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The city started life very inauspiciously when a sea captain by the name of United States Armed Forces contingent supported the war effort from various bases around the city. Townsville became the target of Japanese bombing raids in 1942 with a few bombs making landfall but none reaching intended targets. On Christmas Eve 1971 Tropical Cyclone Althea, a category 4 storm battered the city and Magnetic Island, causing considerable damage. Other tropical storms have threatened the area in the intervening years, but with less effect. In October 2000 a Solomon Islands Peace Agreement was negotiated in Townsville.
Townsville is now the largest Australia.
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The region has many renowned festivals, celebrating some of the various international cultures that call the region home. The Annual Greek and Italian Festivals (Italian based in Ingham, north of Townsville) are popular with the locals and tourists alike and will be held at the new river ways centre in 2006. The city has a large and diverse range of restaurants representing many different cuisines of the world. The Palmer Street restaurant strip in South Townsville is home to many of these, and also plays home to an annual Jazz Festival, bringing together food, wine and music from all parts of the world. A cosmopolitan atmosphere has been developed around many of these restaurants and cafes, with sidewalk dining taking advantage of the suitable climate for outdoor living.
The city also has a vibrant pub and night-club scene, with many of them located in Flinders Street East. Local and national music groups can often be found performing live in these venues. The streetscape was renewed in 2003 with mixed reviews, and now caters for sidewalk dining at many new cafes also located in the street.
The Townsville Entertainment Centre plays host to many national and international music shows, as well as sporting and trade shows, it seats 4500 people. The Townsville Civic Theatre is North Queensland's premier cultural facility. Since its opening in 1978, the Theatre has been a dynamic centre of entertainment and performing arts, providing an environment to further develop the performing arts in Townsville and the North. The Theatre offers performances in dance, music, opera, comedy and drama from major Australian companies with international and national artists that complement the work of local performing arts groups.
Part of the local shopping experience includes the markets, with a night market conducted on the first Friday of each month at the Strand Park on the foreshore. Weekly markets (Cotters Markets) are held on Sunday mornings in the Flinders Street Mall in the city centre, with a variety of offerings including fresh produce, foods, arts and craft and other antiquities.
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Townsville and Thuringowa are each governed by Thuringowa City Council there are two Divisions, one which elects three Councillors and one which elects seven. The Mayor of Townsville is Tony Mooney (Labor), while the Mayor of Thuringowa is Les Tyrell (Liberal).
In the Queensland Parliament the city is represented by four electorates: Thuringowa, Mundingburra, Townsville and Burdekin. Representitives of the State Government electorates are:
Thuringowa: Craig Wallace
Mundingburra: Lindy Nelson Carr (Secretary to the premier of Queensland)
Townsville: Hon Mike Reynolds (Child Safety Minister in the State Government of Queensland)
In the Federal Parliament the city is represented by Peter Lindsay, the member for the seat of Herbert
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 Dairy Farmers Stadium in full capacity during a 2003 Rugby Union World Cup match
Dairy Farmers Stadium in full capacity during a 2003 Rugby Union World Cup match
Townsville and Thuringowa play host to a Women's National Basketball League (Australia) team, the Townsille Fire and possiblly a Hyundai A-League football team .
The Cowboys were Semi and Preliminary Finalists in the 2004 Rugby League">NRL season, and were finally defeated by the Sydney Roosters in the Preliminary Finals. In the 2005 Rugby League">NRL Season, the Cowboys played the Wests Tigers in the Grand Final on 2 October 2005. They were defeated by the Tigers.
The Cowboys play at Dairy Farmers Stadium in Thuringowa, a venue which has hosted three Rugby Union World Cup">2003 Rugby Union World Cup matches, and has a maximum capacity crowd of 27,000 people. The stadium could hold up to 31,000 but a recent upgrade in seats, which was meant to increase capacity, dropped capacity instead. The stadium was first built in 1995 after it was annouced that Townsville will be home to a new NRL Rugby League Team, It was originally know as Stockland Stadium and then Malanda Stadium before becoming Dairy Farmers Stadium. A new 3,000 seat upgrade will begin soon to cater for the larger crowds that are expected to attend the Stadium following the Cowboys history making performance in 2005, finishing second in the Rugby League">NRL.
The twin cities also played host to the enormously popular Japanese team during the 2003 Rugby World Cup, with the team playing the majority of the preliminary round games at Dairy Farmers Stadium.
In Brisbane. Depending on the attendance of this match, Townsville may host Super 14 matches in future seasons (most likely one annually).
The Riverway Project, a major urban and recreational development in Thuringowa city will have a new international standard Cricket and Australian Football stadium as one of the centrepieces of the project. The project is currently underway in several stages.
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Radio Stations
4TO FM 102.3 (commercial, retransmitted on 774 AM)
Sea FM 100.7 (commercial)
Mix FM 106.3 (commercial)
Hot FM 103.1 (commercial)
ABC Townsville 630 AM
Classic FM 101.5
Radio National 104.7 FM
JJJ 105.5 FM
4TCB 99.9 FM (community)
4TTT 103.9 FM (community)
4K1G 107.1 FM (Indigenous)
891 AM (narrowcast)
98.9 FM (narrowcast)
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The city started life very inauspiciously when a sea captain by the name of United States Armed Forces contingent supported the war effort from various bases around the city. Townsville became the target of Japanese bombing raids in 1942 with a few bombs making landfall but none reaching intended targets. On Christmas Eve 1971 Tropical Cyclone Althea, a category 4 storm battered the city and Magnetic Island, causing considerable damage. Other tropical storms have threatened the area in the intervening years, but with less effect. In October 2000 a Solomon Islands Peace Agreement was negotiated in Townsville.
Townsville is now the largest Australia.
|
The region has many renowned festivals, celebrating some of the various international cultures that call the region home. The Annual Greek and Italian Festivals (Italian based in Ingham, north of Townsville) are popular with the locals and tourists alike and will be held at the new river ways centre in 2006. The city has a large and diverse range of restaurants representing many different cuisines of the world. The Palmer Street restaurant strip in South Townsville is home to many of these, and also plays home to an annual Jazz Festival, bringing together food, wine and music from all parts of the world. A cosmopolitan atmosphere has been developed around many of these restaurants and cafes, with sidewalk dining taking advantage of the suitable climate for outdoor living.
The city also has a vibrant pub and night-club scene, with many of them located in Flinders Street East. Local and national music groups can often be found performing live in these venues. The streetscape was renewed in 2003 with mixed reviews, and now caters for sidewalk dining at many new cafes also located in the street.
The Townsville Entertainment Centre plays host to many national and international music shows, as well as sporting and trade shows, it seats 4500 people. The Townsville Civic Theatre is North Queensland's premier cultural facility. Since its opening in 1978, the Theatre has been a dynamic centre of entertainment and performing arts, providing an environment to further develop the performing arts in Townsville and the North. The Theatre offers performances in dance, music, opera, comedy and drama from major Australian companies with international and national artists that complement the work of local performing arts groups.
Part of the local shopping experience includes the markets, with a night market conducted on the first Friday of each month at the Strand Park on the foreshore. Weekly markets (Cotters Markets) are held on Sunday mornings in the Flinders Street Mall in the city centre, with a variety of offerings including fresh produce, foods, arts and craft and other antiquities.
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Townsville and Thuringowa are each governed by Thuringowa City Council there are two Divisions, one which elects three Councillors and one which elects seven. The Mayor of Townsville is Tony Mooney (Labor), while the Mayor of Thuringowa is Les Tyrell (Liberal).
In the Queensland Parliament the city is represented by four electorates: Thuringowa, Mundingburra, Townsville and Burdekin. Representitives of the State Government electorates are:
Thuringowa: Craig Wallace
Mundingburra: Lindy Nelson Carr (Secretary to the premier of Queensland)
Townsville: Hon Mike Reynolds (Child Safety Minister in the State Government of Queensland)
In the Federal Parliament the city is represented by Peter Lindsay, the member for the seat of Herbert
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Dairy Farmers Stadium in full capacity during a 2003 Rugby Union World Cup match
Dairy Farmers Stadium in full capacity during a 2003 Rugby Union World Cup match
Townsville and Thuringowa play host to a Women's National Basketball League (Australia) team, the Townsille Fire and possiblly a Hyundai A-League football team .
The Cowboys were Semi and Preliminary Finalists in the 2004 Rugby League">NRL season, and were finally defeated by the Sydney Roosters in the Preliminary Finals. In the 2005 Rugby League">NRL Season, the Cowboys played the Wests Tigers in the Grand Final on 2 October 2005. They were defeated by the Tigers.
The Cowboys play at Dairy Farmers Stadium in Thuringowa, a venue which has hosted three Rugby Union World Cup">2003 Rugby Union World Cup matches, and has a maximum capacity crowd of 27,000 people. The stadium could hold up to 31,000 but a recent upgrade in seats, which was meant to increase capacity, dropped capacity instead. The stadium was first built in 1995 after it was annouced that Townsville will be home to a new NRL Rugby League Team, It was originally know as Stockland Stadium and then Malanda Stadium before becoming Dairy Farmers Stadium. A new 3,000 seat upgrade will begin soon to cater for the larger crowds that are expected to attend the Stadium following the Cowboys history making performance in 2005, finishing second in the Rugby League">NRL.
The twin cities also played host to the enormously popular Japanese team during the 2003 Rugby World Cup, with the team playing the majority of the preliminary round games at Dairy Farmers Stadium.
In Brisbane. Depending on the attendance of this match, Townsville may host Super 14 matches in future seasons (most likely one annually).
The Riverway Project, a major urban and recreational development in Thuringowa city will have a new international standard Cricket and Australian Football stadium as one of the centrepieces of the project. The project is currently underway in several stages.
|
Radio Stations
4TO FM 102.3 (commercial, retransmitted on 774 AM)
Sea FM 100.7 (commercial)
Mix FM 106.3 (commercial)
Hot FM 103.1 (commercial)
ABC Townsville 630 AM
Classic FM 101.5
Radio National 104.7 FM
JJJ 105.5 FM
4TCB 99.9 FM (community)
4TTT 103.9 FM (community)
4K1G 107.1 FM (Indigenous)
891 AM (narrowcast)
98.9 FM (narrowcast)
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Hotels in Australia - Townsville >>
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