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The City of Rockhampton

City Coat of Arms
MayorMargaret Strelow Area187 km² Population59,120 (2003) (ABS) Time zoneUTC + 10 Latitude
Longitude Rockhampton (or 'Rocky' as it is known by the locals) is a small city and Local Government Area in Central Queensland, Australia, located 42 km inland from the Capricorn coast on the Bruce Highway, approximately 640 kilometres north of Queensland's capital city, Brisbane.

History

The Rockhampton district is the traditional home of the Darumbal people.

The European history of the area began in 1855, with the future site of the city being visited by the Archer Brothers, who were seeking grazing lands. The Fitzroy River provided a convenient waterway for shipping of supplies for those who followed them, and a settlement grew on the riverbanks just downstream of a bar of rocks which prevented further upstream navigation from the coast. These rocks were incorporated with the traditional English term for a village, and the name Rockhampton was born.

Like many other Australian cities, Rockhampton's fortunes were assured with the discovery of gold, in this case at Canoona to the north. Later, the significant gold deposit at Mount Morgan to the southwest was discovered, and Rockhampton became a service town for the local area. The early tents and shantys were slowly replaced by more substantial buildings. The historic streetscape of Quay Street still displays a number of substantial historic buildings, built when Rockhampton was envisaged as being capital of a state of North Queensland. Most prominent of these is the sandstone Customs House (1900), which today houses an information centre. Other important nineteenth century buildings include the Post Office (1892), the Supreme Court House (1888), and St Joseph's Cathedral (1892).

The City of Rockhampton was proclaimed in 1902. During the Second World War, a U.S. army base was established outside the city, hosting up to 70,000 U.S. servicemen en route to action in the Pacific Islands and New Guinea.

Law and government

The city is governed by the Rockhampton City Council, which comprises the Mayor and 10 councillors. Elections are held every four years, with the Mayor being elected by direct vote, and councillors being elected in their respective divisions. The council operates to a budget of approximately $75 million each year.

Geography

Rockhampton lies just north of the Tropic of Capricorn in Central Queensland. A sculpture originally marking the latitude was later moved into town to be more accessible to tourists. The city is located on the banks of the Fitzroy River, approximately 40 kilometres from the river mouth. The Berserker Range lies on the eastern side of the city, with the Athelstane Range to the west. The coastal area to the east of the city is known as the Capricorn Coast, with the rapidly growing town of Yeppoon as its administrative centre.

Economy

The city is the self styled "Beef Capital of Australia", and the fortunes of the city to a large part depends on the health of rural industry. The city hosts a major Beef Expo triennially, which showcases all facets of the beef industry. Large cement bulls are a prominent feature for visitors coming into town from the north or south.

Grazing is the predominant industy in Central Queensland. Two large abattoirs are located in the Rockhampton area. Due to a long term drought and general economic conditions, one of these facilities has experienced a number of closures over the years and was mothballed from 2002 until 2004, but has now reopened. The Gracemere Saleyards, one of the largest livestock sales facilities in the country, lies just to the west of the city.

Queensland Rail has a large workforce in the city, which is the meeting point for the main north coast rail line and the line to the major coalfields to the west. Enormous coal trains regularly pass from the west to the coal port of Gladstone to the south. The coal fired 1440 megawatt Stanwell Power Station lies 30 kilometres west.

Tourism is increasingly playing a role in the development of city and surrounds. The city is a convenient distance north from Brisbane to provide an overnight stop for tourists, who can then branch out to visit local attractions. The Capricorn Coast is located half an hours drive from Rockhampton, with the islands of the Keppel group easily accessible from there.

To the north of the city lies the extensive Shoalwater Bay Military Training Area, where large scale ground, air and amphibious operations can be conducted. The Singapore Armed Forces have a permanent base in the city, and the large numbers of Australian, Singaporean and United States military personnel who visit the city on rest and recreation have become an economic lifeline to business.

Demographics and Culture

Rockhampton has an estimated population of 59,120 (ABS estimate 2003).

Rockhampton has a reputation for being conservative compared to its nearest neighbours. Travelling shows such as Puppetry of the Penis have not been allowed to perform at the Rockhampton City Council-owned Pilbeam Theatre so have jumped from Gladstone to the south to Mackay to the north. In 1980 Peter Allen was charged for repairs to the lid of a grand piano, damaged when he danced on it during a performance of his "Up in One: More than a Concert" at the Pilbeam.

The Rockhampton Art Gallery collection, also owned by the Rockhampton City Council, situated next to the Pilbeam Theatre consists mainly of works by Australian artists from the 1940s to the 1970s.

Education

Colleges and universities

The first school in Rockhampton, the Rockhampton National School was founded in 1859. The first public secondary school was established in 1914 and later split into Rockhampton State High School and the Rockhampton Technical College - now the Rockhampton TAFE.

Today, Rockhampton has numerous State and private primary schools, three State secondary schools (Rockhampton State High School, North Rockhampton State High School and Glenmore State High School), two non-denominational private secondary schools, Rockhampton Grammar School and Rockhampton Girls' Grammar School, and several Roman Catholic secondary schools, including The Cathedral College (formerly The Range Convent), and Emmaus College.

The largest campus of the Central Queensland University is located in North Rockhampton. The University has a large student body living locally and on campus, and also conducts an array of distance education courses both inside Australia and in a number of countries.

Transportation

Rockhampton have a network of Sunbus bus services that run from Monday to Saturday. Taxis running under the name "Rocky Cabs" also serves the city. Rockhampton is also the final and start distination of the Electric Tilt Train service from Brisbane, but is only one of the stops for the diesel-powered Tilt Trains which runs from Brisbane to Cairns. Rockhampton has a small regional Airport that serves the public to larger airports such as Brisbane, Sydney.

Sports teams

Notable residents or persons born in Rockhampton

Miscellaneous information

  • The Fitzroy River is inhabited by salt water crocodiles, some recent specimens of which have been 4 metres in length. River swimming is not advisable in the city.
    • Unconfirmed sightings of sharks have occurred, supposedly eaten by aforementioned crocodiles (repeat - swimming is not advisable)
    • Jellyfish are also present in the Fitzroy
  • The highest recorded official temperature in Rockhampton was 47 degrees Celsius.
  • Rockhampton is home to the grey-headed flying fox.
  • In 2003 an old rumour surfaced in the town's local newspaper The Morning Bulletin that, when viewing the city from the Mount Archer lookout at night-time, the lights of the city spelt the word hell. Although some imagination is needed, there is a slight resemblance to the word. Rockhampton's mayor at the time joked that she would change the lighting patterns of the city to add an 'o' to the end so it would greet viewers with the word 'hello'.

See also

Radio Stations

Callsign Frequency Owner
4RO 990 kHz AM Prime Television
4CC 1584 kHz AM Prime Television
Sea FM 101.5 MHz FM Macquarie Regional RadioWorks
Hot FM 107.9 MHz FM Macquarie Regional RadioWorks
Triple J 104.7 MHz FM ABC
Radio National 103.1 MHz FM ABC
ABC Classic FM 106.3 MHz FM ABC
ABC Capricornia 837 kHz AM ABC
4YOU 98.5 MHz FM Community
4US 100.7 MHz FM Community
Country FM 92.7 MHz FM
4TAB 99.9 MHz FM UNiTAB Limited

External links

Cities in Queensland | Local Government Areas of Queensland | Rockhampton (Queensland) | Rockhampton | Rockhampton | Rockhampton

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Rockhampton, Queensland".

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