Rockhampton Railway Workshops

Rockhampton Railway Workshops is a heritage-listed railway workshop at 380 Bolsover Street, Depot Hill, Rockhampton Region, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1915 to 1953. It is also known as Rockhampton Roundhouse. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 August 1992.HistoryThe original workshops at Rockhampton were established in the late 1870s at the railway reserve area bounded by Denison, South, Campbell and Stanley Street. With a change of location in the early years of the 20th century, further development took place in the mid to late 1910s as part of a redevelopment of the entire railway infrastructure in Rockhampton. With many modifications and adaptations over time, the railway workshops continue to function as an operational railway workshop maintaining and repairing railway rolling stock.In 1863 the Parliament of Queensland passed the controversial Railway Bill, which committed Queensland to the use of a narrow gauge for the development of its main line in Queensland. Other colonies in Australia at this time had adopted broader gauges for use on their rail networks. Queensland on the recommendation of Abram Fitzgibbon its first Commissioner and consultant engineer on the first survey, authorised the use of a 3-foot 6 inch gauge (1067mm) main line. The reasoning behind this decision was that a narrow gauge would be of economic benefit to the new colony. The economic benefit would be lower cost of construction work.The first section of the Queensland railway network was opened between Ipswich and Bigges Camp (now Grandchester) on 31 July 1865. The projected development of the railway network was to link the towns of Warwick, Dalby and Toowoomba with Ipswich. At the time that the Railway Act had been passed the 5000 citizens of Rockhampton objected to having no provision made for the construction of a railway to their hinterland. At the period that railway construction was being agitated for connection with copper ore being exploited in the Peak Downs area. A railway was thought to ensure further economic development of the interior.