Clyde Collins - The Sunshine State

The Sunshine State, or Life is Great in the Sunshine State, was written by Clyde Collins in 1958 for the Queensland state centenary. Recordings of the song were made by the Horrie Dargie Quintet and by The Northern Command Band in 1959.
This particular version is by The Northern Command Band, with vocals by Max Blake, and features the full version of the song, as published in the official sheet music.
In the 1980s, the Queensland government ran the slogan "We Make It Great In The Sunshine State" to promote locally made products, and was a play on Collins' song.

LYRICS

Life is great in the Sunshine State,
Every Queensland heart sings a song
To its tablelands and its golden sands,
We are proud to say we belong.
And our faith is great in the Sunshine State,
For our Queensland future is grand.
From the northern cane to the western plain,
It’s a full of promise land.
All the while, every mile, there’s a sunlit smile
And a welcome handshake too
For friendship’s great in the Sunshine State
May its sunshine keep smiling for you.

'Neath the northern sky,
Where breezes sigh,
There's a land beyond compare.
Where the rich soil yields,
The greenest fields,
Nature's gifts are everywhere.
This country is inspiration
For the dawn of a bright new day.
It's a friendly, warm, sunny paradise
And that is why we say -

Life is great in the Sunshine State,
Every Queensland heart sings a song
To its tablelands and its golden sands,
We are proud to say we belong.
And our faith is great in the Sunshine State,
For our Queensland future is grand.
From the northern cane to the western plain,
It’s a full of promise land.
All the while, every mile, there’s a sunlit smile
And a welcome handshake too
For friendship’s great in the Sunshine State
May its sunshine keep smiling for you