History Townsville

1 history

1.1 history
1.2 establishment
1.3 townsville/thuringowa
1.4 japanese influence
1.5 second world war
1.6 1970 onwards

history
early history

such indigenous groups wulgurukaba, bindal, girrugubba, warakamai , nawagi, among others, inhabited townsville area. wulgurukaba claim traditional owner of townsville city area; bindal had claim struck out federal court of australia in 2005.

james cook visited townsville region on first voyage australia in 1770, did not land there. cook named nearby cape cleveland, cleveland bay , magnetic(al) island. in 1819, captain phillip parker king , botanist alan cunningham first europeans record local landing. in 1846, james morrill shipwrecked peruvian, living in townsville area among bindal people 17 years before being found white men , returned brisbane.

establishment

townsville ca. 1870



anzac cenotaph , esplanade, townsville, circa 1935

the burdekin river s seasonal flooding made establishment of seaport north of river essential nascent inland cattle industry. john melton black of woodstock station, employee of sydney entrepreneur , businessman robert towns, dispatched andrew ball, mark watt reid , detachment of 8 troopers of native police search suitable site. ball s party reached ross creek in april 1864 and established camp below rocky spur of melton hill, near present customs house on strand. edward kennedy, member of surveying party, recalls native police chasing local tribesmen ocean , pumping lead @ them. on return journey port denison, group dispersed aboriginal clan, rounding fifteen women remained @ scene of combat , abducted them barracks. no mention made of fate of children. first party of settlers, led w. a. ross, arrived @ cleveland bay woodstock station on 5 november of year. in 1866 robert towns visited 3 days, first , visit. agreed provide ongoing financial assistance new settlement , townsville named in honour.

townsville declared municipality in february 1866, john melton black elected first mayor. townsville developed rapidly major port , service centre cape river, gilbert, ravenswood, etheridge , charters towers goldfields. regional pastoral , sugar industries expanded , flourished. townsville s population 4,000 people in 1882 and grew 13,000 by 1891.

in 1901 lord hopetoun made goodwill tour of northern australia , accepted invitation officially open townsville s town hall, occasioning first ever vice-regal ceremonial unfurling of australian national flag. brisbane, in 1902 townsville proclaimed city under local authorities act.

parade of 31st battalion, kennedy regiment, marching down flinders street, townsville, queensland, 1937

the foundation stone of townsville cenotaph laid in strand park on 19 july 1923. unveiled on 25 april 1924 (anzac day) queensland governor, sir matthew nathan.

townsville/thuringowa

the rural land surrounding city managed thuringowa road board, became shire of thuringowa. shire ceded land several times support townsville s expansion. in 1986 shire became incorporated city, governed thuringowa city council. cities of townsville , thuringowa amalgamated new townsville city council in march 2008, part of queensland state government s reform program.

japanese influence

in 1896, japan established first australian consulate in townsville, serve 4,000 japanese workers migrated work in sugar cane, turtle, trochus, beche de mer , pearling industries. introduction of white australia policy, demand japanese workers decreased, causing consulate close in 1908.

second world war

a statue of robert towns placed in flinders square in recognition of contribution establishment of townsville.

during second world war, city host more 50,000 american , australian troops , air crew, , became major staging point battles in south west pacific. large united states armed forces contingent supported war effort 7 airfields , other bases around city , in region. first bombing raid on rabaul, in papua new guinea, on 23 february 1942 was carried out 6 b-17s based near townsville.

some of units based in townsville were:

no. 3 fighter sector raaf, wulguru & north ward
1 wireless unit, pimlico & stuart & roseneath
north eastern area command hq, townsville, sturt street (now federation building)
castle hill, townsville underground tunnels & bunkers
green st. bunker, west end, sidney street west end, project 81 (now ses building)
96th engineer battalion (which mutinied in april 1942.)

in july 1942, 3 small japanese air raids conducted against townsville, important air base in australia. several 500-pound (230-kilogram) bombs dropped in harbour, near garbutt airfield , @ oonoonba, bomb craters still visible. no lives lost , structural damage minimal, japanese missed intended target of railway , destroyed palm tree. although japanese aircraft intercepted on 2 of 3 raids, no japanese planes shot down.

1970 onwards

on christmas eve 1971, tropical cyclone althea, category 4 cyclone, battered city , magnetic island, causing considerable damage.

two significant hotels on flinders street lost. buchanan s hotel regarded architectural historians australia s significant building in filigree style lost fire in 1982 , alexandra hotel demolition in 1970s.

eddie mabo, later became famous involvement in overturning legal fiction of terra nullius, worked gardener @ james cook university in 1970s , 1980s. here first learned of implications of terra nullius doctrine , decided take on australian government. james cook university douglas campus library named after him.

in october 2000, solomon islands peace agreement negotiated in townsville.