Download coordinates as: Alton Downs is a rural locality in the Rockhampton Region, Queensland, Australia.

The memorial is made of Ulam marble and is a 12-foot (3.7 m) broken column (signifying young life cut short).

[14][15][16] A seven-hour siege occurred at Alton Downs on the night of 20 July 2000 after police responded to reports of a serious domestic dispute on a hobby farm where gunshots had been fired.

[17] Just after midnight on 21 July 2000, former air force officer Royce William Cooper fired a shot at Queensland Police Service dog squad officer Norm Watt who was hit in the leg.

[17] A two-week trial was held at the Rockhampton Supreme Court in 2003 where Cooper pleaded not guilty.

[19] At the conclusion of the trial, a jury deliberated for five hours before finding Cooper guilty of murder.

[20] Watt is regularly remembered on the anniversary of his death and at events commemorating Queensland police officers who have been killed in the line of duty.

[22] Access to a reliable water supply has been an ongoing concern for the Alton Downs community for many years.

[23] Residents voiced their concerns about never having been able have a main water pipeline established despite being in close proximity to the Fitzroy River.

[27] The local farmer had previously stated in 2013 that he had planted the crop because sunflowers were beautiful to look at but had been surprised at the amount of attention the flowers had garnered from passing motorists who often stopped to take photos.