and property development through its listed subsidiary, CP1. Is now becoming interested in luxury retirement resorts.
14. Graham Turner, 57 (married, two children), Brisbane
Worth: $315 million (last year $229 million)
Business: Travel services
Founder and managing director of Flight Centre. He is also a financial supporter of the Australian Bush Heritage Fund, which buys rural properties and turns them into wildlife nature reserves. Flight Centre started in 1981. Turner studied veterinary science. His property is mainly in Queensland, but there is some in London and Sydney.
15. Clive Berghofer (divorced, four children), Toowoomba
Worth: $300 million (last year $280 million)
Business: Property
Mr Berghofer can almost claim to be Mr Toowoomba. He was mayor for 11 years and has developed more than 8000 residential blocks over the past 30 years. He has given $2 million in the past 12 months. He backed the "no" case against recycled water in Toowoomba last year.
16. Eddie Groves, 40 (married), Brisbane
Worth: $295 million (last year $325 million)
Business: Childcare, sport
Investments in childcare and of course, basketball. He founded the childcare group, ABC Learning Centres and is now pushing into the United States. He also owns the Brisbane Bullets basketball team which took out the NBL championship title.
17. Graeme Wood, 60 (married, three children), Brisbane
Worth: $251 million (first time on list)
Business: Travel services
The founder of the internet travel company Wotif.com. He was born in Rockhampton, but lives in Brisbane. He began his career with NCR, before joining IBM, then launching Wotif in 2000. It allows hotel operators to list unoccupied hotel rooms, allowing people to rent them. It started with 60 properties online, now has 9100 providers.
18. Michael Gordon, 43 (married, two children), Brisbane
Worth: $200 million (last year $150 million)
Business: Childcare investment
Founded and sold his childcare company Peppercorn (to Groves' ABC Learning Centres) in September 2004, for $120 million. This helped him establish an investment vehicle called Bydand which invests in retirement communities.
19. Terry Morris, 67 (married, two children), Gold Coast
Worth: $190 million (last year $184 million)
Business: Property, wine production, motor sport
Mr Morris moved from Victoria to the Gold Coast in 1975. He began selling discounted cigarettes from Queensland to interstate buyers. His main vineyard is Sirromet, near Mt Cotton, near Capalaba. He has another vineyard at Ballandean near Stanthorpe. Mr Morris has also established the Holden Performance Driving Centre on the Gold Coast with the car manufacturer.
20. Craig Gore, 40 (married, two children), Gold Coast
Worth: $180 million (last year $154 million)
Business: Wine
Mr Gore makes and exports Australian wine to the United States through his company Aussie Vineyards. He is backing driver Marcus Ambrose's push in to the NASCAR racing circuit, but the heart of his interests is a finance services group, Wright, Patton Shakespeare which also backs Craig Gore's V8 Supercar team. He is also involved in property development, earthmoving and construction.
FAMILIES:
The Anderson family, Brisbane
Worth: $552 million (last year $490 million)
Business: Manufacturing and property development
The base of the family wealth comes from manufacturer GWA International which has three main division; Sebel furnishings, Caroma bathroom products and Rover mowers. The Anderson family owns about 35 per cent of this company. The family head, Barry Thornton is chairman of GWA International and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Queensland Division.
The Juniper family, Sunshine Coast
Worth: $444 million (last year $335 million)
Business: Property development
The main investment vehicle is property company Juniper Development Group, where Graeme Juniper, 61, and his 36 year old son, Shaun, are joint managing directors. Most of their wealth is generated from residential property development on the South-East Queensland coastline. The 77-story Soul Surfers Paradise retail and apartment tower, set to be finished in 2011, is their major project. Shaun is interested in motor racing and is likely to drive the Juniper-sponsored Porsche 911, GT3 in the second half of the Carrera Cup schedule.
The Saragossi family, Brisbane
Worth: $350 million (last year $322 million)
Business: Building products manufacturer
Lewis Saragossi, now runs the parent company G James Glass, which makes building products. The name comes from the Mr Saragossi's grandfather, who was christened George James. The company also invests in property - mainly industrial estates and office parks.
The Richards family, Brisbane
Worth: $236 million (last year $188 million)
Business: Waste management services
The family owns JJ Richards, the largest privately-owned management company in Australia. The family also has a 4.3% stake in rival waste management company Transpacific. The patriarch of the family is John Richards.
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