The Ballina Naval & Maritime Museum has an eclectic collection of different kinds of ships, not to mention exhibitions on maritime history, life at sea and in the navy. The most famous attraction is the raft Las Balsas, which landed in Ballina on 21 November 1973 after a 178-day journey from Ecuador.

Even today, the former Reichsparteitagsgelände (Nazi Party Rally Grounds) in the south of the city is still home to gigantic ruins representing the Nazi regime’s deluded notion of grandeur. The 11 km² complex was where the Nazi Party orchestrated its propaganda campaign. The documentation centre is located in the north wing of the Kongresshalle, which was designed by the Nazis to hold 50 000 people and was never completed. The permanent “Faszination und Gewalt” (“Fascination and Terror”) exhibition housed in the 1300 m² venue, chronicles the causes, relationships and consequences of the Nazi dictatorship.

Australia’s largest Aboriginal Cultural Centre set in natural bushland with local indigenous culture exhibited. Get insight into the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage and history through guided tours, educational visits and hands-on cultural activities. The Centre depicts a remarkable display of the traditional people of the Central Queensland Sandstone Belt and their culture — all displayed in 34 metres of reconstructed sandstone caves.

Go for a stroll along Quay Street with its heritage-listed sandstone Victorian-era buildings alongside Fitzroy River. You can pick up leaflets that map out walking trails around Rockhampton from the visitor centres.