Rockhampton, Queensland

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Rockhampton
Queensland
Population: 59,120 (2003) (ABS) (24)
Postcode: 4700, 4701, 4702
Time zone: AEST (UTC+10)
LGA: Rockhampton City Council
State District: Rockhampton, Fitzroy, Keppel
Federal Division: Capricornia

Rockhampton, sometimes abbreviated to 'Rocky', 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.

Contents

[edit] History

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

[edit] Exploration

The European history of the area began in 1853, with the future site of the city being visited by the brothers Charles and William Archer, who were seeking grazing lands. They were acting on information from earlier expeditions by Ludwig Leichhardt and Thomas Mitchell, who had explored the area in 1844 and 1846 and noted suitable land for grazing then.

In January 1854, the New South Wales Government proclaimed two new districts: Port Curtis and Leichhardt (roughly today's Fitzroy Region), and settlement began in earnest in 1855.

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 around 1856, though was not proclaimed officially until 25th October 1858.

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.

[edit] Sister City

Rockhampton's sister city is Ibusuki, Japan.

[edit] Law and government

Rockhampton was proclaimed a municipality on December 15th 1860 and the first council (and Mayor) elected February 26th 1861. The first mayor was John Palmer.

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.

Rockhampton, as seen from Mount Archer.
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Rockhampton, as seen from Mount Archer.

[edit] Geography

Location of Rockhampton in Queensland (red).
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Location of Rockhampton in Queensland (red).

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. Although the Tropic of Capricorn is represented as a "dotted Line" on maps, it is actually a bio-geographical overlap of Tropical and Temperate zones more than 500km wide with Rockhampton being roughly at its centre on the East Coast of Australia. Rockhampton is also located on the overlap of Inland (Outback) and Coastal zones making it one of only two places in Australia where all four zones merge. According to The 1993 Commonwealth Government inquiry into the surrounding regions up to 70% of all species of flora and fauna that inhabit Australia, can be found co-existing in and around Rockhampton. In particular, as mentioned in the inquiry, the Shoalwater Bay Wilderness which has a R.A.K.E.S. bio-diversity ranking of 15. while places such as Daintree ranks 9 and Fraser Island ranks 7.(Source: New Engalnd University) Rockhampton's Capricorn Region is arguably the most diverse region in Australia. 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.

[edit] 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 closed 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.

Streetscape of Quay Street.
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Streetscape of Quay Street.

[edit] 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.[citation needed] Travelling shows such as Puppetry of the Penis have not been allowed to perform at the Rockhampton City Council-owned Pilbeam Theatre in past years, and have jumped from Gladstone to the south to Mackay to the north. However, the show is re-touring and will this time include Rockhampton, at the Pilbeam Theatre. 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.

[edit] Rockhampton Art Gallery

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.

[edit] Rockhampton Botanic Gardens

Established in 1869, the Rockhampton Botanic gardens are located in Spencer St Rockhampton. Tropical fruits, palms and cycads are some of the featured plants there.

[edit] Kershaw Gardens

A second public garden, the Kershaw Gardens, was officially opened in 1988 on the site of the former Rockhampton rubbish dump. Located on Moores Creek Road (Bruce Highway) in North Rockhampton, these gardens specialize in Australian native plants, especially those of Central Queensland. Their most striking feature is the imitation waterfall constructed on the northern boundary of the site adjacent to the highway, which aims to recreate a scene from the Blackdown Tableland.

[edit] Education

[edit] Colleges and universities

Founded in 1881, the Rockhampton Grammar School is the oldest, continually operating school in Rockhampton. 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 (formed from the amalgamation of St. Joseph's CBC and The Range Convent), and Emmaus College.

The main 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.

[edit] 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 destination 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.


[edit] Radio Stations

Callsign Frequency Owner Web Link
4RO 990 kHz AM Prime Television www.4ro.com.au
4CC 1584 kHz AM Prime Television www.4cc.com.au
Sea FM 101.5 MHz FM Macquarie Regional RadioWorks www.mrworks.com.au
Hot FM 107.9 MHz FM Macquarie Regional RadioWorks www.mrworks.com.au
Triple J 104.7 MHz FM ABC triplej.net.au Live Streaming
Radio National 103.1 MHz FM ABC www.abc.net.au/rn/ Live Streaming
ABC Classic FM 106.3 MHz FM ABC www.abc.net.au/classic/ Live Streaming
ABC Capricornia 837 kHz AM ABC abc.net.au/capricornia/
4YOU 98.5 MHz FM Community www.qcba.org.au/web/4you.html
4US 100.7 MHz FM Community www.cbonline.org.au/index.cfm?pageId=13,13,6,3297
Country FM 92.7 MHz FM Country (?)  ???
4TAB 99.9 MHz FM UNiTAB Limited  ???
Vision FM 87.6 MHz FM UCB Australia www.visionfm.com.au/


[edit] Newspapers

The Rockhampton Morning Bulletin has been in circulation since 9 July 1861. Founded by William Hitchcock Buzzacott, who was its first editor, the paper has outlasted all local rivals over its 140 odd years of circulation. Initally a weekly, it became a daily in 1873.

A rival newspaper, the Northern Argus, appeared 3rd January 1863, becoming a daily newspaper in 1875. Initially the Bulletin was held to be more conservative while the 'Argus was more radical, though in 1895, the 'Argus was bought by Stewart Hartley, the son in law of Charles Hardie Buzzacott (who had been editor of the 'Bulletin after his brother William) and reissued as the Daily Record. The paper was bought by T.J. Ryan, later Labor Premier of Queensland, and became a vehicle for Labor policies. It became the Evening News in 1922, and was later bought by and incorporated into the 'Bulletin by 1941.

The Capricornian was a weekly newspaper launched on 2nd January 1875, which was amalgamated with the Artesian, another weekly newspaper, to be reissued as the Central Queensland Herald on January 1st 1930, before ceaseing circulation in 1956. Another rival paper from the 1890s was the Peoples Newspaper edited after 1896 by Wallace Nelson, who was described as "Rockhampton's Breeziest Editor and Most Attractive Speaker".

The short-lived but inventively named Rockhampton Laughing Jackass was a weekly newspaper founded by Louis Marcellin Martin in 1881. colourful, irreverent and humorous it ceased publication in mid 1882 due to financial difficulties. The idea of a satirical journal was resurrected twenty years later with the launch of the Cornucopian on January 1st 1901, however it was equally short lived.

North Rockhampton had its own newspaper for some years from 1885; the Rockhampton Temperance Advocate which became the North Rockhampton Times & Blackall Electorate Advertiser.

[edit] Sports teams

[edit] Notable residents or persons born in Rockhampton

[edit] 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) [citation needed]
    • Jellyfish are also present in the Fitzroy
  • The highest recorded official temperature in Rockhampton was 45.3 degrees Celsius[1].
  • 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'. An alternative version has the lights of the city spell out the word 'hole'.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Rockhampton weather data at BOM
  • McDonald L. (1981) Rockhampton: A History of City and District. University of Queensland Press, St Lucia, Qld. ISBN 0-7022-1620-8
  • Bird JTS. (1904) The Early History of Rockhampton. The Morning Bulletin, Rockhampton, Qld.

[edit] External links

Coordinates: 23°22.9′S 150°28.5′E

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