The very first time the north tried to break free it was a flop but the northern separatists are at it again.

The move in 1846, saw emancipated prisoners sent north to build a prosperous metropolis in the tropics by splitting the colony of New South Wales north of Wide Bay.

But the creation of the North Australia colony was short-lived and it was scrapped after about a year.

While there were leaders on the ground, ultimate control still sat with the governor who lived in Sydney.

Professor Anne Twomey from the University of Sydney said while the split was made with good intentions, it was bound to fail.

"The governor of New South Wales was temporarily made the governor of North Australia and it was completely unrealistic ... to be able to govern the area up there," she said.

"I think it was logistics but I think it was also that it just didn't have enough support."

"It was administratively burdensome, not quite practical and it just didn't work."

Former premier Peter Beattie says cities like Cairns, Townsville and Mackay now have world-class services they once dreamt of. ( ABC News: Paul Lyons )

While north Queensland political agitators like Matt Canavan, George Christensen and the Katters regularly push the idea, former Queensland premier Peter Beattie said there are slim chances: "zero and none".

"Australians won't vote for it in a referendum and Australians wont support an additional government," Mr Beattie said.

"Growing up in far north Queensland — in Atherton when I was a kid — we used to talk about all of those southerners in Townsville.

"I understand regionalism and I understand back then people thought they were badly serviced.

"North Queensland has a history going back to the 50s and 60s when it wasn't treated properly but that now has changed, so I don't think we have a groundswell of support for a separate state."

Could it legally happen?

The formation of Queensland and the Northern Territory might have solved the northern conundrum for the colonialists but is that the end of our territorial evolution?

There is a whole chapter in the Constitution dedicated to separating states, including three provisions which could legally allow it:

Provision 121: The Parliament of the Commonwealth could decide to establish a new state.

Provision 121: The Parliament of the Commonwealth could decide to establish a new state. Provision 123: The Parliament of Commonwealth could decide, with the consent of the State Parliament, after the approval of the majority of voters in a State, to alter the territory.

Provision 123: The Parliament of Commonwealth could decide, with the consent of the State Parliament, after the approval of the majority of voters in a State, to alter the territory. Provision 124: State parliaments could decide to split or join two states together to form a new State.

Professor Twomey said it was not exactly an easy roadmap.

"How you read all those three together in circumstances where you're altering the boundaries of an existing state by diminishing its size — and causing another part of that state to become a new state is anyone's guess," she said.

"Because it's never happened, we've got no precedent to go by either, so really nobody knows quite how to do it."

A bustling Flinders Street in Townsville in 1888. ( Supplied: Queensland State Archives )

Incomes, revenue and GST: would it stack up financially?

Queensland economist Gene Tunny said the large population across regional north Queensland could make it economically viable.

"I can't see any reason why it couldn't be over the longer term," Mr Tunny said.

"Tasmania would have fewer people than the proposed state of North Queensland which could end up taking in 1 million people depending on where you draw the line.

"The Northern Territory would also have fewer people.

"North Queensland does generate a significant amount of royalties revenue and there are significant mining operations in north Queensland so that is a benefit to southern states."

Coal royalties alone brought more than $3.7 billion to the state coffers last financial year.

Despite fluctuations in mining, agriculture and tourism, average incomes of north Queenslanders rival their southern counterparts — with most regions close to the national average.

Region Median weekly household income Dwellings South Queensland Brisbane East $1,602 89,616 Brisbane North $1,622 87,392 Brisbane South $1,678 131,556 Brisbane West $1,971 67,990 Brisbane Inner City $1,921 119,110 Moreton Bay North $1,188 97,689 Moreton Bay South $1,740 71,922 Darling Downs $1,129 58,374 Sunshine Coast $1,260 156,753 Gold Coast $1,404 244,888 Ipswich $1,362 120,838 Toowoomba $1,298 62,689 Wide Bay $935 136,604 Logan $1,400 115,690 North Queensland Cairns $1,226 109,315 Townsville $1,362 100,325 Mackay - Whitsunday $1,469 77,448 Central Queensland $1,421 101,410 Queensland Outback* $1,361 37,699 Australia $1,438

Median household incomes. ABS Census data 2016.

But would northerners be prepared to pay the set-up costs and would the rest of Australia be prepared to support them in the interim?

"If they do set up, I expect they'd be the beneficiary of the GST redistribution from the Grants Commission," Mr Tunny said.

"To an extent, they'll end up being supported by the rest of Australia which is why it's important to think about who are we asking this question for?"

While regions like Townsville did well in the last Queensland budget, the south-east corner still wins the biggest share of capital works spending: about $7 billion for southern regions verses $2.8 billion.

Northern cities such as Charters Towers (seen here in 1897) were once part of the colony of North Australia. ( Supplied: Queensland State Archives )

Nothing new under the Queensland sun

Professor Twomey said the debate over a Queensland 'Nexit' is nothing new and the sprawling sunshine state as we know it, nearly did not exist.

"In the 1890s when they were negotiating the Commonwealth Constitution, Queensland didn't actually turn up to the second lot of constitutional conventions in 1897-1898 — it wasn't represented," Professor Twomey said.

"The reason Queensland wasn't represented was because internally they were having their own arguments about whether they were going to be one colony or three.

"So this whole issue goes back to the 1890s when there was an ongoing internal fight in Queensland as to whether it was too big and whether it needed to be split off into three bits."

Mr Beattie has made up his mind.

"People believe Australia's over-governed — they will not vote for more politicians — it's just got no chance," Mr Beattie said.