Rockhampton

For other uses, see Rockhampton (disambiguation).

Rockhampton Queensland
Rockhampton, as seen from Mount Archer
Rockhampton
Coordinates
Population	80,345 (2014)
Established	1858
Postcode(s)	4700, 4701, 4702
Elevation	11.3 m (37 ft)
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10)
Location	636 km (395 mi) NW of Brisbane
LGA(s)	Rockhampton Region
Region	Capricorn Coast
State electorate(s)	Rockhampton Keppel
Federal Division(s)	Capricornia
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall 28.3 °C 83 °F 16.6 °C 62 °F 795.0 mm 31.3 in

Rockhampton is a city and local government area in Queensland, Australia. The city lies on the Fitzroy River, approximately 45 kilometres (28 mi) from the river mouth, and some 600 kilometres (370 mi) north of the state capital, Brisbane. Rockhampton has a north and south side with three bridges connecting both sides, one for trains and two for vehicles and people.

The estimated urban population of Rockhampton in June 2014 was 80,345. Rockhampton hosts a significant number of governmental, community and major business administrative offices for the central, coastal part of the state.

Rockhampton experiences over 300 days of sunshine each year, which lends itself to tourism activities all year round and an abundance of outdoor activities. Popular attractions include Riverbank Parklands, a riverfront parkland attraction located on the banks of Fitzroy River; the Capricorn Coast, the coastal strip between Yeppoon, Emu Park and Great Keppel Island, a large neighbouring island off the Capricorn Coast, the vast majority of which is national park.

History

The Capricorn district is the traditional home of the Darumbal Aboriginal people.

The European history of the area began in 1853, when the area that would become Rockhampton was visited by the Archer brothers Charles and William, 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 first used.

In 1856, the Elliott brothers arrived at Gracemere and soon after, took up landholdings at Canoona, north of present-day Yaamba. There, Philip Elliott and his party came under attack from the Darumbals, possibly of the Taroomball tribe. Elliott was seriously wounded by a spear and one of his men was killed. However, Elliott had brought with his party a contingent of native police who turned near-certain loss into victory. It was the first of many battles.

Overpainted albumen print of Aborigines and gold diggers near Rockhampton, c. 1860s, National Library of Australia

With abundant grazing lands and waters from the Fitzroy River and its many tributaries and lagoons, the region continued to expand rapidly. In 1858, the town of Rockhampton was officially proclaimed. The town was surveyed at this time and the first sales of building allotments were held that year. In 1859, gold was discovered at Canoona. Miners rushed to the new field, using the site of Rockhampton on the Fitzroy River as the nearest navigable port. The Canoona field proved to be very disappointing and thousands of would-be gold seekers were left stranded at Rockhampton. Although many returned south, others stayed, adding to the infant town's population.

By 1861, the town boasted a regular newspaper, banks, court house and School of Arts. Direct shipments of imported goods and migrants from the United Kingdom began to be received during the 1860s. During the 1860s and 1870s Rockhampton developed as the main port for the developing Central Queensland hinterland; the main export at that time being wool.

East Street, c. 1887

In the 1880s and 1890s, sea ports were established on the coast, adjacent to the mouth of the Fitzroy River. Broadmount was on the northern side and Port Alma on the south. Railways were subsequently constructed to carry goods to the wharves at these locations, the railway to Broadmount opening on 1 January 1898 and the line to Port Alma opened on 16 October 1911. Maintenance on the Broadmount line ceased in August 1929. The following month, the wharf caught fire and the line was effectively closed in July 1930. The line to Port Alma closed on 15 October 1986.

Rockhampton Post Office, circa 1895

The significant gold deposit at Mount Morgan to the southwest was discovered in the 1880s, and Rockhampton became the main port through which the wealth of Mount Morgan gold was channelled. Due to the wealth of Mount Morgan, Rockhampton weathered the severe economic depression of the 1890s and many of the town's substantial brick and stone public buildings date from this period. 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. The rail connection south to Brisbane was completed in 1903, but it was not until 1921 that the northern connection to Mackay was finally completed. A railway west from Rockhampton was started in 1867 and by 1892 had reached the terminus at Longreach, 700 kilometres (430 mi) away. This further strengthened Rockhampton's role as the port for the whole of Central Queensland.

Quay Street, Rockhampton in 1912, taken from the Riverbank. The old Fitzroy River Bridge can be seen in the background.

A passenger tramway began operating on 16 June 1909, making Rockhampton the only provincial city in Queensland to have a street tramway. Purrey steam trams ran on a number of routes throughout South Rockhampton, totalling 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) of track. The discomfort of passengers riding in steam trams in a tropical climate in part led to their demise in 1939, replaced by a bus network run by the City Council.

During the Second World War, a US army base was established outside the city; it hosted up to 70,000 servicemen en route to action in the Pacific and New Guinea.

On 2 March 1949, Rockhampton was severely damaged by a cyclone.

The Fitzroy River Barrage was commissioned in 1971. The barrage has a capacity of 81,300 megalitres and holds back a lake 60 kilometres (37 mi) long. The barrage was funded by the City Council to provide a reliable source of water to the city, and to effectively drought proof Rockhampton.

In 2003, Rockhampton was the centre of significant national media interest after local teenager Natasha Ryan was found in her boyfriend, Scott Black's North Rockhampton home after being missing for five years. Ryan had been presumed to be murdered.

In 2015, February 20, Rockhampton was severely damaged by Cyclone Marcia damaging hundreds of homes and Businesses with wind speeds over 150 km/h recorded in Rockhampton. Major flooding was experienced in the upper reaches of the Fitzroy River, Queensland after more than 250mm were recorded. The cyclone left about 100 000 property across Central Queensland with out power.

Heritage listings

Rockhampton has a number of heritage-listed sites. For details see the List of heritage listed buildings in Rockhampton.

Governance

Rockhampton is governed by the Rockhampton Regional Council. The Council consists of a mayor and ten councillors. The Mayor is elected by the public, and the Councillors are elected from ten single-member divisions (or wards) using an optional preferential voting system. Elections are held every four years. Margaret Strelow is the current mayor, having won the mayoral election in 2012.

The Rockhampton Regional Council local government area consists of four former local government areas. The first was the original City of Rockhampton, consisting of the Rockhampton City region as listed above. The second was the Shire of Livingstone (comprising the Capricorn Coast and Byfield). The third area was the Shire of Fitzroy, (comprising Gracemere and smaller surrounding towns), and the fourth area was the Shire of Mount Morgan, (comprising the town of Mount Morgan.)

Before the time of the 2008 amalgamation, Rockhampton City had a population of approximately 74,530, Livingstone Shire approximately 28,266, Fitzroy Shire approximately 11,357, and Mount Morgan Shire approximately 2,925 people.

Geography

See also: List of Rockhampton suburbs

Tropic of Capricorn monuments in Rockhampton. (Photo taken in 1970)

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 on maps as a "dotted line" that lies at 23° 26' 22", there is actually a bio-geographical overlap of Tropical and Temperate zones more than 500 kilometres (310 mi) wide; Rockhampton is roughly at its centre on the East Coast of Australia.

The city is located on the banks of the Fitzroy River, approximately 40 kilometres (25 mi) 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 its major centre.

Economy

Grazing is still a dominant industry 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. Rockhampton promotes itself as the Beef Capital of Australia.

Aurizon (previously known as QR National), 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 1445 megawatt Stanwell Power Station lies 30 kilometers 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 a 30 minute 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.

Population

Year	Population (Rockhampton)
1933	29,369
1947	34,988
1954	40,670
1961	44,128
1966	46,083
1971	49,164
1976	51,133
1981	52,383
1986	56,742
1991	59,732
1996	58,382
2001	47,951
2006	59,943
2011	61,724
2013	82,551

Culture, events and festivals

The Rockhampton region has many renowned festivals, celebrating some of the various international cultures that call the region home. The annual Multicultural Festival (held at the Heritage Village) and CQU Open Day held at the CQUniversity, showcases hundreds of market stalls and displays, international foods, music and cultures are popular with the locals and tourists alike.

The Village Festival of Arts & Music is CQ's largest music and arts celebration staged hosted by the Keppel Coast Arts Council and 2012 brings the Festival's 10th Birthday. The Festival provides a diverse program featuring music, performing arts, visual arts, children's activities, street theatre, workshops, food & market stalls. The Festival program includes 4 stages of live music over the weekend featuring visiting performers and over 50 local and regional artists. The visual arts program has been expanded to over 30 arts workshops in a variety of artforms.

The Annual "Big River Jazz" is a three-day program showcasing a variety of jazz bands from the 12–14 September.

The city also has a vibrant pub and night-club scene, many of them located in the city precinct, bordered by East, Archer, William and Quay Streets. Local and national music groups can often be found performing live in these venues. The East and Denham Streets streetscape was renewed in 2002 and now caters for sidewalk dining at many new cafes located in the street.

The Pilbeam Theatre, seating 1200 people, and is host to many national and international music and comedy shows, as well as sporting and trade shows. Since its opening in 1978, the Theatre has been a centre of entertainment and performing arts, providing an environment to further develop the performing arts in Rockhampton and the region.

Climate

View of the swollen Fitzroy River, which surrounded the western half of Rockhampton in early 2011.

Rockhampton experiences a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa/Cwa). The city is situated on the Tropic of Capricorn and lies within the southeast trade wind belt, too far south to experience regular north west monsoonal influence, and too far north to gain much benefit from cold fronts sweeping in from the Southern Ocean. Typical temperature ranges are 22 to 32 °C (72 to 90 °F) in the summer/wet season and 9 to 23 °C (48 to 73 °F) in the winter/dry season. The city receives 116.3 days of clear skies annually.

Rockhampton lies within the cyclone risk zone and has experienced several large cyclones since European settlement.

On 21 January 1918, an unnamed Tropical Cyclone crossed the coast just north of Mackay. It was very large in size and the destructive winds extended down to Rockhampton resulting in structural damage to some buildings and two deaths when two men were drowned in Rockhampton. The cyclone brought widespread flooding to the region and caused Rockhampton's record flood of 1918.

On 2 March 1949, an unnamed Tropical Cyclone crossed the Capricorn Coast, just south of Keppel Sands, and followed the Fitzroy River into Rockhampton. The cyclone caused significant damage, and resulted in the deaths of two Rockhampton men who were both blown from their rooftops while attempting repairs. Widespread damage and destruction was recorded in the city of Rockhampton, and surrounding towns.

On 20 February 2015, Tropical Cyclone Marcia hit Rockhampton as a Category 3 system after crossing the Capricorn Coast at Shoalwater Bay as a Category 5 cyclone. While Yeppoon and the rural communities to the north of Yeppoon such as Byfield and Woodbury were hardest hit, the eye of the cyclone travelled directly across the city of Rockhampton as it moved southwest. A vast number of trees and power lines were brought down, and many properties in Rockhampton were damaged by the strong wind gusts.

The Rockhampton area is also subject to summer thunderstorms. There is a high incidence of winter and early spring fogs. Maximum temperatures in the low to mid 40's have been recorded in October to March. The Fitzroy River at Rockhampton has a long and well documented history of flooding with flood records dating back to 1859. The highest recorded flood occurred in January 1918 and reached 10.11 m (33.2 ft) on the Rockhampton gauge. More recently, it was affected by the 2010–2011 Queensland floods as the Fitzroy runs through the centre of the city and poor conditions in other areas drove snakes and crocodiles into the city.

The highest recorded official temperature in Rockhampton was 45.3 °C (113.5 °F), while the lowest was −1.0 °C (30.2 °F). The highest recorded 24-hour rainfall total was 348 millimetres (13.7 in) on 25 January 2013.

Climate data for Rockhampton Airport
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	42.5 (108.5)	43.3 (109.9)	42.1 (107.8)	35.4 (95.7)	32.6 (90.7)	32.3 (90.1)	30.6 (87.1)	35.1 (95.2)	37.1 (98.8)	41.1 (106)	45.3 (113.5)	41.3 (106.3)	45.3 (113.5)
Average high °C (°F)	31.9 (89.4)	31.2 (88.2)	30.5 (86.9)	28.8 (83.8)	26.0 (78.8)	23.5 (74.3)	23.1 (73.6)	24.8 (76.6)	27.3 (81.1)	29.6 (85.3)	31.2 (88.2)	32.1 (89.8)	28.3 (82.9)
Average low °C (°F)	22.1 (71.8)	22.1 (71.8)	20.8 (69.4)	17.9 (64.2)	14.1 (57.4)	10.9 (51.6)	9.5 (49.1)	10.7 (51.3)	13.7 (56.7)	17.0 (62.6)	19.5 (67.1)	21.2 (70.2)	16.6 (61.9)
Record low °C (°F)	16.3 (61.3)	16.2 (61.2)	11.0 (51.8)	4.7 (40.5)	2.9 (37.2)	−1.0 (30.2)	−0.9 (30.4)	−0.3 (31.5)	3.4 (38.1)	7.0 (44.6)	9.4 (48.9)	10.2 (50.4)	−1.0 (30.2)
Average rainfall mm (inches)	132.2 (5.205)	143.2 (5.638)	101.0 (3.976)	44.2 (1.74)	47.7 (1.878)	38.5 (1.516)	29.9 (1.177)	28.5 (1.122)	24.3 (0.957)	49.7 (1.957)	68.6 (2.701)	107.8 (4.244)	814.8 (32.079)
Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm)	11.2	12.3	10.1	6.6	6.2	5.0	5.2	4.3	4.1	6.5	7.8	9.8	89.1
Average relative humidity (%)	53	57	54	49	47	46	42	40	40	42	46	49	47
Source: Australian Bureau of Meteorology

Attractions

The Rockhampton Art Gallery collection, also owned by the Rockhampton Regional Council, is situated next to the Pilbeam Theatre and consists mainly of works by Australian artists from the 1940s to the 1970s. Established in 1869, the Rockhampton Botanic Gardens are located on Spencer Street in South Rockhampton. Excellent specimens of palms, cycads and ferns are found throughout the manicured grounds. Some specimens are over 100 years old.

Rockhampton Zoo is located between the Botanic Gardens and Murray Lagoon. Animals and birds include koalas, chimpanzees, saltwater crocodiles, freshwater crocodiles, red kangaroos and the rare cassowary.

A second public garden, the Kershaw Gardens, was officially opened in 1988 on the site of the former Rockhampton rubbish dump. Located on the Bruce Highway in North Rockhampton, these gardens specialise in Australian native plants, especially those of Central Queensland. The most striking feature of the gardens 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. The Dreamtime Cultural Centre is Australia's largest Cultural Centre and is set on more than 12 hectares of land, with native plants, trees and waterfalls. The major points of interest at the Dreamtime Cultural Centre include the Torres Strait Islander village, didgeridoo playing, Djarn Djarn dancers, and throwing the returning boomerang. Black flying foxes and occasionally Grey-headed flying foxes can be seen and heard at night and are important native pollinators and seed dispersers of over 100 species of trees.

The Archer Park Steam Tram Museum covers the development and history of rail-based transportation in the major central Queensland town of Rockhampton and is set in the 100-year-old Archer Park rail station on Denison Street on the city's southside. The museum tells the story of Archer Park Station (built in 1899) and the unique Purrey Steam Tram, through photographs, soundscapes and object-based exhibitions.

The tram is believed to be the only one of its kind in the world, and is a wonderful relic of Rockhampton's tram history dating back to 1909.

Rockhampton City at night, as viewed from Mount Archer

Rising out of Rockhampton's north-eastern suburbs, Mount Archer National Park provides views of the city, and showcases a range of native Australian flora and fauna. Frazer Park, at the summit of Mount Archer, is approximately 604 metres above sea level.

The Rockhampton Heritage Village is an active township museum, where visitors can experience Rockhampton's rich and colourful history. The Heritage Village features the Time After Time clock collection, and the History of the Rockhampton District, Life before electricity, and Hospital exhibitions and a Vintage car collection.

A short drive north of Rockhampton is the Capricorn Caves.

Health

The Rockhampton Base Hospital is situated in the suburb of The Range, and is located around 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) from Rockhampton CBD, and is the major hospital for the Central Queensland Region. The smaller Hillcrest and Mater private hospitals are located nearby. The Australian Red Cross Blood Service is located across from the Base Hospital on Canning Street.

Rockhampton is a base for the Royal Flying Doctor Service and the Rescue Helicopter which operates clinics and provides emergency evacuations in remote communities throughout the region.

Shopping

Rockhampton is home to 10 shopping centres, all of which include national major tenants and retail outlets. All shopping centres have 7-day trading as of January 2014:

• 1Stop Shopping Centre, Richardson Road
• Allenstown Square, Canning Street
• City Centre Plaza, Bolsover Street
• East Street Mall, East Street
• Farm Street Marketplace, Farm Street
• Frenchville Shopping Centre, Dean Street
• Northside Plaza, Musgrave Street
• Red Hill Homemaker Centre, Yaamba Road
• Stockland Rockhampton, Yaamba Road
• Wandal Plaza, Wandal Road

Construction on a new 8500sq meter shopping center, Parkhurst Town Centre will begin in late August to Early September 2015, with 35 stores.

Retailers

Rockhampton has many large retailers, including Coles, Woolworths, Big W, Target, Harvey Norman, JB Hi-Fi, Kmart, Mitre 10, Bunnings, Masters and IGA.

Education

The first school, The Rockhampton National School was opened in 1859. Rockhampton is a major education centre for the region and has numerous state and private primary and high schools.

Primary/Prep

• Glenmore State School, Kawana
• Frenchville State School
• Crescent Lagoon State School
• Park Avenue State School
• Lakes Creek State School
• The Hall State School
• The Caves State School
• Parkhurst State School
• Allenstown State School
• Berserker Street State School
• Depot Hill State School
• Heights College Rockhampton
• Rockhampton Grammar School
• Rockhampton Girls Grammar School
• Lighthouse Christian School
• Mount Archer State School
• St Anthony's Catholic Primary School
• St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Wandal
• St Joseph's Primary School, Park Avenue
• St Mary's Catholic Primary School
• St Peter's Catholic Primary School
• Central Queensland Christian College

Secondary

Rockhampton Girls Grammar School ca.1895

• Glenmore State High School
• Rockhampton State High School
• North Rockhampton State High School
• Rockhampton Grammar School
• Rockhampton Girls Grammar School
• The Cathedral College, Rockhampton
• Heights College Rockhampton
• Emmaus College
• Central Queensland Christian College
• Lighthouse Christian School

Tertiary

• CQUniversity
• Central Queensland TAFE (Merged with CQUniversity on 1 July 2014)

Transport

Rockhampton Airport

Rockhampton is an important transport hub in the Central Queensland region. Rockhampton provides important transport links between the Central Highlands and Capricorn Coast regions and the areas to the north and south of the state. Rockhampton Airport is essential to the viability of the tourism industry.

The Rockhampton region is well serviced by the National and State highway system, with the city being located at the main junction of the coastal highway, the Bruce Highway, the central western highway, the Capricorn Highway, and the Rockhampton Hinterland is serviced by the Burnett Highway. Driving time is seven and a half hours from Brisbane to Rockhampton, Central Queensland's Tourism Hub.

Rockhampton is also served by long distance coaches to Brisbane in the south, and as far as Cairns in the North. Daily services operate into Rockhampton with Greyhound Australia. The Hinterland and Central Highlands are also serviced daily by Rothery's Coaches, Pacific Coaches and Emerald Coaches.

An extensive bus services are operated by Capricorn Sunbus, which operates under the QConnect public transport system. Two bus interchanges are located in Rockhampton City through which the majority of services operate. Service include most parts of the city, Parkhurst in the north to Allenstown and Depot Hill in the south and to The Range and Lakes Creek in the west

Rockhampton has one major taxi company, Yellow Cabs who service the City of Rockhampton, Gracemere, and also some services in Yeppoon and Emu Park.

Rockhampton railway station is located on the North Coast railway, and is the terminus of the electrified section of line from Brisbane with through diesel service continuing beyond.

Rockhampton Airport is operated by Rockhampton Regional Council and is located 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) (3.7 mi) west of Rockhampton City. It is Australia's twelfth busiest domestic airport. The airport handles flights to major Australian cities, tourist destinations, and regional destinations throughout Central Queensland. It is an important base for general aviation serving the Central Highlands and Capricorn Coast commununities. The Airport is also a base for the Royal Flying Doctor Service and the Rescue Helicopter.

Infrastructure

Water

The catchment area of the Fitzroy River is approximately 145,000 square kilometres (almost the size of England). It contains six major rivers, and Rockhampton and Central Queensland accordingly enjoy abundant good water. The existing and future dams under construction ensure on-going needs for agriculture, industry and domestic purposes are met. The Fitzroy River Barrage at Rockhampton separates tidal salt water from upstream fresh water, and provides the supply for Rockhampton's domestic and industrial needs. The city's tap water is fluoridated.

Power

Central Queensland's major generating facilities, including the Stanwell, Gladstone and Callide power stations, produce the majority of the State's power. Queensland's newest and most technologically advanced powerhouse at Stanwell, 28 kilometres (17 mi) west of the city, came on line in 1993. The Stanwell facility is a key element in the State's program to expand electricity supply and is a major exporter of power station technology.

Media

Rockhampton has a number of newspapers.

• The Morning Bulletin
• CQ Extra
• Rockhampton and Fitzroy News
• Under the Capricorn Sun
• Central Queensland News
• The Rocky Mirror

Radio

Rockhampton is serviced by a number of commercial, community and ABC stations

4RO is the main local commercial AM station, owned by Prime Radio. 4RO broadcasts a local talk back breakfast program each weekday but it is the only locally produced program on the station with all other programming syndicated from stations elsewhere. A large proportion of 4RO's programming is talk back such as the Greg Carey Show, The Best of Alan Jones, The Stuart Bocking Night Show and New Day Australia. The music played on 4RO is of the classic hits genre. 4RO broadcasts a local news service in the morning, although the bulletins are prepared and read by journalists based at Prime's Sunshine Coast hub, especially for 4RO and its sister station Zinc927.

Zinc927 (previously known as 4CC) also owned by Prime Radio, is the other AM commercial station servicing Rockhampton on a local AM frequency, although its local breakfast show is presented from the Zinc studio in Gladstone. Zinc has a classic rock format and also relies heavily on networked programming from their Sunshine Coast studios.

Sea FM, owned by Southern Cross Media, is a popular commercial FM station broadcasting from their Rockhampton studios during the day, and then taking the networked Localworks programming at night from the Gold Coast such as The School of Rock, Talking Back The Night, The Best Mix Overnight, The PartyMix and The Sunday Barbie originating out of Gold FM on the Gold Coast. Sea Fm also produces a local news service with a journalist based in Rockhampton reading bulletins for them and for their sister station Hot FM.

Hot FM, also owned by Southern Cross Media, is also a popular commercial FM station. While it services Rockhampton on a local FM frequency, its breakfast show is broadcast from their Gladstone studio. Hot FM is skewed towards the younger listeners with a Top 40/pop music format. Following the local breakfast show, the station takes the Hit Music Network programming such as JK's workday, The Benchwarmers and The Hit List originating out of Sea FM on the Gold Coast.

ABC Capricornia, originally known as 4RK, is the local ABC station servicing Rockhampton. It broadcasts a local breakfast show and a local morning show. The station also broadcasts an afternoon show which is locally produced, but broadcast throughout the ABC Local Radio network across regional Queensland. The final hour of each Friday's local morning show is also broadcast around the network to enable ABC Local Radio listeners across the state to call into the popular gardening talk back program. The station also has a local news service, produced by local journalists, broadcasting local bulletins five times a day. There is also a local Saturday breakfast show, which is followed by a local Saturday morning sports program. Apart from local programming, ABC Capricornia takes national programs like AM, The Conversation Hour, The World Today, PM, Nightlife, Grandstand, and Saturday Night Country along with a regional drive program from Toowoomba, and an evening show from Brisbane.

Other ABC stations that service Rockhampton include Triple J, Radio National, ABC Classic FM and ABC News Radio. These stations are all broadcast on separate FM frequencies.

4YOU is the local community station, broadcasting local programs from their Rockhampton studio, presented by a number of volunteers. The station is skewed towards the older demographic and plays a lot of easy listening and country music. All programs are locally produced apart from the regular Sunday evening programs the station takes from the national community radio network.

4US is the local indigenous community station, broadcasting from a studio at the Dreamtime Cultural Centre in Rockhampton servicing the local Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander population featuring traditional music and focusing on indigenous issues and event within its programming content.

Kix is a narrowcast broadcasting service originating out of the 4BU/Hitz FM studios in Bundaberg. While Kix transmits on a narrowcast license, the station is allowed to broadcast commercials. The station has a lively country music format and its programs are all produced in Bundaberg although the station has an ever growing network of transmitters, now broadcasting in Queensland, New South Wales, the ACT and South Australia.

Other narrowcast radio services broadcasting in Rockhampton include racing station, Radio TAB (formerly 4TAB), Vision FM (Christian radio) and Radio 88 (Tourist Information).

Callsign	Frequency	Owner
4RO	990 kHz AM	Prime Television
Zinc 927	1584 kHz AM	Prime Television
Sea FM	101.5 MHz FM	Southern Cross Media
Hot FM	107.9 MHz FM	Southern Cross Media
Triple J	104.7 MHz FM	ABC
Radio National	103.1 MHz FM	ABC
ABC NewsRadio	105.5 MHz FM	ABC
ABC Classic FM	106.3 MHz FM	ABC
ABC Capricornia	837 kHz AM	ABC
4YOU	98.5 MHz FM	Community
4US	100.7 MHz FM	Community
Kix Country	92.7 MHz FM	Country (?)
4TAB	99.9 MHz FM	UNiTAB Limited
Vision FM	87.6 MHz FM	UCB Australia

Television

Rockhampton is serviced by four commercial stations and one non-commercial station.

• Seven Queensland
• Southern Cross Ten
• WIN Television
• ABC TV (ABC 1)
• SBS TV (SBS ONE)

Each broadcasts television services in digital formats.

SBS offers digital high-definition simulcasts of their main channel, SBS ONE on SBS HD. There are also ten other main channels available: ABC2, ABC3, ABC News 24, SBS Two, ONE, Eleven, 7Two, 7mate, GEM and GO!. Austar Limited provides subscription satellite television services.

Regional news coverage of Rockhampton is provided on all three commercial networks with both Seven Queensland's Seven Local News and WIN Queensland's WIN News airing 30-minute local news bulletins each weeknight. Both programs are produced from newsrooms in the city with both bulletins broadcast from studios in Maroochydore. Southern Cross Ten also airs short local news updates from their Canberra studios throughout the day.

There is also a small television facility at the ABC studios in Rockhampton with a journalist and camera operator employed locally to produce stories for ABC News and the state edition of 7.30 on ABC1. The journalist can also be required to do live crosses for ABC News 24.

Sports teams

• Australian rules football – Rockhampton Panthers, Brothers Rockhampton in AFL Capricornia (total of 6 clubs)
• Cricket – Senior – Frenchville Falcons, North's Tigers, Gracemere Bulls, Rocky United, Capricorn Coast, Brothers, Colts Junior – Frenchville Falcons, North's Tigers, Gracemere Bulls, Capricorn Coast, Brothers, Grammar
• Basketball – The Stadium Rockets (Men's); Rockhampton Cyclones (Women's)
• Football (Soccer) – Capricorn Cougars and Central Queensland
• Rugby League – Central Comets in the Queensland Cup
• Rugby League – Central Queensland Capras
• Rugby League – Central Queensland University – Norths Chargers, Fitzroy – Gracemere Sharks, Rockhampton Brothers in the Rockhampton & District Rugby League ( A Grade)
• Rugby Union – Rockhampton Brahmans, Brothers Old Boys
• Touch Football – Rockhampton Redbacks

Sister city

• Ibusuki, Japan (since 20 November 1980)

See also

• List of people from Rockhampton
• Capricorn Coast

References

• McDonald L. (1981) Rockhampton: A History of City and District. University of Queensland Press, St Lucia, Qld. ISBN 978-0-7022-1620-6
• Bird JTS. (1904) The Early History of Rockhampton. The Morning Bulletin, Rockhampton, Qld.

External links

• Rockhampton Regional Council
• University of Queensland: Queensland Places: Rockhampton
• Steam Tram Museum at Archer Park Station