|
| View from Castle Hill,
286 metres above the city |
Townsville (including Thuringowa)
Elegant and substantial coastal city.
Of all the Australian states Queensland is unique in its
ability to establish regional centres which have a genuine
autonomy from the state capital. In the other states all
transportation, economic life and centralised administration
emanates from the state capital. In Queensland this is not
the case. It is a feature of Queensland which was neatly
captured by Australian author Thea Astley when she observed:
'When I was a teacher in Townsville...I always
remarked...the manner in which the locals referred to
southerners - and they didn't mean the people of New South
Wales or Victoria - or even Tasmania; they meant Brisbane.'
Thus Townsville can genuinely be seen as 'The Tropical
Capital of North Queensland'. Certainly, as it is proud to
announce, it is the largest city in tropical Australia - but
then it only has Cairns, Rockhampton, Darwin and Broome to
compete with.
Townsville was first visited by Europeans when Captain
Cook reached and named Cleveland Bay (upon which the city is
built) in 1770.
After the settlement at Sydney Cove was established in
1788 a number of maritime explorers stopped at Cleveland
Bay. Phillip Parker King anchored in the bay for three days
during his voyage to the Northern Territory in 1819 and
Captain John Wickham, in the Beagle, chartered the coastline
in 1839. Neither of these explorers engendered any interest
in settling the area. It wasn't until 1861 that Robert Towns
(1794-1873) asked John Melton Black to select a suitable
site for a port on the north Queensland coast. By this time
Towns had considerable holdings in north Queensland and was
eager to create a port which would serve the whole of
region.
Little did Towns realise that the site chosen by Black on
Cleveland Bay would, over the next century, serve the mining
interests of Charters Towers, Mary Kathleen and Mount Isa as
well as the pastoral interests of graziers across the Gulf
country.
|
| View down Ross Creek to
the port |
A site was chosen on the shores of Cleveland Bay and
within the next year a settlement had been established with
a boiling down meatworks, a wharf and a woolstore. At first
it was known as Castletown but in 1865 it was officially
declared a port and renamed after its founder. At this time
ships were mooring between Townsville and Magnetic Island
and goods were being brought onshore by lighters.
No sooner had the port been established than gold was
discovered at Ravenswood. This led to the establishment of a
breakwater in 1872 (it was that year that Burns Philp
established an office in the town) and the dredging of the
harbour in 1884.
The area around the port boomed with the growing of
sugar, the discovery of gold, the establishment of the
meatworks and the growth of pastoral industries in the
hinterland.
A railway from the port moved out into the hinterland
reaching Charters Towers in 1882 then Ravenswood (1884),
Hughenden (1887), Winton (1900), Cloncurry (1908) and Mount
Isa in the 1920s.
|
| The band rotunda in Anzac
Memorial Park |
Located 1371 km from Brisbane, Townsville today is a city
of great charm and style. Its one great redeeming quality is
that it has not been overwhelmed by tourism. There is no
feeling that the place is tourist driven. There is no sense
of every shop being devoted to extracting the tourist
dollar. Even Reef HQ, one of the city's premier attractions,
is relatively low key. It makes little of the fact that it
is the only living coral reef in captivity - a fact which
means that visitors can actually see the Great Barrier Reef
while safely on land. There are no smelly fast foods, no
signs of decay.
The result is that the elegance of Townsville has been
maintained and that its gracious buildings and old pubs give
it a sense of sophistication so often lacking in tourist
centres.
Things to see:
Townsville's Public Buildings
But the private buildings are nothing to the public
buildings which, in the area of Flinders Street and The
Strand, create streetscapes of great elegance and beauty.
The Perc Tucker Gallery (well worth a visit as it has a
combination of visiting exhibitions and its own permanent
exhibition of modern paintings) on the corner of Flinders
and Denham Streets was designed by F. D. G. Stanley and
built for the Union Bank in 1885. It belongs to an
architectural style known as the Early Victorian Classical
Revival noted for its heaviness and large scale arches.
Contact: (07) 4772 2560
Over the road the Townsville Post Office, built in 1886,
has a large clock tower and is notable for its heavy ground
floor colonnades and its lighter upper storey.
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| North Queensland
Insurance Building, corner Flinders & Wickham St
|
Australian Bank of Commerce & Burns Philp
With little respect for their honourable antecedents the old
Australian Bank of Commerce in Flinders Street has been
turned into The Bank Niteclub (it is interesting to think
whether the current patrons notice the grand cedar door or
the superb clerestory roof) and the old Burn Philp Offices
in Flinders Street is now the East Street Disco. It is
ironic that a building constructed in 1895 as a symbol of
success for one of Australia's great shipping companies is
now a dance hall - albeit an elegant one.
Townsville's Historic Hotels
Tattersalls Hotel
Most notable is Tattersalls Hotel at the end of Flinders
Street (on the corner of Wickham Street) which is a
wonderful example of an typical Australian hotel of its
period. Built in 1865 it has wide verandahs and an
attractive iron balustrade. It is now known as Molly
Malones.
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| Tattersalls Hotel
|
Queens Hotel
Equally interesting is the old Queens Hotel on The Strand
(now owned by North Queensland Television) which was built
over the period from 1900-1920. There is something of the
British raj about this building with its Moghul cupolas and
its long verandahs at street level. It would not be out of
place in India or Singapore. In its day it was the place
where the graziers, coming to the coast for business or
pleasure, would stay. The grandeur of the building is still
evident.
The National
If you are interested in visiting hotels which, while not
National Trust, are still of historic interest Townsville
has a number of interesting examples. There is The National,
built in 1903 with typical wide verandahs, on the corner of
Boundary Street and Railway Avenue.
The Exchange
The Exchange in Flinders Street was first built on its
present site in 1869, burnt down in 1881, and rebuilt the
following year. It is now Townsville's oldest pub.
The Great Northern
The Great Northern which was built by timber merchants in
1901 - the expertise of its first owners is still apparent
in its outstanding woodworking and choice of timbers - is
located at 496 Flinder Street.
Private Houses listed by the National Trust
Townsville has an excess of National Trust buildings and
consequently it is a feast for those interested in
impressive late nineteenth century public architecture and
classic north Queensland style domestic and private
architecture.
Rosebank
Of the 'private' dwellings particularly impressive are
'Rosebank', now a private home and not open for inspection,
at the end of Lawson Street in the suburb of Mysterton.
Built in 1885 by the explorer Andrew Ball it is a classic
Queensland timber house with wide verandahs and elaborate
balustrades. It is set in beautiful tropical gardens.
Bishops Lodge
Another fine example is the 'Bishop's Lodge' on Bundock
Street in the fashionable suburb of Castle Hill. It is
perched on the top of an outcrop and has magnificent views
across to Magnetic Island. It is, not surprisingly, almost
surrounded by verandahs so that the extraordinary views can
be caught from every vantage point.
North Queensland Military Museum
Townsville also has a number of interesting museums. The
North Queensland Military Museum at Jezzine Barracks (on
Kissing Point at the northern end of the Strand) was
originally the location of Townsville's front line of
defence. In 1880 barracks and two 64 pound muzzle loading
guns were established on the point. Over the years the area
decayed and it wasn't until 1980 that it was reopened as a
Museum. It now houses a fine collection of military
memorabilia with a special emphasis on northern Queensland.
The museum is open from 9.00 to 3.00. Contact: (07) 4722
3111.
National Trust Buildings
Another kind of museum are the three historic houses
reconstructed by the National Trust at 5 Castling Street,
West End (turn west into Ingham Street when heading north
towards the city and then left after the church). The
houses, all of which once stood in various parts of
Townsville, have been brought together to show the styles of
housing which were common in Townsville in the late
nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. There's a worker's
cottage built in 1884, a farm house built about 1921, and
'Currajong', a superb villa residence built for a local
banker in 1888. All three buildings have been fully restored
and furnished. Unfortunately they are only open for
inspection on Wednesdays 10.00 - 2.00 and weekends 1.00 -
4.00.
Other Museums
The city also has the Townsville Museum at 81-99 Sturt
Street (Contact: (07) 4772 5725), the Maritime Museum at
46-48 Palmer Street (Contact: (07) 4721 5251) and the RAAF
Museum. The latter is only open on the first Sunday of each
month while the other are open from 10.00-3.00.
Lookouts
There are also a number of marvellous vantage points from
which the visitor can see Townsville and Magnetic Island. Of
these the most popular and accessible is Castle Hill a
prominent pink granite monolith which towers some 286 metres
above the city. The view at night is dramatic.
For those looking for something more dramatic the climb
to the top of Mount Stuart is rewarding. The road to the
summit is located 2 km south of Townsville and the view,
from 585 metres up, is spectacular.
Equally the city has a number of parks the most
interesting of which is the Townsville Common Environmental
Park located off Cape Pallarenda Road 5 km north of the city
centre. This untouched area of mudflats, grasslands, swamps
and forests has a serenity and peacefulness. The park
abounds with birdlife.
Townsville's Botanical Gardens
The city has two botanical gardens. The old Queens Gardens,
a 4 ha park with extensive stands of tropical trees and
flowers, is located 2 km from the city centre with the main
entrance being from Paxton Street.
6 km from the city centre in the suburb of Mundingburra
is the new Anderson Park Botanical Gardens covering 32 ha
including a lagoon, conservatory and a number of picnic
places.
Thuringowa
The new 'city' of Thuringowa (really no more than suburbs of
Townsville) is a monument to the Queensland gerrymander
system. A figment of Sir Johannes Bjelke-Petersen's
determination to maximise the National Party vote it was
created in 1986 and exists in a separate electorate to
Townsville - hopefully one that will be more sympathetic to
National Party goals. Even the local tourist literature
admits the deception noting: 'An imaginary boundary divides
the residential areas of Townsville from those of Thuringowa
City'. In the late 1980s it could boast the highest
residential growth in Australia.
A Guide to Townsville
Visitors to Townsville should obtain a copy of This Month In
Townsville from hotels, motels, caravan parks,newsagents and
Tourist Information Offices. A free publication it provides
detailed information on the month's activities in
Townsville.
Restaurants in Townsville
It is impractical to list all the eating places in
Townsville. The best way to access the up-to-date places in
town is to check the listings in the This Month in
Townsville which is available from the Tourist Information
Office and a number of tourist locations in Townsville. It
has a comprehensive listing of the city's restaurants under
the style of cuisine.
Australian Businesses for sale
Caravan Parks for sale
Motels for sale
Hotels for sale
Broadwalk Business Brokers
Businesses for Sale in Townsville: Buy or Sell Hotels, Motels, Caravan Parks, Bed & Breakfast,
Pubs, Wine Bars, Restaurants, Cafe, English Tea Rooms, Coffee Shops,
Deli, Catering Business, Pubs, Bars, Sandwich Bars, Pizza Delivery,
Bakeries, Hot Food Take-away, Fish & Chips, Petrol & Service Stations,
Australian Businesses for sale, Car Sales, Motor & Transport, Car/Van
Hires, Newsagents, Dry Cleaners, Salons, General Stores, Retail Stores,
Post Office, Printers, Convenience Stores, Clothes shop, Hair Dressers,
Beauty Salon, Fruit Markets, Butchers, Florist, Card & Gift shop, Sports
shop, Book Shops, Care Agency, Pharmacy, Tool-Hardware & DIY shops, Pet
Shops, Auto Mechanical, Auto Parts & Accessories,
Bakery Businesses for sale , Motel sales, caravan park sales, Hotel
sales, Business sales, Bar for sale, Juice Bar for sale,
Beauty Salon for sale, Bike and Motorcycle Businesses for sale ,
Australian Businesses for sale, Blinds and Shutters Businesses for sale , Boat Business for sale ,
Book Shop , Bread Run, Building and Construction , Butcher Shop,
Café Business for sale, Car Dealerships for sale, Car Rental
Business for sale , Car Yard, Cleaning Business for sale, Computer
Business for sale, Childcare Centre for sale, Confectionary
Business for sale, Convenience Store for sale, Deli Businesses for
sale , Distribution Businesses for sale , Earth Moving Businesses
for sale , Businesses for sale , Engineering Businesses for sale ,
Export/Import Businesses for sale , Fitness Centres for sale,
Florist for sale, Franchise Businesses for sale , Fruit and Veg
Shop for sale, Function Centre for sale, Funeral Parlour for sale,
Furniture Businesses for sale , Garden Equipment Businesses for
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salons for sale , Hardware Businesses for sale , Hire Businesses for
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hotels for sale, Ice Cream Businesses for sale , Juice Bar for sale, Laundrette ' s for sale, Lawn Mowing Businesses for sale , Magazine
Businesses for sale , Manufacturing Businesses for sale , Marine
Businesses for sale , Menswear Businesses for sale , Milk Run 's
for sale, Mixed Businesses for sale , Mobile Businesses for sale ,
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Preschool for sale, Pest Control Businesses for sale ,Business for
sale Pet Shop, Plumbing Businesses for sale , Post Office for sale ,
Removalist Businesses for sale, Restaurants for sale, Roadhouses for
sale, Rubbish Removal Businesses for sale , Rural Supplies
Businesses for sale , Sales and Distribution Businesses for sale ,
Security Businesses for sale , Service Station for sale, Shoe Shop
for sale, Supermarkets for sale, Takeaway Businesses for sale ,
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Machine Businesses for sale , Wholesale Businesses for sale,
Wrecking Yard for sale in Townsville.
Qld Towns
Agnes Water Airlie
Beach Allora
Alpha
Anakie
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Ayr
Australina
businesses for sale
Babinda
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Heads Brisbane
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Caravan
parks for sale
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Plains Charleville
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Home Hill Hotels
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