"On the Tropic of Capricorn" Top 5 Page for this destination Rockhampton by wise23girl

When first we arrived in Rocky I was so sad to be leaving Esk in the Brisbane Valley.

My younger daughter cried "I don't want to go to Rockhaaaampton"

We were in a caravan park , hiding our little dog Vicki, and waiting for accommodation. Turned out to be another oldish house in desperate need of a clean (shades of Esk)

But we had many good years in Rocky...and I was proud to say I lived there.
I worked at the Mater Hospital as a registered nurse... a nurse educator...Accreditation Coordinator and ended being appointed to the University Council...an honour for sure.

My elder daughter met her wonderful Peter and was married in Rocky. They lived for some years on their family property outside Springsure

The Mater

It was not always easy to find friends in Rocky according to some who moved there. Newcomers were not impressed. But there were former "Eskites" living here who took me under their wing...made a difference.

Social life was only for those 'in the know'...pretty quiet for those passing through. The Sydneysiders of the day with their" twin sets and pearls" somehow did not quite fit in.

Rocky is where I first saw disco dancing...it never suited me...I just cannot wriggle in disco style even to this day.

Then I went horse riding which began a fantastic part of my life. We used to ride on the North side ....around the streets and then out on the quieter roads. My horse Honda is in the photo with the review and my faithful wonderful cattle dog Mitzie who followed me wherever I went..

And Elizabeth, another friend, and me organized our Snowy Mountain horse riding adventure while living in Rockhampton. Long long before VT Days.

My husband,Brian, and I actually lived here twice...living in Toowoomba for nine months or so in between but then it was back home to Rocky and the heat.
My son did a lot of swimming here...hours for me sitting by the pool while he trained...he slept well though ...a real bonus.

Once it was ours

The strange thing here was that when the rains came...and it rained and rained... it was only when the sun was shining and then and only then( as a rule) did the floods come. Mind you Rockhampton can be surrounded by water and "cut off". The poor people who lived in Depot Hill had to get their row boats out in flood time. But it was a way of life for them I believe..friends helped friends...

The story is that Rocky has a massive catchment area and it takes a few days for the water to 'come down'.

Our second time in Rocky brought us to Henry Street...we had a double block and lived in an old Queenslander with verandahs and rotundas. A magnificent poinceana tree commanded the garden and mango trees were on the fence line. Memories of the smell of rotting mangoes when we returned from holidays in summer haunt me still.

There are photos and stories of some of my friends here*.

• Pros:Just a big country town
• Cons:Floods...humidity...so far to drive to the south-east
• In a nutshell:It was great living in Rockhampton