Rockhampton City
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Rockhampton Queensland |
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Rockhampton, as seen from Mount Archer
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 Rockhampton
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| Coordinates | 23°22.5′S 150°30.7′E / 23.3750°S 150.5117°ECoordinates: 23°22.5′S 150°30.7′E / 23.3750°S 150.5117°E | ||||||||
| Population | 80,665 (2015) (22nd) | ||||||||
| • Density | 139.1/km2 (360.2/sq mi) | ||||||||
| Established | 1858 | ||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 4700, 4701, 4702 | ||||||||
| Elevation | 11.3 m (37 ft) | ||||||||
| Area | 580 km2 (223.9 sq mi) (2011 urban) | ||||||||
| Time zone | AEST (UTC+10) | ||||||||
| Location | 636 km (395 mi) NW of Brisbane | ||||||||
| LGA(s) | Rockhampton Region | ||||||||
| Region | Central Queensland | ||||||||
| State electorate(s) | |||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Capricornia | ||||||||
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Rockhampton is a city in the Rockhampton Region, Queensland, Australia. The estimated urban population of Rockhampton in June 2015 was 80,665, making it the fourth largest regional city in the state outside of the cities of South East Queensland. 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.
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.
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