Congratulations to those involved in making Rockhampton River Festival a reality. As a friend of mine positively commented on Sunday it is so unRockhampton like. This comment seemed fitting at the time but now writing it makes me question what does unRockhampton like imply. A beach on the river bank is unRockhampton like, amusement rides on Quay Street and difficulty finding a car park on a Sunday are also unRockhampton like, but I think what we both understood from the comment was there was something different to go to, with a diverse vibe and there were people. A few years back another friend told me of a Sunday afternoon in the Rockhampton CBD when he met 2 people from Brisbane who won a mystery flight on that day. They got a taxi from the Rockhampton airport and headed to the city centre. Hardly anything was open, there were only a few people about; they were thinking the mystery part of their flight wasn’t the destination but where all the people of Rockhampton had gone. Imagine the difference they would have experienced had they visited last Sunday. No question we need to do more events like this. The aspect that got me thinking here is something that we could develop as a Rockhampton attraction was Quay Lane. Behind the heritage listed facades that front Quay Street and where East Street shop holders park their car and accept their deliveries Monday to Friday you had the aroma of multi cultural food stalls and the sounds of original music. The Chinese lanterns and life size posters enhanced the charm, but to me this was distinctly Rockhampton; where history is somewhat veiled, old stables now car parks, a bond store used as storage space, century old brick work haphazardly exposed. This inimitable back drop gave the eclectic stands and entertainment in the Lane a bonus appeal. Combine this with the Kern car park markets, the eateries and shops in East Street plus the river you have an attraction package people would regularly frequent especially in our cooler months. The Winter Quay Lane multi cultural food, art and entertainment markets; 12 weeks a year part of Quay Lane is closed on Sunday’s for us all to experience something we start to think of as Rockhampton like.