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Rockhampton City, Queensland

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Coordinates: 23°22′52″S 150°30′28″E / 23.3811°S 150.5077°E / -23.3811; 150.5077
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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Chris the speller (talk | contribs) at 19:34, 19 July 2020 (replaced: Locally- → Locally, typo(s) fixed: 1980's and 1990's → 1980s and 1990s, newly- → newly , 2010's → 2010s). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

This article is about the central suburb. For the entire urban area, see Rockhampton. For the former local government area, see City of Rockhampton.

Rockhampton City
Rockhampton, Queensland
File:Rockhampton City, High rises from Fitzroy River.jpg
Empire Apartments (Left), The Edge Apartments (Right)
Rockhampton City is located in Queensland
Rockhampton City
Rockhampton City
Coordinates23°22′52″S 150°30′28″E / 23.3811°S 150.5077°E / -23.3811; 150.5077
Population2,442 (2011 census)[1]
 • Density625/km2 (1,620/sq mi)
Postcode(s)4700
Area2.7 km2 (1.0 sq mi)
LGA(s)Rockhampton Region
State electorate(s)Rockhampton
Federal division(s)Capricornia
Suburbs around Rockhampton City:
Wandal Park Avenue Berserker
The Range Rockhampton City The Common
Allenstown Depot Hill Depot Hill

Rockhampton City is the central suburb of Rockhampton in the Rockhampton Region, Queensland, Australia.[2] It is informally known as Rockhampton central business district (CBD).

Geography

Rockhampton City is a roughly rectangular suburb, bounded by the Fitzroy River to the north-east, North Street to the north-west, Murray Street to the south-west and South Street to the south-east. It is rectangular ahead from the area excised for the Rockhampton railway station which interrupts the boundary on South Street.

At the 2011 census Rockhampton City had a population of 2,442 people.[1]

Services

Rockhampton City is home to many regional offices of many private companies as well as various government organisations, who use the suburb as a hub for Central Queensland. This includes Rockhampton Regional Council which administer local government services from City Hall in Bolsover Street. Locally based state and federal politicians also have offices located throughout the CBD.

The regional bases of the Queensland Police Service, the Queensland Ambulance Service and the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service are all based in Rockhampton City.

Many of Central Queensland's media organisations are based in Rockhampton City. ABC Capricornia, 4RO and Triple M all broadcast their local programs from studios located either in Quay Street or Victoria Parade. Local newsrooms for regional television networks, WIN Television, Seven Queensland and Nine (Southern Cross Austereo) are also located in the CBD. The local newspaper office for Rockhampton's daily newspaper, The Morning Bulletin remains in the CBD although it's now located in Bolsover Street after moving out of the heritage-listed Bulletin Building in Quay Street in 2014 after being there since 1927.[3]

East Street

The CBD is home to a traditional shopping strip in East Street often informally referred to as "The Mall" due to the area having previously been a pedestrian mall from 1987 until 2003, known as the City Heart Mall. East Street had always been the traditional retail hub of the city since European settlement, spanning two city blocks and consists of a variety of retail outlets, including food, fashion, shoes, homewares, chemists and banks.

The mall underwent a million dollar redevelopment in 2003 as part of the CBD beautification, which included the return of vehicular traffic to the mall. However, with the lack of an anchor tenant and ongoing issues surrounding the availability of parking, the mall has struggled to compete against the larger air-conditioned shopping centres which were built throughout other parts of the city during the 1980s and 1990s, such as Stockland Rockhampton, which house supermarkets, department stores and national retail chains.[4] This also includes the nearby City Centre Plaza which is anchored by Coles and Target. Other contributing factors to the mixed success of the East Street area includes the high cost of rent, mining downturns, droughts and cyclones.[5]

Heritage-listed buildings along East Street include the former Rockhampton Post Office and the historic Rockhampton Courthouses. From 1909 until 1939, Rockhampton's steam trams were a commonly seen form of public transport in the CBD.

Riverbank

One of Rockhampton City's most recognisable features is the Fitzroy Riverbank and a well-known strip of heritage-listed buildings in Quay Street, mostly built in the late 19th century, including Customs House.

A multimillion-dollar Rockhampton Riverbank Revitalisation plan was released in 2015.[6] The newly revitalised riverbank precinct was officially opened in 2018 with a new zero-depth water play area, improved boardwalks and seating areas in an open plaza area named in honour of Rod Laver, a new restaurant which extends out over the river and the newly built Fitzroy Adventure Playground.[7]

Quay Street between William and Fitzroy Street was paved and changed from a two-way thoroughfare to a shared space with one-way traffic. Controversy arose over the rapid deterioration of the pavers laid in Quay Street, not long after the opening of the redevelopment.[8][9]

Events

Throughout the 2010s, a number of annual events were either established in Rockhampton City or relocated to the area from other parts of the city.

The inaugural CBD Christmas Fair was held in East Street in 2013 and has since been held each year, usually around late November or early December.[10] The event has become known for culminating in the lighting of the City Christmas Tree. In 2018, the tree was relocated from the roundabout at the intersection of East and Denham Street to the riverbank where it now usually stands in front of Customs House in Quay Street.

Similarly, the inaugural Rockhampton River Festival, an arts and cultural event, was held in Rockhampton City in 2015, and has since become annual event held each July in the CBD.[11]

In 2019, both the annual Rockhampton Emergency Services Day and the Rockhampton Cultural Festival were located to the CBD after having been held at the Rockhampton Heritage Village for many years.[12][13]

The Rocky River Run was relocated to the riverside precinct in 2017 after having been held in Wandal since its inception in 2008.[14]

The annual Anzac Day march proceeds through the city and now concludes with a morning service at Rod Laver Plaza, which was previously held at City Hall.[15]

Development

Since 2005, Rockhampton City has seen many major developments with an extensive amount of construction taking place in the area, most notably the building of a number of riverside apartment buildings alongside the Fitzroy River.

Empire Rockhampton

There's been a number of apartment building constructed in Victoria Parade including the Fitzroy Waterfront Apartments, The Rocks, The Edge, Quest, Southbank on Victoria, Empire, Gallery Apartments, and Skyview.[16][17][18][19][20][21][22]

In 2009, The Edge opened as the tallest building in Central Queensland, being 12 storeys high. In 2014, Empire was topped out at 14 stories being several metres taller than The Edge. The $65 million development includes about 150 rooms, 5 star hotel lobby and reception, 3 ground level restaurants and 2 levels of under ground parking.[23]

In 2012, a new modern building was built on the corner of Fitzroy Street and East Street to house Stanwell Corporation and the National Australia Bank which replaced a dilapidated row of shops in what was known as "Churches Building".[24]

In 2019, construction commenced on the new Rockhampton Museum of Art next to Customs House in Quay Street, which will replace the existing Rockhampton Art Gallery in Victoria Parade.[25][26]

Big Bulls

Rockhampton Art Gallery in Rockhampton City is home to one of the seven Big Bulls statues that decorate Rockhampton, which regards itself as the Beef Capital of Australia. Unliike the other bull statues which are intended as realistic depiction of different breeds of cattle, the "Under the Hammer" statue was created as an artwork.[27][28] The Big Bulls are listed as one of Australia's big things.[29]

References

  1. ^ a b Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Rockhampton City (State Suburb)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 17 February 2017. Edit this at Wikidata
  2. ^ "Rockhampton City – suburb in Rockhampton Region (entry 49354)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  3. ^ Pearce, Frazer (22 March 2014) Farewell to old Quay Street and the lovely view of the Fitzroy River, The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  4. ^ Moore, Blythe (5 February 2016) More than 50 vacant shops n Rockhampton CBD cause for concern, ABC News. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  5. ^ McCosker, Maddelin; Jefferson, Andrew (20 November 2018) Struggle Street: Why Rockhampton shopping strip turned to dust, The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  6. ^ Plane, Melanie (15 October 2016) Council reveals exciting new revitalisation project elements, The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  7. ^ Allen, Steph (15 March 2018) Spectacular: Rockhampton River Precinct's grand opening, The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  8. ^ Guerin, Michael (25 June 2018) Letter: Pavers cracking up on new riverside development, The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  9. ^ Bolton, Meg (16 October 2019) Councillor's anger: Quay Street pavers are a 'hoax', The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  10. ^ McKay, Pam (2 December 2013) Storms fail to dampen Christmas spirit, The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  11. ^ Stevens, Trinette (2 July 2015) Inaugural River Festival set to light up Fitzroy River, The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  12. ^ (25 July 2019) A stunning new location for Emergency Services Day, The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  13. ^ Houley, Jann (25 August 2019) Workshops, entertainment and fabulous food at Culture Fest, The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  14. ^ Fox, Sean (27 May 2018) CQ family out in force for 2018 Rocky River Run, The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  15. ^ Mesner, Kerri-Anne(25 April 2017) Anzac spirit touches CQ with biggest crowd ever in Rocky, The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  16. ^ Nufer, Darryn (10 February 2005) Glitzing up the riverfront, The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  17. ^ Formosa, Amy (3 April 2009) The Edge is selling like hotcakes, The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  18. ^ Benoit, Lisa (1 June 2013) Duo keen to start 'Quest' and counting down the days, The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  19. ^ McKay, Pam (29 September 2014) Buyers flock as Empire unveiled ahead of November opening, The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  20. ^ McKee, Christine (29 October 2014) More high-end units planned along Fitzroy River, The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  21. ^ Gately, Michelle (9 June 2018) First glimpse inside Rocky's new $17m luxury riverside tower, The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  22. ^ Jarrett, Vanessa (15 February 2019) Sneak peek of luxurious units before opening in two weeks, The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  23. ^ "Rockhampton's Empire continues to grow every day above city". Rockhampton Morning Bulletin. 14 March 2014. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
  24. ^ Paradies, Kara (17 January 2013) The old Churches replacement building fetches $9million, The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  25. ^ Jarrett, Vanessa (19 November 2019) Official name of new art gallery revealed, The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  26. ^ Smith, Leighton (19 February 2020) Rocky's new art gallery taking shape, The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  27. ^ "Where's the Beef?". Rockhampton Art Gallery. Archived from the original on 5 August 2017. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  28. ^ Robinson, Paul; Farrow-Smith, Elloise; Saunders, Miranda (17 April 2014). "An ownership row has erupted over who holds Australia's Beef Capital title". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 5 August 2017. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  29. ^ Clark, David (2004). Big Things: Australia's Amazing Roadside Attractions. Penguin Books. pp. 10–13. ISBN 0-14-300200-7.
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