Shipping containers for Rockhampton

Rockhampton sits on the Fitzroy River right on the Tropic of Capricorn, and it has long called itself the beef capital of Australia. It is the service centre for a huge cattle district reaching inland along the Capricorn Highway, and it is the gateway to the Capricorn Coast around Yeppoon and Emu Park. Most container jobs here come from grazing, trades or the coast.

Graziers and the cattle industry

Beef runs through everything in the Rockhampton district, from stations out west to the saleyards at Gracemere and the processing works around the city. Graziers use containers as secure stores for vet supplies, ear tags, drenches, fencing gear, saddlery, pump parts and generators, often at an outstation or a set of yards a long way from the homestead. A container can be dropped where it is needed and moved later, which a shed cannot.

Chemicals and fuels on a property should go in a dangerous goods unit rather than a general purpose one. DG containers have ventilation and a bunded floor that holds spills, and they keep flammable stock away from everything else. Our DG guide goes through what the different classes need.

Trades, industry and the city

In the city itself, trades, builders and small manufacturers use containers as lockups and overflow storage. The industrial areas around Parkhurst, Gracemere and Park Avenue have plenty of room for 40ft units, and building sites in the growing northern suburbs and around Gracemere use 20ft units as site stores. Major infrastructure work in the region has also brought contractors who need secure storage near the job.

Households in older suburbs like Allenstown, The Range, Wandal and Berserker renovate timber homes and use containers to hold furniture while work goes on. The Range and Frenchville sit on the slopes of Mount Archer, so some blocks there have steep driveways that need planning.

The Capricorn Coast

On the coast east of the city, Yeppoon, Emu Park, Zilzie and Keppel Sands have a mix of permanent residents, retirees and holiday homes. Containers there hold boats, fishing gear, beach furniture and the contents of a holiday house while it is renovated. Salt air on the coast is hard on steel, so a coastal container needs an occasional rinse, greased door gear and quick touch-ups where the paint chips.

Heat, storms and the river

Central Queensland summers are hot, with storms and a wet season that can bring heavy rain and, in some years, cyclones along the coast. The Fitzroy River also rises after big rain in its catchment. For a container, the sensible approach is to place it on the highest firm ground on your property, raised on blocks or sleepers, and away from low spots and drainage lines. Cargo-worthy and new containers keep rain out from above, but they are not sealed against rising water, and an empty container can float.

Heat is the everyday issue. A steel box in the sun gets very hot inside, so do not store anything that melts or degrades with heat, and ventilate if people will work inside it.

Sizes for central Queensland

• 20ft — property stores, trade lockups and household renovations
• 40ft — machinery, feed and larger station storage where a sidelifter can work
• Dangerous goods — drenches, chemicals and fuels kept bunded and ventilated
• High cube — workshops with standing room
• 10ft — small blocks and holiday home storage on the coast

Preparing the site

Before a Rockhampton delivery, measure the space and check the approach. A 20ft needs about 6.1 metres plus room for the doors to swing; a 40ft about 12.2 metres. In town, look for low power lines and trees near the kerb. On a property, open and secure gates, move stock out of the way and mark the spot. Have blocks or sleepers ready for the corners so the container sits level and water drains beneath it.

Quoting Rocky and the coast

Rockhampton is serviced on our central Queensland work. Freight is quoted with the container as one delivered price, based on where a suitable unit is held, how far out of town you are and what truck your access needs. The delivery day is confirmed with you at order. For station deliveries, tell us about gates, grids and the track in, and whether the ground is likely to be dry.

Around Rockhampton: places we deliver

North Rockhampton · Norman Gardens · Parkhurst · Kawana · Frenchville · The Range · Allenstown · Wandal · Berserker · Park Avenue · Koongal · Gracemere · Bouldercombe · Yeppoon · Emu Park · Zilzie · Keppel Sands · Mount Morgan. Not on the list? Ring and ask — it's likely covered.