The City of Rockhampton

Rockhampton location City Coat of Arms
Mayor	Margaret Strelow
Area	187 km²
Population	58,382 (2001)
Time zone	UTC + 10
Latitude Longitude

Rockhampton is a city on the Bruce Highway, just inland of the coast in Central Queensland, Australia.

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 south 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, which today houses an information centre.

The City of Rockhampton was proclaimed in 1902.

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 on the Tropic of Capricorn in Central Queensland. 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.

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 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

Rockhampton has an estimated population of 59120 (ABS estimate 2003).

Education

Colleges and universities

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 distance education courses both inside Australia and in a number of countries.

Sports teams

• Basketball - Rockhampton Rockets (Men's) Rockhampton Cyclones (Women's)
• Rugby League - Central Queensland Comets

Notable residents or persons born in Rockhampton

• Anderson Dawson (b 1863 d 1910), Premier of Queensland
• Frank Forde (b 1890 d 1983), Prime Minister of Australia
• De-Anne Kelly (b 1954), Politician
• William Kidston (b 1849 d 1919), Premier of Queensland
• Rod Laver (b 1938), Sportsman
• John Moore, (b 1936), Politician

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 .

External links

• Forty or more profiles of relevant websites, categorised by subject-matter
• Rockhampton City Council
• Rockhampton Community Organisations
• Central Queensland University