The Rockhampton region is located in Central Queensland and boasts a beautiful riverfront, historic charm, natural beauty and a great tourism offering.
While well known for its tourism offering, the region is most famed as being Australia’s ‘Beef Capital’, meaning visitors to the area enjoy beef-rich menus at the region’s numerous restaurants, as well as several bull-themed artworks and sculptures around the city, and have the opportunity to visit one of the town’s weekly rodeos outside the Great Western Hotel.
The region’s natural offerings provide plenty of opportunities for tourists, with limestone caves, national parks, and Mount Archer permitting activities such as caving, canoeing and hiking. The Fitzroy River, the largest river catchment on the east coast of Australia, also provides visitors with stunning views, fishing and other outdoor activities. Rockhampton’s local zoo is also particularly popular with families visiting the area, as well as the recently heritage listed botanic gardens, and Rockhampton’s two railway museums. For guests travelling with appropriate bike or skateboard equipment, the area is also home to a number of skate parks and public paths.
Being part of the Tropic of Capricorn, the region experiences a subtropical climate, with summer temperatures falling between 22 and 32 degrees, and between nine and 23 degrees in winter, drawing thousands of guests to the area all throughout the year. The region’s peak periods exist throughout the summer months, with school holiday weeks proving the busiest for local businesses and accommodation options.
Throughout 2015/16, Rockhampton had a total of 336,082 international visitor nights, and 1,389,541 domestic visitor nights, both of which were an improvement on the year before. Both international and domestic visitors can reach the region via Mackay Airport, and some Queenslanders can also choose to fly directly into Rockhampton airport if leaving from Brisbane, Gladstone, Townsville, Cairns, and the Gold Coast.
To cater for the many tourists that visit the region each year, Rockhampton is home to 340 accommodation options and food services, employing 7.2 percent of the region’s 120,650 local residents. Accommodation options include luxury and boutique hotels, budget hostels and motels, serviced apartments, farm retreats, and a number of tourist and holiday parks.