Heritage and History
Heritage redefined
From frontier town to bustling river port and gold rush city, Rockhampton’s colonial past and its fortunes are preserved in sandstone, wrought iron and topped off with a magnificent copper dome. Like the Fitzroy (Tunuba), these fortunes have ebbed and flowed over the years and today delivers a town full of heritage and history.
CBD Heritage Walk
Rockhampton CBD located | Directions to Customs House
If you only have a short time and would like to take in as much of Rockhampton's history as possible, Quay Street is your destination. It is one of Queensland's longest National Trust heritage-listed streets and provides a wealth of historic buildings to marvel at and explore.
Starting at the wharves that were the gateway into Rockhampton, and continuing through most of the early CBD, this tour is approximately 2km one way, or you can add on the river walk for a lovely return trip.
Take the tour via our Self-Guided Audio Tours App, or by downloading the brochure.
Mount Morgan township – gold rush era
40km from Rockhampton CBD | Directions to Mount Morgan
For modern Australian history buffs, head to the historic Mount Morgan Township. The quaint and historic town offers an ideal opportunity to delve into the area’s early successes from Australia’s gold rush and discover it’s fascinating past. Through impressive attractions, museums and tours of the town, relive its importance in shaping Australia’s gold mining history.
HERITAGE VILLAGE
11km from Rockhampton CBD | Directions
Partake in a history lesson with a visit to the Rockhampton Heritage Village. One of the most popular stops for visitors to Central Queensland, step back in time and marvel at original and reproduction buildings as well as memorabilia and artefacts portraying life in the region from the 1850s to the 1950s. The Village is set on 11.4 hectares of bush land, and incorporates a charming township from yesteryear with original and recreated homesteads, buildings and businesses.
The village authentically captures a generous slice of an earlier generations’ way of life and is a wonderful opportunity for your whole family to learn and have fun. Experience life before electricity with a tour through many homesteads, view the many vintage cars, tractors, fire engines and horse drawn vehicles and wagons on display, watch how a 1950s print press works, and visit the Blacksmith Shop on market days and take in the traditional skills from a bygone era. You even have the opportunity to try a range of transport options including horses and ponies, a horse and cart, a vintage double decker bus, vintage fire engine and several other vintage vehicles.
Bi-monthly, the Heritage Village Markets take place at the Heritage Village (January, March, May, July, September and November each year).
Archer Park Rail Museum
900m from Rockhampton CBD | Directions
Constructed in 1899, the architecturally impressive Archer Park was the central railway station for Rockhampton until the mid-1920s. Visit the heritage listed Archer Park Rail Museum on the weekend and take a ride on the fully restored Purrey Steam Tram. The tram is believed to be the only one of its kind in the world, and is a wonderful relic of Rockhampton's tram history dating back to 1909.
CQ MILITARY AND ARTEFACTS MUSEUM
700m from Rockhampton CBD | Directions
Preserving the military history of Central Queensland, visit the Central Queensland Military and Artefacts Museum, the only military museum in the region. Browse through their extensive collection ranging from the 1900s through to present day.