Backpacking Rockhampton

Rockhampton Highlights

About Rockhampton

Population 60,000

This classic Queensland country city is considered to be Australia's beef capital. It is situated approximately 40 kilometres from the coast and straddles the Fitzroy River and is the administrative and commercial centre of central Queensland.

The city is well laid out, with some excellent parks and gardens, a good art gallery and an Aboriginal Cultural Centre.


About 50 kilometres from Rockhampton at Roslyn Bay, is the main access point for Great Keppel and other nearby islands on the Great Barrier Reef.

Other attractions nearby, include Mount Jim Crow National Park, with the impressive Mount Jim Crow, a prominent feature towering over the landscape, Mount Etna Caves National Park, with its dense, decorated caves and Mount Archer National Park, which provides spectacular views of the city and the surrounding ranges.

There is the Capricorn Caves, which are a unique system of above-ground caves in a limestone ridge. They can be explored in a variety of ways, ranging from easy walking tracks to a more adventurous wild caving adventure tour.

There is also the Rockhampton Zoo, Koorana Crocodile Farm near Emu Park and the old gold-mining town of Mount Morgan, which all can be worth visiting.

Orientation Map for Rockhampton

Rockhampton Tourist Information Centre