Rockhampton Heritage Building Trail

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Posted 2022-07-26 by Mindo Koerber ⇒ follow

Quay Street Rockhampton is your perfect destination to witness Rockhampton's glory from its golden era. With more than 30 elegant buildings stemming from its rich merchant, maritime and gold-rush heritage, Quay Street Rockhampton is a historically significant heritage strip and Queensland's longest National Trust heritage-listed street.

Rockhampton was named as a simple combination of the word "rock" (it's from the rock that was a barrier across the Fitzroy River) and the English suffix "Hampton" (which means a place near water). Rockhampton means a place near the rocks in the river.

In 1853, Charles and William Archer came across the Toonooba River (now Fitzroy River) to seek grazing lands. More settlers arrived soon after, captured by the fertile valleys. The town of Rockhampton was proclaimed in 1858. The finding of gold at nearby Mount Morgan and other places within the year led to the first North Australian gold rush. Rockhampton became the main port through which the wealth of Mount Morgan gold was channelled.

Nowadays, most of the buildings are still in use and well preserved. Most properties have a plaque on them and give a short history of these magnificent buildings.

One of the amazing buildings is Heritage Tavern. Located on the corner of Quay Street and William Street, it was built in 1898 in a colonial style which is best exemplified by the superb iron columns and lacework on the three-storey verandas.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation was the head office for the Mount Morgan Mining Company. Built in 1897, this neo-classical revival-style building was designed by JW Wilson. In 1963, the ABC moved into the building and they used the gold vault as a soundproof studio.

Located on 288 Quay Street, Rockhampton Harbour Board Building was designed by John William Wilson and built in 1898 by Renshaw & Ricketts. This building is also known as Fitzroy Shire Council Chambers.

You can also see Flood Marker along Quay Street. This sandstone was sculptured by Sarah Larsen. The sculpture is a visual and tactile journey with its waved obelisk shape that gently mirrors the movement of the river.

There are many more amazing buildings that you can find here. Grab yourself a brochure from the info centre or online. You can also download Rockhampton's heritage buildings in Explore Rockhampton's self-guided audio tours app, available for download from the Apple app or Google Play store. Allow about 2 hours to do the walk. Make sure to wander your way back along the picturesque riverbank, which is dotted with fantastic play areas for the kids and beautiful modern public artworks.