Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Qantas
(
&
13 13 13
in Australia) has flights from Brisbane, Mackay, Bund-
aberg, and Gladstone.
Virgin Blue
(
&
13 67 89
in Australia) flies direct from
Brisbane.
Queensland Rail
(
&
13 22 32
in Queensland, or 07/3235 1122) trains call
into Rockhampton daily. The trip from Brisbane takes just 7 hours on the high-
speed Tilt Train; the fare is A$94 (US$61) economy class and $141 (US$92)
business class.
McCafferty's
(
&
13 14 99
in Australia) and
Greyhound Pioneer
(
&
13 20
30
in Australia) call at Rockhampton on their many daily coach services between
Brisbane and Cairns. The fare is A$83 (US$54) from Brisbane (trip time: just
over 11 hr.) and A$128 (US$83) from Cairns (trip time: about 17 hr.).
VISITOR INFORMATION
Drop by the
Capricorn Tourism
information
center at the city's southern entrance on Gladstone Road at the Capricorn Spire
(
&
07/4927 2055
). It's open daily from 9am to 5pm.
GETTING AROUND Avis
(
&
07/4927 3344
),
Budget
(
&
07/4926
4888
),
Hertz
(
&
07/4922 2721
airport, or 07/4927 8700 city), and
Thrifty
(
&
07/4927 8755
) have offices in Rockhampton. The local bus is
Sunbus
(
&
07/4936 2133
).
EXPLORING THE AREA: CAVERNS,
ABORIGINAL CULTURE & MORE
The
Capricorn Caves
(
&
07/4934 2883
), 23km (14 miles) north of Rock-
hampton at Olsen's Caves Road, off the Bruce Highway, have been a popular
attraction in this part of the world ever since Norwegian pioneer John Olsen
stumbled upon them in 1882. The limestone caves have origins in an ancient
coral reef (380 million yr. old) and today are a maze of small tunnels and larger
chambers. The 1-hour tour, which winds through large caverns with stalactite
and stalagmite formations before entering the 20m (66-ft.) high Cathedral Cave,
is A$13 (US$8.45) for adults, A$12 (US$7.80) for seniors and students, and
A$6.50 (US$4.20) for children 5 to 15. It departs daily (except Christmas) on
the hour from 9am to 4pm (closing time is 5pm). Spelunkers (over 16) can
squeeze through tunnels and chimneys and rock climb on a 3-hour adventure
tour that costs A$55 (US$36); book 24 hours ahead for this. From December 1
to January 10, you can catch the Summer Solstice light cave on a tour departing
every morning at 11am. On the longest day of the year the sun moves slowly over
the Tropic of Capricorn and a ray of pure light pours through a hole in the lime-
stone caves. It's known as the Summer Solstice phenomenon and is the only time
of year when the sun is directly over the Tropic of Capricorn. The caves are also
home to thousands of small insectivorous bats, which leave the cave at sunset to
feed. Plan enough time here to walk the 30-minute dry rainforest trail, watch the
video on bats in the interpretive center, and feed the wild kangaroos. If you like
it so much you want to stay, there's a motor-home park and campground
attached. Bus tours operate from Rockhampton; contact the Caves for details.
The
Dreamtime Cultural Centre
(
&
07/4936 1655;
www.dreamtimecentre.
com.au), located on the Bruce Highway opposite the Yeppoon turnoff, 6km (3
3
⁄
4
miles) north of town, showcases Aboriginal culture. There's a sandstone cave
replica, a display on the dugong (manatee) culture of the Torres Strait Islanders,
and an Aboriginal crafts shop. The center is open Monday to Friday from 10am
to 3:30pm. Admission, including the tour, is A$13 (US$8.45) for adults, A$9
(US$5.85) for seniors, A$6 (US$3.90) for students and backpackers, and A$11
