Queensland

Rockhampton Area

Grand old streets on a working river, and a free zoo to boot

Quay Street holds one of the best-preserved stretches of 19th-century architecture in regional Queensland, ornate facades running the length of the Fitzroy River. The Art Gallery keeps a genuinely strong regional collection, Kershaw Gardens spread well beyond the usual park, and the zoo tucked inside the Botanic Gardens costs nothing to wander. Beyond the city, Rockhampton makes an easy base for day trips out to the caves, the coast or the Highlands. Long weekend material, easily.