ROCKHAMPTON
Rockhampton is the really first major
centre when traveling north. The big four being, Rocky, Mackay,
Townsville and Cairns. All substantial centres of commerce and all
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Rockhampton is an old city that grew
fast in the early days before Rail. Rocky was a shipping/river city.
And owes its early growth to shipping and trade. A stroll on the river
front is testimony to what must have been a magic era for this city.
You can sense and feel the vibrancy. The Customs House
in itself is a remarkable building and now well over 100 years old.
The buildings to Rockhampton's credit are heritage protected.
The Catholic Church
  is
another real class act. And also the Criterion Hotel,
which is old and protected, but inside has one of the best collections
of memorabilia yet encountered. It is all there. The photo from the
Gallipoli
campaign being the writer’s favorite. 
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.
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.
To this day Rockhampton continues to service the
mining Industry.
The Gardens  
The Churches  
The Museums   
The Hotels     
The Buildings  
And the War Memorials are all worth your closest
attention. 
Allow up to a week to delight in this great city.
Heritage diary    
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