Emerald is a town in the Central Highlands Region, Queensland, Australia. At June 2015 Emerald had an estimated urban population of 15,225. The town is the business centre for the Central Highlands Regional Council.Emerald lies on the Nogoa River, a tributary of the Fitzroy River. The town lies almost 300 kilometres from the coast and approximately 270 kilometres west of the city of Rockhampton on the junction of the Capricorn and Gregory highways. The Tropic of Capricorn intersects the Gregory Highway just north of Emerald.