 The city covered an area of , and existed as a local government entity in various forms from 1860 until 2008, when it amalgamated with several other councils in the surrounding area to become the Rockhampton Region.The Borough of Rockhampton was proclaimed as Queensland's fourth municipality (after Borough of Brisbane, Borough of Ipswich and Borough of Toowoomba) on 13 December 1860 under the "Municipalities Act 1858", a piece of New South Wales legislation inherited by Queensland when it became a separate colony in 1859.It held its first election on 26 February 1861 and its inaugural meeting on 1 March 1861.