Lathams News: CIRCLE OF FRIENDS LADIES MEET AT THE BOATHOUSE...

This week the lovely ladies from our "Circle of Friends"group were meeting at the Boathouse on the Riverbank for morning tea...

The Boathouse is situated in Rockhampton’s revitalised riverbank precinct and it boasts panoramic waterfront views from all aspects of the venue. There is an expansive deck which hovers above the historic Fitzroy River, and it really does offer a spectacular view unlike any other in Rockhampton.

There were 16 of us today. Such a great group of ladies and I really do enjoy these outings with them..

We all had to check in individually due to the Covid restrictions still, but we had a lovely long table in the middle of the room which overlooked the river, and the riverside parklands....

There was lots of lively chatter whilst everyone shared remedies for things like reflux. Such and interesting and diverse group of woman.

Most enjoyed a hot drink with an assortment of slices, muffins or tarts. One of the ladied enjoyed toasted sandwiches, and another had breakfast...

It really is just a lovely place to be with the views up and down the mighty Fitzroy river. The restaurant also overlooks the lovely parklands, and water features on the precinct below..

The murky Fitzroy River - with the flood waters escaping out to sea

We probably sat inside chatting for a good hour before deciding to take a stroll down along the banks of the river....

CQ River Cruises do sunset cruises along the Fitzroy River

The Riverside Precinct is a real credit to the Rockhamptong City Council. It is situated right in the heart of the city and offers the best views of the Fitzroy River or Tunuba (the Aboriginal name for it). It really is an exemplary example of modern, integrated urban design that sits alongside the city's strip of beautiful buildings that are heritage listed.

The Quay Street Boulevad has all been done in sandstone and the lower bank boardwalk is surrounded by lush plantings and public artworkds and a picturesque boat dotted vista.

The walk affords not only views of the Fitzroy River but the mountain ranges that lay to the north of Rockhampton. As you head down towards the Depot Hill end of Quay Street there is the wonderful precinct's playground. This beautiful Riverside Precinct is only one block away fro the city's main business district and once we finished this walk several of the ladies headed into town for a walk down the main street

We walked along the boardwalk checking out all the Public Art - Old Queensland House sculptures...

We walked down as far as the playground area... One of the most popular in Rocky... I know our grandchildren love coming here. There weren't too many children in the older playground today, but there were a couple of mums and their toddlers in the smaller playground..

From the playground, we walked back up the ramp to the footpath. The footpath is quite shaded by all the beautiful trees that are planted along the footpath, so we were all keen to walk back to our vehicles in the shade where we could....

This also gave us a good chance to appreciate all the very old and beautiful heritage buildings which are situated along Quay Street.

I though dinosaurs were extinct but we managed to find one today in the parklands... Added a little excitement to the morning.

Rockhampton is full of elegant buildings and these stem from its rich merchant, maritime and gold-rush heritage. This is one of Australia’s most historically significant heritage strips and is Queensland's longest National Trust heritage-listed street.

The new amongst the old..

Rockhampton's new art gallery is being built along this street so it will be combining the old with the new... The New Art Gallery, which will be officially named the Rockhampton Museum of Art is a three story structure with around 4700 square metre gross floor area.

The new Gallery will make the region’s significant and notable collection more accessible to the community through expanded gallery spaces, provide opportunities to show touring exhibitions, and offer spaces for education and community engagement. In short, the new Gallery will reinvigorate the local economy and provide a tourist drawcard for visitors from interstate and beyond.