The Scottish- Norwegian explorers Charles and William Archer came across the Toonooba River in and named it in-honour of Sir Charles FitzRoy ; they also named many local landmarks after figures in Norse mythology , including the Berserker Range named after the Norse warrior " Baresark ". The Archer brothers took-up a run near Gracemere in , and more settlers arrived soon thereafter, enticed by the fertile valleys.
The town of Rockhampton was proclaimed in , and surveyed to a design that closely resembled the Hoddle Grid of Melbourne , and consisted of a grid of wide boulevards and laneways, which was uncommon for Queensland cities. Within a year, gold was found at Canoona , and led to the first North Australian gold rush. The Canoona gold rush led to an influx of migrants that transformed Rockhampton into the second-largest port in the state; during this period, Rockhampton became infamous for crime and violence, and was described by the then visiting English novelist, Anthony Trollope as the "City of the Three S's"β"sin, sweat, and sorrow".
Rockhampton is renowned for its architecture, cuisine, and music; in particular for its jazz scene, and has been sometimes referred to as the " Melbourne of the North "; [ 9 ] in reference to the city's tree-lined boulevards and laneways.
The city's historic quarter is one of Australia's most significant 19th century streetscapes and is listed on the National Trust ; the quarter comprises three city blocks along Quay street, from Fitzroy to Derby street, and is known for its neoclassical architecture , dining and nightlife. The Rockhampton Botanic Gardens are one of the oldest public gardens in the country, being founded in and is also the location of the Rockhampton War Memorial , as well as the Rockhampton Zoo.
The Capricorn district is the traditional home of the Darumbal Aboriginal people. The British colonisation of the area began in , when the Archer brothers , Charles and William, who were seeking grazing lands arrived in the Rockhampton area. They were acting on information from earlier expeditions by Ludwig Leichhardt and Thomas Mitchell , who had explored the area in and and noted suitable land for grazing then.
