Today was a rest day from driving and it gave us some time to see some of the outstanding sights of Townsville.
We found three that stood out for us.
The first was along The Strand – a beautiful park along the town beach. It extends for nearly two kilometres and is a wonderful place for picnics. It’s a good swimming beach, but not from November to May when the stingers (jellyfish) are present. I think that council erects protective nets during those months but they wouldn’t cover anywhere near the totsl length of the beach.
The Strand is a promenade, a walkway and bicycle track, safe swimming beaches, excellent picnic locations and a water park. It is Townsville’s beachfront and is the watery centre of the city. It includes excellent views across the water to Magnetic Island
Most of the buildings that front The Strand are hotels and apartments. Some of Townsville’s historic buildings are also located on The Strand. One is the old Customs House. It was completed in 1902 after being commissioned by the Queensland government prior to Federation – during the period of planning for the hand over of government departments and their facilities to the new federal government. It was purpose-built as a customs house and used by the Australian Customs Service for close to a century.
Over the road from the Anzac Memorial Park at 12 The Strand is a huge building which was once the Queen’s Hotel.
This hotel was built progressively from 1902 through to the mid-1920s. It is an extraordinary building which, in the 1920s and 1930s, was known as the best hotel in North Queensland. There is something of the British Raj about the building with its cupolas and its long verandas 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. It would have been the centre of pastoral aristocracy. In recent times it has been used as a television studio.
Across the road is an example of a giant fig tree with its aerial roots forming a wide circumference.
The second stand-out place for me were the old buildings in Flinders Street.
The street is named after the explorer and naval officer, Matthew Flinders (1774-1814). Flinders Streetis the vibrant part of the city centre accommodating many iconic businesses and events throughout the years. It is known for its restaurants, nightlife, and iconic businesses. It’s a key part of the city’s CBD and has undergone significant development, including the conversion of the pedestrian mall back into a roadway.
Thirdly, we found some magnificent views over the city from Castle Hill.
Castle Hill is just metres short of a mountain and is the giant pink granite monolith that stands proud in the centre of Townsville – a perfect place for visitors to orientate themselves. Castle Hill offers vehicle access as well as a number of popular walking tracks, which are frequented by more than 2,500 locals a day The 360-degree views of Townsville at the top are well worth the journey.
Another interesting place was the Kissing Point Museum Area and Jezzine Barracks at the very northern end of The Strand.
Fort Kissing Point was actually built as a Fort in the late 1800’s as a defence against the Russians. Kissing Point’s location overlooking Cleveland Bay made it a crucial point for coastal defense during WW2. The fortification included gun emplacements, an underground magazine, and a casemate store. The site was also the headquarters of the Kennedy Regiment, one of Queensland’s oldest military units, throughout much of the war.
I found a diagram of the Battle of the Coral Sea in the path on which you walk as you visit the old fortress. It shows the movement of the Australian and American ships in blue and the Japanese in red.
The Battle of the Coral Sea (4–8 May 1942) was highly significant because it was the first time Allied forces—primarily the United States and Australia—halted a major Japanese advance in the Pacific during World War II, specifically stopping a seaborne invasion of Port Moresby in New Guinea. It was the first aircraft carrier battle – the first naval battle fought entirely by aircraft launched from carriers; the opposing fleets never sighted or fired directly at each other, marking a turning point in naval warfare
Over the years, many soldiers were garrisoned at Jezzine Barracks. A few small P-Type Huts still exist (now used as an art facility). These are examples of the huts used to house troops as they transited through Townsville.
There is a military museum that was not open today and the Commandant’s House is now used for varioua functions.
My mother was stationed in Townsville with WAAAF. Arrived the day after the Battle of the Coral sea, battle over, not a war zone, not “ active “ service. Hhhmmm
Hi Bruce and Jill, my Dad, a WW2 veteran in Europe with the mostly Australian 460 squadron, had a very dim view of the American view that they alone had won the war (WW2). BUT he did very HIGH regard for the Battle of the Coral Sea as the turning point in the Pacific war, mostly due to the American sacrifice of a huge amount of resources and men, and he never forgot the day the battle started and finished. I found that amongst his peers in 460 Sqdn, the same thought was very much in evidence. But back to your marvellous travelogue…thanks again for all the info.