Rockhampton Qld 4700 (Pop 60 000)

‘Rocky’, an elegant Capricorn Coast city in central Queensland is situated 638 km north of Brisbane and 42 km inland on the Bruce Hwy. Original inhabitants were the Darumbal Aborigines and European settlement began in 1850s. Rockhampton is full of beautiful old buildings, tree lined streets with the FitzroyRiver flowing through it. The name derived from the English suffix ‘Hampton’ denoting a place near water with Rock added to mean ‘place near the rocks in the river’. Early nearby goldfinds together with a rich pastoral industry accounted for the area’s growth and today Rockhampton declares itself ‘Beef Cattle Capital of Australia’ as well as enjoying a coal mining boom.  Rockhampton markets each Sun. May Day Regatta (May), Rocky Roundup (June), Rocky Barra Bounty (Oct).

Tourist Attractions & Info:
Historic Rockhampton includes The Post Office (1895), Customs House (1898), The Criterion Hotel (1889), Supreme Court (1887), Archer Park Railway Station (1899), St Paul’s Cathedral (1879) and St Joseph’s Catholic Cathedral (1889). Rockhampton Art Gallery, Victoria Pde exhibits mainly works by Australian artists between 1940s–1970s. Botanic Gardens (1869) and Japanese Gardens (1982) Spencer St diverse range of tropical and warm climate plants. The City Zoo, also here, has koalas, kangaroos, emus and a variety of birds. Kershaw Gardens, Bruce Hwy opened in 1988 on the site of a former rubbish dump and specializes in Australian native plants. Mount Archer NP Pilbeam Dr, Frenchville a scenic park of open forests and subtropical vegetation. The walk to the summit of Mt Archer (604 m) is 11 km and the return trip is quite strenuous. Superb views from Frazer Park. Rockhampton Historical Society Museum (1885) near FitzoyBridge interesting collection of local memorabilia & displays. Open (10am-2pm) Tues/Thurs and (2pm-5pm) Sun.

Nearby: 
St Christopher’s Chapel (20 km e) unusual open-air chapel built by Amercian servicemen (1943) of bush timbers and corrugated iron. Olsens Capricorn Caves (23 km n) comprise 16 coral reef caves discovered by a Norwegian, John Olsen in 1882 and some 380 million years old. Privately owned. Contact (07) 4934 2883. Great Keppel Island (access by flights) resort island with beautiful beaches and great watersports.

Accommodation:
Rockhampton has over 30 motels, 7 hotels, holiday apartments, a B&B and 6 caravan parks. Visitor Information Centre: Customs House, 208 Quay St. Tel (07) 4922 5339.