Rockhampton Railway Roundhouse
A railway roundhouse is a building commonly used in the early days of railways where steam locomotives moved onto a turntable surrounded by maintenance bays radiating off the axis of the turntable. Most “roundhouses” did not form a full circle, typically being a semicircle or perhaps three quarters however the roundhouse in Rockhampton was one that did indeed form a complete circle and is one of only two in Australia surviving to this day; the other being in Junee in New South Wales.
The roundhouse served the steam engine era from 1914 to 1969. The building consists of 52 radial bays within seven segments of a complete circle; each segment having seven or eight bays. Reflecting the technological advances in railway engines, the roundhouse was then used as a wagon repair and maintenance centre from 1969 until 1988. It has evolved with the times to meet the current needs of the railway industry.
The Roundhouse is a legacy of the way Queensland developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries with a series of ports up the coast serving the hinterland and, in this case, the port at Rockhampton serving an area as far west as Longreach and railways were integral to this development. With this emphasis, there was a delay in connections of the railway north and south and thus Rockhampton became the epicentre of a large and growing regional railway system. The steam locomotives of the day required frequent servicing and the state-of-the-art roundhouse was constructed in 1914 which superseded a smaller one built only a few years before.
Roundhouses represented the pinnacle of development of railways in Central Queensland in the early 20th century and as railways evolved over subsequent years, so did the roundhouse.
In 1991 there was a proposal to demolish the Roundhouse but owing to the efforts of the Queensland Heritage Branch the Roundhouse survived. (details are in the September 2014 EHA Magazine - Available here). In 1994 it won the Royal Australian Institute of Architects Regional Award, the RAIA State Award for Conservation and the RAIA National Award for recycling (1994).
The incredible feature of this Roundhouse is not only is it a rare example of a full circle roundhouse but that it remains generally intact to this day and is a worthy reminder of how important railways were to the development of Queensland in general and in Rockhampton in particular.
The Queensland Government is currently (2025) rejuvenating the historic Rockhampton Railyards into a community and commercial hub.
Engineering Heritage Recognition Program
| Marker Type | Engineering Heritage Marker (EHM) |
| Award Date | May 2025 |
| Heritage Significance | The Roundhouse is a legacy of the way Queensland developed in the late 19th and early 20th
centuries with a series of ports up the coast serving the hinterland and in this case, the port at Rockhampton serving an area as far west as Longreach and railways were integral to this development. |
| Nomination Document | Available here. |
| Ceremony Booklet Ceremony Report |
Not Available |
| Plaque/Interpretation Panel | Not Available. |
