Monday 4 August 2008

A WEEK IN TOWNSVILLE



If you're visiting to see SkyWatch Friday, it's not here this week....and ABC Wednesday will be late!

I'm spending this week in Townsville, the regional capital of North Queensland. My sister has just be appointed to a position here, & so she and her husband have moved from Bundaberg.
These photos are just a quick trip around the city. Above is the view from their balcony.



Townsville was originally settled to provide services for the the farming industry of NQ in the mid 1800s, and quickly developed into a busy port. There are some beautiful historic buildings dating from the 1880-90s, though bizarrely many of them are now nightclubs & bars! Above is the magestic old Victorian railway station, while below is the HM Customs.



Around the port area of South Townsville, where the wharfies live, there still exists some of the gorgeous original workingmens's pubs. Below is the Commonwealth Hotel.




The most distinctive feature of Townsville is Castle Hill, quite literally in the middle of the city. In the early mornings & late afternoons, it seems that almost everyone is walking up or down the hill! Here's the view from the top, out towards Magnetic Island.

We walked it on Sunday morning before breakfast.


Just a 20minute ferry ride away is gorgeous Magetic Island, named by Capt. Cook in 1770. We spent the day over there yesterday, doing a bit of bushwalking and relaxing! Here's the view from the ferry, back to Townsville.

Below is Alma Bay.

Some of the beautiful lichen-covered boulders scattered through the hilly interior of Magnetic Is. is pictured above.

Townsville also played a significant role in World War 2. A post about that history is 'coming soon'!

As always, if you click on the highlighted words in my text, you'll be taken to more information.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

It doesn't look like winter where you are!! Hope you have a lovely time in Townsville.

GMG said...

Hi Cabacurl! Finally I found some time to enjoy your excellent blog…
And what a treat was the Townsville post! Beautiful pictures and lots of information. Great!
Noticed that your sister moved from Bundaberg; I've never visted it, but sent lots of letters to my frien Noel Evans who used to live there...
Many thanks for your comments on Blogtrotter, now with the second and last post on the MoMA! Hope you enjoy and wish you a great week and a nice holiday!

MmeBenaut said...

Ah yes, winter in Northern Queensland - looks fabulous. I've never been to Townsville but I'm going to get there one day! Great photos.

triciaJ said...

Hi Jude have finally got around to posting a comment.Good to see you enjoying the north. Rob and Ian look well. Nice photos
Tricia

Jules said...

Hi Jude - it has been a while since I've been in Townsville - great spot!!!!

Sally said...

Caba, I've never been to northern Queensland (Fraser Island is the furthest) though this year I'm goign to Cairns/Port Douglas/Cape Trib for a week.

You've made Townsville look and sound much more atractrive and interesting than I had imagined it to be. It gets indifferent "press" usually.

Is that the sister I know?????

BTW I've been out 'n' about in Arncliffe a lot lately. I have a new project of photographing every street in Postcode 2205, and am going to post them in afferbeckalauda. I've finished photographing all the "A's" . It's also an incentive to get out and walk every street. I may not be walking every street in Sydney like Alan Waddell, but who knows - from little things big things etc!

I thought I may have been gazumped by Google Street View, but my aim is a bit different - I want to get the street sign, a view at least from each end, and at least one "interesting thing" in each street.

Sally said...

PS - Postcode 2205 has shrunk somewhat now that the "Bardwell Valley" area (of pretension) has officially become absorbed in 2207. Joh St isn't Arncliffe any more! Hamilton, Lansdowne, Lorraine Ave - all excised!

paintandink said...

I like the name Townsville ... might have to steal it for a particular map I have in mind :)

Anonymous said...

Great shots and views.

~Banjo said...

Ahhh... these pics bring back memories... as a young teen learning to stand on my own two feet... I used to live near d hotel above... spending days at work + college... spending nyts 'hanging out' wiv my pals on d strand or Castle Hill or wherever... those were the days... cruising around on my bike on those warm humid nights... with so many tomorrows ahead of me... ahh memories!
~Sodapop