Initial Note

The small areas or Suburbs used in this profile relate to “State Suburbs” as defined by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). State Suburbs are an approximation of localities gazetted by the Office of Geographic Names. In some cases these Suburbs differ slightly to the gazetted localities defined by the Office of Geographic Names.

Location

Townsville City is located in North Queensland, about 350 kilometres south of the Cairns CBD and about 1,300 kilometres north of the Brisbane CBD. Townsville City is bounded by the Coral Sea in the north, Burdekin Shire in the east, the Charters Towers Regional Council area in the south and west, and Hinchinbrook Shire in the north-west.

Included Areas

Townsville City includes the localities of Aitkenvale, Alice River, Alligator Creek, Annandale, Arcadia, Balgal Beach, Barringha, Beach Holm, Belgian Gardens, Black River, Blue Hills, Bluewater, Bluewater Park, Bohle, Bohle Plains, Brookhill, Burdell, Bushland Beach, Calcium, Cape Cleveland, Castle Hill, Clemant, Cluden, Condon, Cosgrove, Cranbrook, Crystal Creek, Cungulla, Currajong, Deeragun, Douglas, Florence Bay, Garbutt, Granite Vale, Gulliver, Gumlow, Heatley, Hermit Park, Hervey Range (part), Horseshoe Bay, Hyde Park, Idalia, Jensen, Julago, Kelso, Kirwan, Lynam, Majors Creek (part), Mount Elliot, Mount Louisa, Mount Low, Mount St John, Mount Stuart, Mundingburra, Murray, Mutarnee, Mysterton, Nelly Bay, Nome, North Ward, Oak Valley, Oonoonba, Pallarenda, Paluma (part), Picnic Bay, Pimlico, Pinnacles, Railway Estate, Rangewood, Rasmussen, Reid River (part), Rollingstone, Roseneath, Rosslea, Ross River, Rowes Bay, Saunders Beach, Shaw, Shelly Beach, South Townsville, Stuart, Thuringowa Central, Toolakea, Toomulla, Toonpan, Town Common, Townsville City, Vincent, West End, West Point, Woodstock, Wulguru and Yabulu.

Land Use

Townsville City is a growing urban area, with significant rural areas and some industrial and commercial land use. Townsville City includes Magnetic Island and many smaller islands and rock shoals. The City encompasses a total land area of about 3,740 square kilometres, including beaches, rivers, rainforests, national park and other significant parklands. Most of the urban areas are located in the east, in and around Townsville. Rural land is used mainly for cattle grazing, sugar cane farming, pineapple growing and orcharding, with some mining.

Name Origin

Townsville City is named after Robert Towns, an entrepreneur and businessman who provided financial assistance to the pastoral industry around the Ross River in the 1860s.

Indigenous Meaning

The original inhabitants of Townsville City were the Wulgurukaba of Gurambilbarra and Yunbenun, Bindal, Gugu Badhun and Nywaigi Aboriginal Peoples.

Settlement

European settlement dates from the 1860s when the first land selections were made, with a port established at Townsville in 1866. Land was used mainly for farming and grazing. Growth took place during the late 1800s and early 1900s, aided by improved access, the establishment of the sugar industry and other industries, and some mining. During World War II Townsville became a major military base, accommodating up to 90,000 military personnel in hospitals, staging camps, air support depots and supply facilities. The population increased steadily from the post-war years. Significant residential development occurred from the late 1950s, accompanied by industrial and commercial growth, and the construction of a major army base at the Lavarack Barracks in 1966. Growth continued from the 1970s, aided by tourism. Population growth is expected to continue.

Major Features

Major features of Townsville City include Magnetic Island, Bowling Green Bay National Park, Magnetic Island National Park, Paluma Range National Park, Cape Pallarenda Conservation Park, Townsville Town Common Conservation Park, Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, Great Barrier Reef Coast Marine Park, Jourama Falls, numerous beaches, various state forests, Lavarack Barracks, Mt Stuart Training Area (Military), RAAF Base Townsville, Townsville Correctional Centre, Mt Stuart Power Station, Townsville Power Station, the Townsville CBD, CastleTown Shoppingworld, Stockland North Shore shopping centre, Stockland Townsville shopping centre, Willows Shopping Centre, Townsville Hospital, Mater Health Services (Pimlico and Hyde Park), Central Queensland University (Townsville Campus), James Cook University (Townsville Campus), TAFE Queensland North (Townsville - Aitkenvale and Pimlico Campuses), Australian Institute of Marine Science, Riverway Arts Centre, Pinnacles Gallery, Perc Tucker Regional Gallery, The Ville Resort-Casino, Townsville Entertainment and Convention Centre, Reef HQ Great Barrier Reef Aquarium, Museum of Tropical Queensland, Maritime Museum of Townsville, Army Museum North Queensland, Townsville Heritage Centre, Castle Hill Lookout, Anderson Gardens, Queens Gardens, The Palmetum, 1300SMILES Stadium, Riverway Stadium, Townsville Stadium, North Queensland Equestrian Centre, Pioneer Park, Townsville Showgrounds, the Ross River, Ross River Dam, Lake Paluma and Burdekin Falls Dam.

Transport

Townsville City is served by the Bruce Highway, the Flinders Highway, Townsville Airport, the Port of Townsville, the Spirit of Queensland train and the Magnetic Island Ferry.