Rockhampton (pop. 63,000) - 'Rockie' to local people - lies on the Fitzroy River some 40km inland. The Tropic of Capricorn runs through the town. Rockhampton is called the beef capital of Australia, with over 2 million head of cattle in the surrounding area, and huge figures of cattle greet visitors at the north and south entrances to the town. New disease-resistant breeds have been produced by cross-breeding.
Rockhampton has many well preserved 19th-c. public buildings, private houses and churches, recalling the one-time importance of the town as a port for central Queensland.
In Quay Street, which runs parallel to the Fitzroy River, there are over 20 buildings under statutory protection as national monuments. One of the finest is the Criterion Hotel (corner of Quay Street and Fitzroy Street), built in 1889 on the site of the old Bush Inn of 1857, the year in which the town was founded. The customs house (begun 1898) in Quay Street is a fine example of neoclassical architecture with a copper dome and a semicircular portico. The Heritage Tavern, originally the Commercial Hotel (1898), is a handsome three-story building with rich wrought-iron decoration.
The post office, at the corner of East and Denham Streets, is a striking building with arcading and a clock tower. Other notable buildings are Archer Park Station in Denison Street and the Supreme Court (1887) in Fitzroy Street. Among the old churches St Andrew's (1893; Bolsover Street/Derby Street), St Paul's Cathedral (1887-93; Alma Street/William Street) and St Joseph's Cathedral (1899; William Street) are fine examples of Queensland architecture.
Broad, tree-lined streets and parks and gardens bright with flowers add to the charm of Rockhampton. The Botanic Gardens in Spencer Street, established in 1869, are one of the finest subtropical parks in Australia, with the Murray Lagoon, home to countless water birds, orchid and fern houses, walk-through aviaries, a small zoo and a Japanese garden.
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