Friday, August 6, 2010

Rockhampton

We travelled north to Rockhampton which is a much larger city than Maryborough and is the powerhouse of central Queensland. Unfortunately it was very overcast.
Rockhampton lies on the Tropic of Capricorn. Some years ago they discovered that their original marker was a few yards out of position so presumably the new one is correct. Or perhaps the Tropic has moved.

The streets are wide with room for parking the middle.
There are quite a few nice old buildings, but not as many as Maryborough.
One of the better looking old  buildings.



The swishest hotel in town.


However, to get in, you have to satisfy the dress code. Click on the photo to see it in detail.


An elegant men's dress shop. Needless to say, I did not enter.





Unlike Maryborough, the interesting buildings are spread all over the place so it take s a bit of walking to find them. It's worth it however.


Rockhampton was the main port on the Fitzroy River which is the main river in the center of Queensland. There is usually no shortage of water in this river.

Rocky has become sophisticated with a coffee shop. Actually there were a few of them. What is the country coming to?
Even sushi!

One of the 'features' of Rocky is the train line that goes up the middle of one of the major streets. This is the main line from Brisbane to Cairns. When I was a school boy, I joined the school Army Cadet Corps and each year there was a camp held near Rocky. We all travelled up to Rocky by train and all of us were issued with foot powder. Needless to say, one poor gentleman riding past on his bicycle was pelted with the stuff.


The view from the nearby Mount Archer which is about 2000 feet high.


I was intrigued by the pattern of this fire escape.


I was surprised by the number of houses in very poor condition. Maryborough looked wealthy by comparison. Yes, there were lots of very nice houses in Rocky, but a large number like this.

A couple of oddities.
Rocky has a very good set of gardens and they are quite large in area.

It probably is not a good idea to get too close to the water if you take note of the following sign.
I can't say I am a big fan of Rocky. It gets really hot in summer because there are no good breezes. It just seems to be a tired city.

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