Labor is hoping Bill Shorten's 1410-kilometre bus odyssey through Queensland will help the party claw back key seats in the battleground state which is expected to hold the key for Labor's chances in the impending federal election.

For a proud Victorian, Mr Shorten has made Queensland his second home over the past few years – with 49 trips since the 2015 election – as Labor attempts to rectify its chronic parliamentary under-representation in the Sunshine State, where it holds only eight of the 30 lower house seats in federal parliament.