Queensland's Beef Capital! (Rockhampton (Australia))

Member Name: TigerMystery

Product:	Rockhampton (Australia)
Date:	24/07/09 (19 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great place to get steak, friendly atmosphere

Disadvantages: Like a lot of the smaller cities in Oz, you probably wouldn't want to spend too long here

Location:
East coast of Australia, sits right on the Tropic of Capricorn.

Getting there:
Easily accessible by car from the Bruce Highway.
Can also be reached by bus, train and plane.

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Things to do:

Eat a steak: Rockhampton is the beef capital of Queensland. They like to remind you of this by placing lots of random cow statues around the city. I had a nice one at O'Dowd's, an Irish pub on William Street.

Rockhampton Art Gallery: free entry. Holds permanent and temporary exhibitions, and showcases a range of Australian artists.

Botanic Gardens: free entry. Includes a Japanese garden, lagoons and a small koala sanctuary.

Kershaw Gardens: a large botanical park area, with some pretty waterfalls and a scented garden. There is also a good play area, which I thought looked fun (even at 25 I still enjoy them, but unfortunately have to give priority to kids). My friend and I got a bit lost on the way back through the park, and didn't realised that they locked the gates at a certain time, so we had to climb over the fence to get out!

Dreamtime Cultural Centre: actually situated north of the city, on the Bruce Highway. Here you can learn about Aboriginal culture via walking trails and guided tours. Also features an art gallery.

Capricorn Caves: not actually in Rockhampton, but only a short drive away. Like you would imagine, these are caves. It was very interesting. We took a guided tour from a very knowledgable guide, who told us all about how the caves were formed. We were also shown into a particularly large cave where they sometimes have weddings. We were shown what the place is like when lit by candles and with music playing; it was pretty spectacular. The tour took an hour.

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Where to stay:
I was travelling up the East Coast in a campervan, so I stayed in a holiday park, but there are several hotels and hostels in Rockhampton.
There is an information centre (208 Quay St) who can give up-to-date information about accomodation as well as any other information you may require.

Summary: Great place to get a steak!