Welcome to Rockhampton
Margaret Strelow
Mayor of Rockhampton
WELCOME to our beautiful City of Rockhampton.
Rockhampton is the City for lifestyle. There are few places in the world where the average person can afford to live in such a beautiful City surrounded by tropical gardens and architecture, travel only five minutes to work, yet have top-class education, sporting and cultural facilities on the doorstep.
Our City is rich in natural beauty from Mt Archer National Park, to the shady banks of our unpolluted Fitzroy River. Our 100-year-old Botanic Gardens offer lush tropical rainforest walks, the company of unafraid wildlife and zoo animals, and picnic facilities under ancient banyan fig trees. The Kershaw native gardens house shaded walking paths, scented gardens, lily ponds, and waterfalls.
Rockhampton lies on the Tropic of Capricorn, and acts as gateway to Central Queensland. We have an excellent airport, and a thriving commercial and business centre surrounded by significant mining and rural industries. The region also has an international focus, with significant investment from major overseas companies.
Central Queensland attracts significant domestic and international tourism growth, with approximately 100,000 international tourists, and one million domestic tourists visiting the Rockhampton district each year. Our City offers many tourist attractions such as the historical Heritage Village, and Archer Park Railway and Steam Tram Museum, and offers a direct insight into our Aboriginal heritage through the Dreamtime Centre.
We are very proud of our City and the opportunities we offer our community and visitors. The Rockhampton district has comprehensive education facilities ranging from kindergarten to postgraduate level, and we offer an extensive range of sporting facilities, cultural groups, and excellent services for our very valued senior citizens.
The region’s major mining activity produces coal from the nearby Bowen Basin for the world’s steel-making plants and for power production. The open-cut and underground operations have estimated deposits in excess of 10,000 million tonnes. Machinery used in the mining process is some of the largest in the world, with walking draglines weighing up to 6600 tonnes. Magnesite, limestone, and salt are also mined and processed in large quantities near Rockhampton.
Rockhampton is known as the Beef Capital of Australia, with more than two million head of cattle in the region. The tropically adapted beef breeds – Brahman, Braford and Belmont Red – make up the bulk of the region’s herd. Gracemere Saleyards, just a few kilometres west of Rockhampton at Gracemere, conducts some of Australia’s largest sales of stud and commercial cattle. Two major meatworks operate in Rockhampton and export to world markets. The City also hosts the triennial international Beef Australia exposition events.
Rockhampton offers the unsurpassed lifestyle of mild winters, the relaxed lifestyle of regional Queensland, and all the commercial benefits of City living. I invite you to explore our beautiful City and to experience first hand the second-to-none lifestyle and investment opportunities, Rockhampton has to offer.
Margaret Strelow, Mayor of Rockhampton.