Welcome to Rockhampton & Around
Welcome to Rockhampton (‘Rocky’ to its mates), where the hats, boots and utes are big…but the bulls are even bigger. With over 2.5 million cattle within a 250km radius of Rockhampton, it’s called Australia’s Beef Capital for a reason. This sprawling country town is the administrative and commercial centre of central Queensland, its wide streets and fine Victorian-era buildings (take a stroll down Quay St) reflecting the region’s prosperous 19th-century heyday of gold and copper mining and beef-cattle industry.
Straddling the tropic of Capricorn, Rocky can be aptly scorching. It's 40km inland and lacks coastal sea breezes; summers are often unbearably humid. The town has a smattering of attractions but is best seen as a gateway to the coastal gems of Yeppoon and Great Keppel Island, and the Byfield National Park to the north.
Top experiences in Rockhampton & Around
Amazing hotels and hostels
We've pre-picked the best hotels, hostels and bed and breakfasts to make your stay as enjoyable as possible.
Rockhampton & Around activities
Brisbane to Cairns Experience
You can get a sense of just how huge Australia is by looking at a map, but once you’re there, the vastness really hits home. For travellers long on ambition but short on time, this extensive and compact journey up the East Coast of Queensland is nothing short of ideal. Employing a diverse range of transport — yachts, trains, 4x4s, and private vehicles — you’ll visit Fraser Island and the Whitsundays, go snorkelling, and sleep on the banks of the Noosa River. Your time here may not last long, but your memories will last forever.
Most of the Coast–Sydney to Cairns
The route up Australia’s East Coast has earned its rep as one of the seemingly endless supply of must-do experiences in the country. The classic Sydney-to-Cairns route introduces you to both sides of modern Australia — the bright lights of the big city and the raw beauty of the Outback. You’ll get to try your hand at dozens of activities — everything from wine-tasting to sailing and snorkelling. And when you travel in small groups like we do, you really get out there into the wild to meet the locals and experience the land like they do. That amazing new frontier you’ve been looking for? Here it is.
East Coast Encompassed–Sydney to Cairns
Rugged landscapes, crashing surf, and Indigenous culture stretching back through time and beyond — Australia’s East Coast possesses a truly otherworldly allure. This trip offers you a comprehensive, authentic, and wholly affordable experience in one of the country’s most popular regions. Raw thrills and refined pleasures abound out here. In the space of a few days, you’ll sample wines in the Hunter Valley, snorkel the Whitsundays, and catch a few waves. When people back home ask what you did on your trip, just tell ‘em: “Everything.”
Australia Encompassed
Sydney, Melbourne, Fraser Island, the Whitsundays — your crash course in all things Australia starts now. For 25 days, you’ll head up the East Coast (and participate in wine tastings, surf lessons, and maxi yacht sailing), fly to Alice Springs, then go down south to Kings Canyon, Uluru, and Adelaide, just to name a few destinations. The Great Ocean Road will eventually lead you to Melbourne, and a wide variety of accommodations and transport along the way will keep things exciting. With a competitive price and small tour group, there’s never been a better time to discover the Land Down Under.
Queensland Sand, Sailing & Dreamtime
This is hardly a sleepy trip. Rather, this is the perfect 12-day adventure for sailing buffs that want to experience the blue waters of Australia, as well as off-road lovers looking to explore via 4x4. We’ve got a riverside camp to stay at in the gorgeous Noosa Everglades, and once we’ve left Airlie Beach, you'll learn about Indigenous artisan crafts from local Aborigines, then check out the swimming holes of the Atherton Tablelands. While “Dreamtime” is a mythology central to Indigenous Australian society, we’re pretty sure you’ll want to be wide awake for this trip.
Complete Australia
Are you ready to completely slather yourself in all things Australia? Travel to the Land Down Under and spend a month exploring everything this island nation has to offer. Start in Melbourne and move on from there to national parks, wine tastings, the Outback, beach days, sea kayaking, sailing, and loads more. Get the total Oz experience with this all-encompassing tour, and, who knows, you might even acquire a taste for Vegemite by the end.