QUEANBEYAN

city, southeastern New South Wales, Australia. It lies along the Queanbeyan River, just southeast of the Australian Capital Territory (Canberra). It originated in 1828 as a holding called Queen Bean, a name phonetically derived from an Aboriginal word meaning clear water. Proclaimed a town in 1838, a municipality in 1885, and a city in 1972, Queanbeyan is one of the state's fastest-growing residential urban centres because of its proximity to Canberra. It serves a district of sheep raising, mixed farming, and mining (iron, coal, silver-lead). The city's industries include sawmills, building construction, and engineering works. Pop. (1986) 22,698; (1993 est.) 26,770.