Rockhampton Regional Council’s Smart Way Forward Strategy has paved the way for creating a Smart Regional Centre in the Queensland town’s new Riverside Precinct.
The Riverside Revitalisation project was a key project completed in 2018 and is an outstanding example of how new technologies have been introduced to improve public safety, arts, culture, modern education, tourism and recreation.
As part of the Smart Way Forward strategy, ‘Intellistreet’ smart pole, post top modules were installed throughout the Rockhampton central business district (CBD).
These poles feature LED lighting with programmable illumination and an integrated speaker system for ambient music and civic messaging.
Other smart technologies installed include, free public Wi-Fi in all areas, with connectivity to the University’s EduRoam Wi-Fi network for university students, a smart CCTV camera network, pole-mounted digital banners and ground-mounted interactive digital screens.
Parking in the CBD has also now been made easier with smart parking solutions.
Sensors have been installed in up to 900 parking bays within the CBD and digital wayfinding banners display parking availability for residents and visitors.
This Smart Technology rollout would not have been possible without the Queensland Government contribution of $2,270,000 under the Building our Regions (BoR) program to deliver this project in partnership with Council.
The Riverside Precinct located in Quay Street is also home to some of the region’s most impressive historic structures, with a string of heritage listed buildings attracting thousands of tourists every year.
Perched high on top of the Riverside Precinct’s new smart street poles is a high-tech feature lighting system which has been installed to bring these buildings to life by night, with colour and ambient lighting.
The specially designed system has the flexibility to change the character and mood of the riverfront at the click of a button, creating a range of opportunities for future community involvement.