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Published: December 13th 2012
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Townsville
The CBD from Castle Hill Townsville / Charters Towers
Considered the unofficial capital of North Queensland, Townsville, unlike Cairns which is, (in my eyes anyway) driven by tourism, is a city that has major commercial business alongside a buoyant tourism industry. The city has a vibrant, young feel and is obviously booming,
Robert Towns, a Sydney businessman and owner of Woodstock Cattle Station, drove a quest to find a suitable port site essential for the rapidly expanding cattle industry on the tablelands. An expedition party established a camp below the rocky spur of Melton Hill in 1864 and in 1866 Robert Towns agreed to provide ongoing financial support for the new settlement on the Ross River and Townsville was named in his honour. Townsville was declared a municipality in February 1866, and developed rapidly as the major port and service centre for the Cape River, Gilbert, Ravenswood, Etheridge and Charter’s Towers goldfields. Regional pastoral and sugar industries also expanded and flourished ensuring the new settlements growth.
Today Townsville is a city and a great place to visit offering many attractions for visitors. The central city is dominated by the mass of red granite called Castle Hill, 292 metres (958 ft) metres
high (just 8 metres short of being a mountain) looming above it. There is a lookout at the summit giving panoramic views of the city and its suburbs, including Cleveland Bay and Magnetic Island, this should be your first stop when arriving here as it gives you a great ‘birds-eye’ view of the layout of the city.
The historic waterfront on Ross Creek, site of the original wharves and port facilities, has some excellent old buildings mixed with the later modern skyline. You will find great pubs and restaurants around this area. The CBD is also a fantastic blend of heritage buildings and modern and again you will find plenty to see and do here. "The Strand", a long tropical beach and garden strip stretches from the Casino and wharf area at one end to the Jezzine Military barracks site at Kissing Point. This is a magnificent waterfront, with cafes on the street, a few restaurants in the fabulous gardens between the road (The Strand) and the beach, and fantastic beaches to swim at (netted for stingers), just love it. If you continue around through Belgian Gardens and along the Cape Pallarenda Road you pass the beaches facing Rowes
Townsville
Looking over the Cleveland bay towards Magnetic Island. Bay before arriving at Pallarenda beach & there are fantastic beaches with fine white sand facing Rowes Bay and overlooking Magnetic Island. There are heaps of interesting things to see and do in Townsville including Reef HQ Aquarium, the Military Museum, (Townsville has a large Defence Base and a big connection with WW2), and Magnetic Island which is just offshore.
But one of the best things to do whilst in Townsville is take a trip to Charters Towers for the day. Hugh Mosman, George Clarke, John Fraser and Horseboy Jupiter, had been prospecting away to the south of what is now Charters Towers when their horses scattered during a fierce thunderstorm. It was while searching for the horses next morning that the first Towers gold was discovered at the end of the year 1871 or the very beginning of 1872, Happy New Year for some!
The goldfield did not reach its peak of production until 1899. During the period 1872-1899 the place changed from a rough settlement with bark and calico buildings to a thriving City of some 25,000 inhabitants. They came from all over the world and many nationalities were represented on the field and in 1890
Townsville
Looking towards Cape Pallarenda and the northern beaches. the miners could quench their thirst in no less than 65 hotels registered on the field. The town is a major centre for the Gulf country and has become a major educational centre. It became known that you could get anything in the Towers so why travel anywhere else and therefore it was the ‘Centre of the World’, today it is still affectionately known as ‘The World’.
The first thing to do, after visiting the amazing tourist information centre, is to walk down Gill Street, the main shopping street and look at all the amazing heritage buildings, and don’t just walk past Target Department Store, go in and have a look at the building, absolutely incredible. Then there is The Stock Exchange Arcade, The Post Office, Police Station, the Pubs, Towers Hill, The Miners Cottage and all the amazing parks including Centenary Park with the Gold Discovery Monument, just fabulous, and then there is ….
I could go on, this town should be on your list of ‘must sees’, there is so much to see and do here and it is a great town to boot, well it is The World after all! We really enjoyed Townsville and
all the region has to offer, it was not our first time here, we have been before including a visit to Palm Island and still it kept us busy and amazed, a great destination, loved it !
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