Rockhampton AustraliaRockhampton Australia is a Queensland city that's perfectly placed for visiting Australia's different natural wonders, from the dry outback to the 'wet' great barrier reef. While Brisbanites may look at you a little oddly if you say you’re visiting Rockhampton, don’t worry, you’ll definitely find enough to do in Central Queensland and be surprised by the activities, people, and local beauty. The first two pictures on this page show Rockhampton from the top of Mt. Arthur.
Rockhampton’s population of around 80, 000 live along the
banks of the Fitzroy River. With fairly easy access to both
the Outback and the Great Barrier Reef, it’s an excellent
base for seeing the variety of environments Australia has to
offer. Rockhampton’s other claim to fame is that it’s the
Beef Capital of Australia. To celebrate this, Rockhampton has
erected six statues of bulls around the town. A great way to
see the town is to go on an adventure to find all six.
Right in town you'll find the Dreamtime Cultural Centre, which
highlights and celebrates the Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander Culture throughout Australia. There are two daily
tours at 10:30am and 1pm that give you an in depth look into
the background and intricacy of their artwork, story telling,
language, and culture.
Here's the Fitzroy River running through town with local boats at anchor.
Also in Rockhampton Australia is the Great Western Hotel where you can see some quality bull riding as well as tuck into some quality steak. Rodeos (pronounced ro-day-o, locally) are held every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Depending on which night you go and what events are on you can see everything from young kids out for their first ride to Australia’s best riders. There are also occasional concerts held here. While you're watching the rodeo you can sample some of the best steaks from the area. Other great places to try steak are the Criterion Hotel and the Heritage Hotel.
Then there are the places to enjoy in the Rockhampton Australia area, for example, just outside Rockhampton to the south is the town of Mount Morgan, the site of one of Australia’s greatest
gold rushes in the late 1800’s. Now the town is mostly just
houses but it does give visitors the chance to go back in time
and experience the heady days of the gold rush for themselves.
There is the Historic Railway Station, Mt Morgan Mine tours,
Museum, and Cemetery dedicated to miners. There are also
beautiful views over Rockhampton and the surrounding mountains.
While most people think of Australia as a place to explore what
is below the ocean’s surface, Capricorn Caves offers the
opportunity to explore below the earth’s surface. These caves
were discovered in 1882 and it wasn’t long before the discoverer,
John Olsen, started taking visitors through his find. About a
20 minute drive north of the city, the caves are available for
simple guided tours, adventure climbing, weddings and even the
occasional opera performance. During the summer solstice there's
a special tour each day to see the spectacular light show. The
guided tour leaves on the hour from 9am-4pm and costs $26/adult.
You can also stay on the property in either the Caravan Park
or the Cabins.
Myella Farm Stay - Most tourist to Australia never make it
past the big cities or the Great Barrier Reef. This means
that the red dirt of the outback that Australia is famous
for never gets seen. If you don’t have time to spend a lot
of time exploring the outback the Myella Farm Stay is the
perfect way to get a taste. It is a 1.5 hour drive from
Rockhampton with daily shuttles to and from the farm. Lengths
of stays can vary from a day to weeks depending on how long
you wish to stay. Once on the farm you can try your hand at
horseback riding, 4 wheel drive tours, motorbike riding, and
feeding the farm animals. You will definitely see some red
dirt although the recent large quantities of rain have
produced the greenest outback in a long time.
If you're enjoying the pictures of Rockhampton, you'll find more
here.
Henderson Park Farm Retreat - Although it is located just 30
minutes outside Rockhampton Australia it will seem as though you are all alone in the world when you stay here. A great way to get out of the city and relax for a few days while experiencing a working Australian cattle station. While on the farm you can bush walk, canoe, and fish, and of course see how the farm works.
These places feature the 'dry' side of Australia, to visit the wetter side, visit our page
Great Keppel Island Queensland.
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Rockhampton Australia Botanical Gardens and Zoo is a cheap and
fun way to spend the afternoon when the weather is nice. There are picnic areas, BBQs, a zoo, and a children’s playground. There's also a lagoon where you can feed the large variety of birds that live in the gardens. The entire garden is free, as is the zoo. There are also the Kershaw Gardens which feature Australian flora as well as BBQs and playgrounds.
Brisbane Pictures
