Rockhampton–Yeppoon Road is a non-continuous road route in the

Rockhampton Rockhampton is a city in the Rockhampton Region of Central Queensland, Australia. The population of Rockhampton in June 2021 was 79,967, Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. making it the fourth-largest city in the state outside of the ...

and Livingstone local government areas of

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, Australia. Most of the route is designated as State Route 4 (Regional) and Tourist Drive 10. It is a state-controlled regional road (number 196).

Route description

Rockhampton–Yeppoon Road commences at an intersection with the Bruce Highway in . Starting as Fitzroy Street it runs north-east through the CBD and crosses the

Fitzroy Bridge The Fitzroy Bridge was a suspension bridge that spanned the Fitzroy River in Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia from 1881 until it was demolished in 1956. Construction work on the bridge commenced in March 1877. The bridge consisted of bot ...

over the Fitzroy River. It enters as Toft Street and reaches an intersection with Bridge Street (part of

Rockhampton–Emu Park Road Rockhampton–Emu Park Road is a continuous road route in the Rockhampton and Livingstone local government areas of Queensland, Australia. The route is designated as State Route 4 (Regional) and Tourist Drive 10. It is a state-controlled reg ...

) where it joins State Route 4 and Tourist Drive 10. From there it continues north-east as Queen Elizabeth Drive and Musgrave Street before entering as Yaamba Road. The road reaches an intersection with the Bruce Highway at the mid-point of Park Avenue (locality) and , where it turns north-west concurrent with the highway. It runs between Park Avenue and Norman Gardens, then between Norman Gardens and Kawana, then between Norman Gardens and . At an intersection it leaves the highway, turning north-east as Yeppoon Road and running between the same two localities. It passes through the localities of , Ironpot, and before running between and . It then runs between Hidden Valley and until it reaches a roundabout intersection with Western Yeppoon–Emu Park Road (see below) where it ends. Yeppoon Road continues east as State Route 4 and Tourist Drive 10. Land use along the road is mainly rural, but with business and residential developments at each end.

Road condition

The road is fully sealed, with a small section of dual carriageway. The following projects aim to improve the condition of sections of this road.

Road train access to Rockhampton

The project for upgrading between saleyards and the Rockhampton abattoirs to provide access for Type 1 Road Trains, funded by the

Northern Australia Beef Roads Program Northern Australia Beef Roads Program is a suite of projects designed to deliver targeted upgrades to key roads for transporting cattle in northern Australia. In 2016 the Australian Government announced 18 projects to be funded under this program. ...

, was completed by early 2021 at a total cost of $30 million. It involved about of road improvements on four roads: *

Capricorn Highway The Capricorn Highway is located in Central Queensland, Australia, and links the city of Rockhampton with western Queensland. The highway is long, and joins the Landsborough Highway at Barcaldine. Formerly National Route 66, Queensland began ...

– from Saleyards Road at Gracemere to the Bruce Highway roundabout at Rochhampton (). * Bruce Highway – from the Capricorn Highway roundabout to the Yaamba Road intersection (). * Rockhampton–Yeppoon Road – from the Bruce Highway intersection south-west to the Emu Park Road intersection (. *

– from the Rockhampton–Yeppoon Road intersection to St Christophers Chapel Road at ().

Road duplication

In 2019 an $80 million program funded by the

Roads of Strategic Importance Roads of Strategic Importance (ROSI) is a $5.8 billion initiative of the Australian Government designed to help connect regional businesses to local and international markets, and to better connect regional communities. The source for this article ...

(ROSI) program was announced as in the planning stage. The proposed work was duplication of a section of the road in Ironpot and Mulara.

Pavement strengthening

In 2021 a $5 million project funded from various sources was announced. The proposed work was pavement strengthening and resilience upgrades to a section of road.

History

The

Archer brothers The Archer brothers were among the earliest European settlers in Queensland, Australia. They were explorers and pastoralists. Seven sons of William Archer, a Scottish timber merchant, they spent varying amounts of time in the colony of New Sou ...

established the Gracemere

pastoral run A pastoral lease, sometimes called a pastoral run, is an arrangement used in both Australia and New Zealand where government-owned Crown land is leased out to graziers for the purpose of livestock grazing on rangelands. Australia Pastoral lea ...

in 1855, on land that included the present site of Rockhampton. They made use of the Fitzroy River for shipping supplies and produce, and built a woolshed on the river bank. They also played a role in coining the name "Rockhampton" for their riverside worksite.McDonald, L: "Rockhampton – A History of City & District", page 19. Rockhampton City Council, 1976 Permanent settlement at the town site began in 1856, and the town was proclaimed and surveyed in 1858. The region expanded quickly due to good available land and water. Land to the north of the river was opened for settlement in the late 1850s, and became the location of both large holdings and small farms. The locality of Parkhurst was the site of a large holding named Glenmore. The first bridge across the Fitzroy River was opened in 1881, replacing a steam ferry. A large pastoral run was established along the length of the

Capricorn Coast The Capricorn Coast is a stretch of coastline in Central Queensland, Australia and is part of the Shire of Livingstone (formerly part of Rockhampton Region). Geography The Capricorn Coasts takes its name from Cape Capricorn () on Curtis Is ...

in 1865. The town that is now Yeppoon was surveyed in 1872. It grew to support smaller farms that were set up in the district, producing fruit, cattle and wool. Sugar cane was also grown from 1893 to 1903. The road from Rockhampton was completed in the 1870s.

Western Yeppoon–Emu Park Road

Western Yeppoon–Emu Park Road, known locally as Tanby Road, is a state-controlled district road (number 197) rated as a local road of regional significance (LRRS). It runs from an intersection with Rockhampton–Yeppoon Road and Yeppoon Road on the / midpoint, to

in , a distance of . This road intersects with Taranganba Street in . At its southern end it leaves Tanby Road, becomes Kinka Beach Road and then part of the

Scenic Highway A scenic route, tourist road, tourist route, tourist drive, holiday route, theme route, or scenic byway is a specially designated road or waterway that travels through an area of natural or cultural beauty. It often passes by scenic viewpoint ...

Major intersections

All distances are from Google Maps.

References

Roads in Queensland {{DEFAULTSORT:Rockhampton-Yeppoon Road