Location

The Rockhampton Regional Council area is located in Central Queensland, on the Tropic of Capricorn, about 600 kilometres north of the Brisbane CBD. The Rockhampton Regional Council area is bounded by Livingstone Shire in the north, the South Pacific Ocean in the east, the Gladstone Regional Council area and Banana Shire in the south, and the Central Highlands Regional Council area in the west.

Included Areas

The Rockhampton Regional Council area includes the townships, suburbs and localities of Allenstown, Alton Downs, Bajool, Baree, Berserker, Boulder Creek, Bouldercombe, Bushley, Dalma, Depot Hill, Fairy Bower, Fletcher Creek, Frenchville, Garnant, Glenroy, Gogango, Gracemere, Hamilton Creek, Horse Creek, Johnsons Hill, Kabra, Kalapa, Kawana, Koongal, Lakes Creek, Leydens Hill, Limestone, Limestone Creek, Marmor, Midgee, Moongan, Morinish, Morinish South, Mount Archer, Mount Morgan, Nine Mile, Nine Mile Creek, Norman Gardens, Oakey Creek, Park Avenue, Parkhurst, Pink Lily, Port Alma, Port Curtis, Ridgelands, Rockhampton City, South Yaamba, Stanwell, Struck Oil, The Common, The Mine, The Range, Trotter Creek, Walmul, Walterhall, Wandal, West Rockhampton, Westwood, Wura and Wycarbah.

Land Use

The Rockhampton Regional Council area is a growing residential area, with significant rural and rural-residential areas, and some commercial and industrial land uses. The Council area encompasses a total land area of nearly 6,600 square kilometres, including national parks and state forests. The main urban centre is Rockhampton, with numerous small towns and villages in the rural hinterland. Rural land is used mainly for cattle grazing, pineapple growing, fruit growing, forestry, and mining. Power generation and tourism are also important industries.

Name Origin

Rockhampton was named to describe the original settlement in the 1850s, where a series of rocks marked the furthest point upstream where ships could navigate the Fitzroy River, with "Hampton" being an English suffix, meaning "a place near water".

Indigenous Meaning

The original inhabitants of the Rockhampton area were the Darumbal Aboriginal people.

Settlement

European settlement dates from 1855, with land used mainly for sheep grazing. The township of Rockhampton was laid out in 1858, with growth spurred by gold mining and cattle grazing. Rockhampton developed as a service centre to the surrounding grazing, mining and farming industries. Growth took place from the 1880s into the early 1900s, aided by improved access, port activities, and the mining of gold, silver and copper at Mount Morgan. Until the 1920s settlement within Rockhampton was mainly south of the Fitzroy River, then growth moved northwards. Significant development occurred from the 1960s. The population of the Region was relatively stable during the 1990s at 70-71,000 people, and then increased to about 77,000 in 2011.

Major Features

Major features of the Council area include Goodedulla National Park, Mount Archer National Park, the Fitzroy River, the Rockhampton Central Business District, Central Queensland Livestock Exchange & Gracemere Exhibition Centre, Stanwell Power Station, Dreamtime Cultural Centre, Walter Reid Cultural Centre, Rockhampton Zoo, Rockhampton Heritage Village, Archer Park Rail Museum, Mount Morgan Railway Museum, Rockhampton Botanic Gardens, Pilbeam Theatre, Rockhampton Art Gallery, Central Queensland Institute of TAFE (Rockhampton Campus), Central Queensland University (Rockhampton Campus), several state forests, various conservation parks and small islands.

Transport

The Rockhampton Regional Council area is served by the Bruce Highway, the Burnett Highway, the Capricorn Highway, Yaamba Road, the North Coast (Brisbane-Cairns) railway line and Rockhampton Airport.