Discover Rockhampton's Art and Culture Scene

IMMERSE YOURSELF IN GALLERIES, MUSIC, PERFORMING ARTS & CULTURAL EXPERIENCES

Rockhampton’s lively arts and culture scene buzzes with exhibitions, theatre productions, festivals and music events year round.

While taking a stroll through the region you’ll also discover many public art trails and sculptures, and with a range of cultural centres and museums to explore you’ll want to spend a few extra days in Rockhampton discovering its arts and culture scene.  

GALLERIES

From touring exhibitions to local artists, Rockhampton is spoilt for choice when it comes to exploring the region’s art scene.

The Rockhampton Art Gallery is being reimagined into the Rockhampton Museum of Art, opening in February 2022. It will become the largest art gallery in regional Queensland, providing a variety of touring exhibitions as well as showcasing works from local artists. Rockhampton’s Mayor Pilbeam, in office from 1952 to 1982, established an Art Acquisition Fund with several other community leaders in 1976. The committee purchased artworks from contemporary Australian artists at the time, which the gallery now holds. Works from artists such as Arthur Boyd, Sidney Nolan and Russell Drysdale will be on display at the Rockhampton Museum of Art, and is one of the most significant art collections in Australia.

Rockhampton is also home to the only commercial art gallery outside of South East Queensland. The GALA Gallery represents a variety of emerging and established artists, showcasing commercially appealing artworks and provides specialist advice to both art buyers and the artists the gallery represents.

MUSIC & PERFORMING ARTS

Rockhampton is home to a variety of local bands and musicians that play live music on a regular basis across a number of venues each weekend. And with home-grown heroes such as Busby Marou starting out in our region, you may just find yourself listening to the next up-and-coming artist in one of our pubs.

We also have our very own performing arts theatre, the Pilbeam Theatre, arguably one of the finest theatres in regional Australia. With a jam-packed annual calendar of performances and shows, the theatre regularly hosts the Melbourne Comedy Roadshow, touring national and international ballet companies, and locally produced musicals and plays. 

CULTURAL CENTRES

Rockhampton is home to two cultural centres – one as Rockhampton’s principal community arts and leisure centre, and the other an insight into the region’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage. Discovery local exhibitions, arts and crafts, pottery and more within the Walter Reid Cultural Centre, or visit the Dreamtime Cultural Centre and take a guided tour to learn about the region’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history and customs. 

EVENTS AND FESTIVALS

Rockhampton is considered as the Events Capital of Central Queensland, with an annual events calendar to rival those of Australia’s big cities.

Rockhampton’s annual River Festival is a three-day celebration of arts, music, culture and food. Leveraging Rockhampton’s stunning riverbank precinct, and the natural and built heritage weaving through the city’s laneways, the festival celebrates emerging local artists and features a range of national musicians with family-friendly activities dotted throughout the whole festival.

Rare Spares Rockynats is another three-day festival of high automotive awesomeness held annually over the Easter long weekend, with show cars, burnouts and drifting all on display.

There are many more events and festivals held in our region annually, from local community-run events to three-day festivals. You can find a full list of Rockhampton’s upcoming major events here, or browse through the local community calendar here. 

MUSEUMS

The Rockhampton region is rich in history, providing many opportunities to explore its heritage through five museums.

Home to a former mining town that was once the world’s most successful mine, the town’s early successes are still evident today in the region’s colonial architecture. You can learn all about the Mount Morgan gold mine at the Mount Morgan Historical Museum, then head along to the Mount Morgan Railway Museum to step back in time and see how travel and life in the area once was.

Rockhampton’s Heritage Village also takes you back in time from the 1850s to the 1950s, showing an earlier generation’s way of life with original homesteads, vintage cars, horse-drawn vehicles and antique print press works on display. Military artefacts more your thing? Head along to the CQ Military and Artefacts Museum, the only military museum in Central Queensland. Rockhampton is also home to Archer Park Rail Museum, the central railway station for the region until the mid-1920s. Head along and take a ride on the fully restored Purrey Steam Tram, believed to be the only one of its kind in the world.

PUBLIC ART

From the many sculptures dotted along Rockhampton’s Riverside Precinct, through to the giant Barramundi art display that is made from metal and lights up at night, you can combine art and the great outdoors by following Rockhampton’s public art trail. Throughout Rockhampton’s CBD precinct there are also multiple wall art murals in between laneways and under bridges, so take a stroll through the CBD and discover the murals from local artists that adorn the brick walls.

ON COUNTRY EXPERIENCES

Rockhampton's Traditional Custodians of the Land are the Darumbal people. The Darumbal People Aboriginal Corporation Registered Native Title Body (DPAC RNTBC) were handed their Consent determination in June 2016. They promote the culture, language and customs of the Darumbal people, and conduct Darumbal On Country experiences where you can immerse yourself in a cultural journey of the Traditional Custodians of our Land. Hosted by Darumbal Elders and People, you will find out about significant sites in our region, hear Darumbal Dreaming Stories, learn about medicinal plants use and do a traditional food tasting. 

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Written by Explore Rockhampton
@explorerockhampton