At the Rockhampton Chinese Association Hall, at Rockhampton in central Queensland, the altar and relics of previous temples are kept in a shrine room at the rear of the hall, which now functions as the current Rockhampton temple. It can be reached through the hall, and there are also large south-facing doors from the shrine room to the courtyard outside. There is the main altar and the shrine cabinet, subsidiary altars and shrines, many 4-character plaques, banners and a flag, a temple drum and parade lions.
The Secretary of the Chinese Association, Dorothy Khoo, is the principal caretaker for this temple, and has been researching the history of Rockhampton’s temples. She reached out to Our Chinese Past for assistance with understanding the temple contents, translating inscriptions, and help with historical research. Juanita Kwok and Paul Macgregor from Our Chinese Past visited Rockhampton in August 2023, and we have been working with Dorothy since then.
Inscriptions on the altar date it to 1901, but the earliest temple in the Rockhampton district dates back to at least the 1880s. It moved location at least three times in the 20th century before arriving in its current home in 1975. In a series of upcoming articles, Dorothy tells the story of these temples, and the detective work she and others have collectively undertaken to explore the history of these temples. Our Chinese Past will also be publishing articles on various objects in the temple collection and translations of the inscriptions on the objects.
Published 18 March 2025
Next: Searching for the Pink Lily Temple
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