Land to the north of the river was opened for settlement in the late 1850s, and became the location of both large holdings and small farms.

A large pastoral run was established along the length of the Capricorn Coast in 1865, extending from the Yeppoon area south towards what is now Emu Park.

European settlement in the Emu Park district began in the 1860s when John Jardine established a cattle grazing property to the south, at Zilzie.

[8] Emu Park township was established in the 1870s when several Rockhampton families built seaside holiday houses on the hills overlooking the two beaches that are a feature of the town.

[9] The first bridge across the Fitzroy River was opened in 1881, replacing a steam ferry and increasing road usage to Emu Park.

[2][3] It runs from Rockhampton–Emu Park Road in Tungamull to Schofield Parade in Keppel Sands, a distance of 14.1 kilometres (8.8 mi).